On Eid day, all of the men will go to the masjid and pray the Eid prayer with a sheikh, the one who leads the prayer. After the prayer, some people go to the graveyards of their loved ones to recite Surah Yaseen, a special chapter in the Quran. Then, all of the men will go and visit their female relatives in their homes including their mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, granddaughters and give them Eid money as gifts. Then the next day, all the females will go and visit all of their male relatives in return. This happens for all of the Muslims that live here. It is a lot of visiting each other and spending the Eid day in each other’s company. 

On these visits, lots of delicious sweets and Arab tea called Shay bil Maramiya (Palestinian Sage-Scented Tea) are served. One of the most famous sweets is called Maamoul which are scrumptious date filled cookies. Eid is not an Eid without Maamoul. Palestinians like to eat it with Arab tea while they share stories and have a good time. People like to talk about how Ramadan went for them, what their challenges were, and what they love and enjoy about Ramadan. Also, both men and women love to visit the Masjid Al-Aqsa on this blessed Eid day which for Muslims represents the world’s third holiest site. This is how Eid is spent in Falasteen.

* We dedicate this article to our brothers and sisters who are resisting injustice in Palestine and send our prayers on this blessed Eid day.

Composed by Filiz Arslan