Eid Mubarak: Calgarians celebrate the end of Ramadan
Calgarians in every quadrant of the city gathered Wednesday to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr and the end of Ramadan fasting.
Mosques, community centres and banquet halls were packed as Muslims marked one of their two major religious holidays.
It’s a day to celebrate the end of a month-long dawn-to-sunset fast and to pray for prosperity in the year ahead.
The first day of Eid begins with a large morning prayer before the celebrations head into the streets and Muslim homes.
“Islam is a religion that spans through races, ethnicities and cultures,” Green Dome Mosque attendee Zubair Tariq said.
“So it’s a great opportunity for all of us because we believe that we spread love through praying together and having a feast together. And that’s the whole purpose of the month of Ramadan, as well Eid.”
Syed Soharwardy, the head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, echoed that sentiment. He pointed to the city’s growing Muslim population.
“It’s a day of reaching out to the needy and the poor as well,” Soharwardy told CTV News. “So there is a mandatory charity that every one of us has to give before the prayer in the morning.”
There’s also another mandatory element to Eid this year: a prayer for Gaza.
Thousands kneeled and spared a word for those in the region that has been hit extremely hard by an Israeli military offensive.
“We’re thinking of them,” Soharwardy said.
Because the holiday falls on a Wednesday this year, Calgarians will continue the celebrations into the weekend.
Multiple events are planned for Saturday, including a community gathering at the MAC Islamic School in the northeast from 4 to 11 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canadian killed near Gaza border after threatening forces with knife: Israeli police
Israeli police say a Canadian citizen was killed Monday after threatening Israeli security forces with a knife near the Gaza border.
Harris looks to lock up Democratic nomination after Biden steps aside, reordering 2024 race
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their own party that he would be unable to defeat Donald Trump.
What to know about the Canadian ties of Kamala Harris, Biden's choice for successor
U.S. President Joe Biden is stepping aside as the Democratic candidate in that country's November election and throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris -- a Montreal-area high school graduate who spent several years in the city.
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
Officials on Sunday released the name of a pilot who died in a skydiving flight after her passengers jumped from the aircraft near the Niagara Falls.
Markets bet on second Bank of Canada interest rate cut coming this week
Economists and market watchers are betting the Bank of Canada will deliver another interest rate cut this week amid mounting evidence that inflation is sustainably easing.
10,000 unionized employees return to work, stores to reopen Tuesday: LCBO
Workers are back on the job today at Ontario's main liquor retailer, but the Liquor Control Board of Ontario says stores won't be open for business until Tuesday.
Canadian musicians struggle to get visas to perform in the U.S., some cancel shows
Backlogs and processing delays of temporary U.S. visas required by entertainers, athletes and artists has forced some Canadian bands to cancel U.S. tour dates because paperwork wasn't processed in time.
Mom wants quicker reform on disaster preparations, one year after flood took son
The mother of a boy who died a year ago in a Nova Scotia flood says her grief returns daily, along with frustration over what she considers the province's slow pace in reforming its preparations for climate disasters.
Ottawa man waiting nearly a year for car to be fixed at Acura dealership
An Ottawa man says he’s been waiting nearly a year for his car to be repaired after it was damaged during a storm in August.