Anyone just celebrated a religious holiday?

[ladymuck]

Sorry to be so ignorant but ds1 brought home a party bag from 2 children in his class "because it was their Easter". I know that some children brought in some gifts/food at Diwali/Eid, but what would this festival have been, and is there a suitable greeting for when I speak to the parents?

It was Eid-ul-Adha, the celebration at the end of the Hajj, I only had 14 children in my class yesterday as the rest were celebrating

How interesting .. I also don't know enough about this and would like to.

Wasn't eid sometime in December and connected with Ramadan? Is that a different Eid then?

Is Hajj the pilgrimage to Mecca?

Yes, the Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca. There are a few different Eids throughout the year but I'm not sure how many! I'll the children today when they return to school, i'll ask them what Eid means as well.

Yes yesterday was the second Eid.
I used to invite friends over from school when I was little, my parents used to throw a huge party for us at eid....can't wait till my two are old enough so we can do that all with them.

bit weird to describe it as "their Easter" then, if it's the less important Eid? Surely Easter is the biggie if you are a Christian?

maybe the link is chocolate?

Thanks. ds1 is 4 so I guess they weren't getting into too much detail on it. It's a CofE school but I'm glad that the muslim mums felt able to share something with us! Hopefully it will become more coherent as they get older.

awwww!

There are two Eids in the Islamic calendar. Both are equally important, but the Eid that comes at the end of Ramadan is celebrated more noticeably than the one after Hajj because after Muslims have fasted for a month they really do enjoy that Eid. However, I must stress that both Eid's are equally important.

Yesterday's Eid is related to when Allah asked the Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismail, as a test of his faith. It is also related to the fact that Allah asked the Prophet Abraham and his son Ismail to build his first house, the Holy Kaaba, where people go to perform the Hajj.

Thanks

Out of interest, Judeo-Christianity has the story that Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac (on an altar, but a ram was divinely provided instead). Do muslims have the same one but with Ishmael substituted instead?

And when I see the mums tomorrow, what is a suitable belated greeting?

Yes that's right ladymuck.

Most people say Eid Mubarak (pronounced Eed Moobahruck), I'm sure the other parents will really appreciate it.