I’m woken up by the alarm flashing 6:00 A.M. in bright red. The sun isn’t even out yet. I’m tired from last night’s excitement and the last thing on my mind is getting out of my bed and getting ready to go to the mosque.

My family and I celebrated the last night of Ramadan by eating Iftar (dinner at sunset) all together at one house. As the groggy feeling slips away, I am filled with excitement for Eid ul Fitr, the holiday celebrating the end of the month of Ramadan (a month long fasting period in August this year). My stomach still feels extremely full from last night’s feast, but I still eat a date in the morning just as my mom and dad have done every Eid morning. As the sun starts to creep up the horizon and shine through my window, my entire family is almost ready to go. All dressed in our new and crisp Eid clothes, we head over to the car to start our journey to the mosque.

Most Muslims go to the mosque every Eid morning for the Eid prayer, a shortened version of our 5 daily prayers. Like the millions of Muslims around the world, I stand tall next to my mom and cousins as we start the prayer. By 10 a.m I am out of the mosque and am at a breakfast held in New Horizon School, a Muslim school in Los Angeles. The aroma of the fresh falafel, pickled beets, savory hummus and toasted pita bread welcomes all the Muslims as they enter the school. The falafel has, and will always be my favorite breakfast food- mainly because I really enjoy fried food! I quickly grab 2 falafels and a few pickled beets, head over to a round table, and begin digging in as I talk to all my old friends. Within hours, I go from a loud, diverse and open Eid breakfast to an enclosed and exclusive Ethiopian family lunch.

Eid is not a celebration without my family. I always make sure to spend time with them on this special day. We generally have lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant, since that seems to be a common theme in terms of food during this holiday. Laughing, eating, and just enjoying each other’s company is the best way my (extremely) large Ethiopian family enjoys Eid. We’ve been doing this for 16 years! I return home with a full stomach, sore feet, and an exhausted look on my face; no wonder I usually take a nap during the day! This is my crazy and eventful Eid, and I always look forward to it at the end of Ramadan.

Link : http://mag.amazing-kids.org/non-fiction/stories/my-eid-ul-fitr-holiday/