In India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, most Muslims, except Wahhabis, celebrate the 12th of the month of Rabiul Awal as the Prophet’s birthday and call this day “Eid al-Fitr un Nabi”. They celebrate it with great enthusiasm and enthusiasm by holding processions, exchanging gifts, lighting the mosque… 2023 is September 28th.

IEid Al-Fitr Milad un Nabi is a public holiday for public bodies in Maharashtra and many states of India, especially in the Jammu and Kashmir region.

In 2023, the exact date of this holiday varies depending on the state: banks close on September 27 in the state of Kerala and the Jammu region for Eid, but in Tamil Nadu and Delhi for example, banks close on September 28 for the festival the same (also in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Mizoram, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh).

And in Maharashtra, this year it is also celebrated on September 28 Anand Chaturdashithe final day of diving at the elephant god Ganesha, representatives of about a dozen Muslim communities from Maharashtra have decided to postpone Eid al-Fitr celebrations until the following day (Friday 29 September) to avoid incidents between communities. The Chief Minister of the state announced on Wednesday September 27 that holiday together therefore it will be September 29 and not September 28!

This day also marks the anniversary of the death of the prophet.

For Eid, Muslim neighborhoods in Mumbai are decorated with green flags

Most of the Muslim community in Mumbai decorates their neighborhoods with flags and banners.

The tradition is to visit neighbors and relatives wearing new clothes, hugging each other and wishing the Prophet Muhammad SAW a happy birthday. In Malwani, a Muslim-majority neighborhood in north Mumbai, young people from the LP4Y center enthusiastically told us how they enjoy this festival which, for them, is an opportunity to dress up and walk around the neighborhood.

The days leading up to Eid al-Fitr are generally days when traders in the Muslim areas of the city do good business.

On that day huge gatherings take place and Qawali (traditional music programs) are performed at many places in Mumbai.

Eid al-Fitr un Nabi, an important day for the Dawoodi Bohra community

Muslim Community Dawoodi Bohra Mumbaikars usually gather at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station area (editor’s note: formerly Victoria Station, VT) to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a day before most other Muslim communities in India. Dawoodi Bohra follows the Egyptian calendar.

In 2023, on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, the small Dawoodi Bohra community inaugurated its new “mosque”. “environmentally friendly, elegant and shiny, the largest in the city and one of the largest in the country”said an official on Tuesday, September 26.

The place of worship is the iconic “Saifee Mosque”, which was first built in 1923 and, after a century of prayer, rebuilt in 2023, in the heart of the Bhendi Bazaar area of ​​south Mumbai.

The mosque was originally built by the current Syedna’s grandfather, His Holiness Syedna Taher Saifuddin and has been the main place of worship for the people of Mumbai for over 100 years. It was dismantled and rebuilt identically, with the addition of certain necessary equipment, as part of the Bhendi Bazaar area redevelopment project undertaken by the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT).

“The Eid celebrations of Milad al-Nabi are closely linked to the death anniversary of the community’s 52nd leader, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, who died four days after Milad al-Nabi in 2014. Thousands of members of the Dawoodi Bohras from around the world are also expected to be in Mumbai over the next two months. next day to pay respects at the graves of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin and Syedna Taher Saifuddin in front of their mausoleum in Bhendi Bazaar.“, said a community spokesperson in India Time.

Mosques in Mumbai are holding free food distribution

As part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations, most mosques in Mumbai set up stalls on the streets to offer traditional delicacies.

In the Dawoodi Bohras community, the culinary specialty is the sweet and sour dish, Kalamhro. It is made with curd, sugar or honey, rose syrup and rice, with pomegranate seeds and dried fruits as garnish.

And on this day, teenagers and children receive much-awaited gifts, Eid Al-Fitr.

For Muslims, the Prophet’s birthday is considered a day of blessing.