Did your kids have a day off for Eid al-Fitr? Helping them understand the day's significance
Two school districts in Chittenden County observed the Islamic holiday, Eid al-Fitr, with a day off from school.
About 5,000 students between the Winooski School District and the Champlain Valley School District received a vacation day during the first days of May.
Winooski took Monday, May 2, off, while the Champlain Valley public schools serving the towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston had Tuesday, May 3, off. It was the first time Champlain Valley schools had observed the holiday as a school vacation da
"Eid al-Fitr — which means the Feast of Breaking the Fast — is the Islamic religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan," Champlain Valley Superintendent Rene Sanchez wrote in a newsletter to the school district community. He encouraged families to learn more about the religious holiday and included a link to the Pluralism Project from Harvard University.
How is Eid al-Fitr celebrated?
On May 2 this year, Muslims across the globe observed the conclusion of Ramadan — a month-long time of introspection and prayer, and fasting from sun rise to sunset. Eid al-Fitr is a celebration at the end of the holy month that can last several days. It can include worship — saying a particular prayer in a mosque or religious community — feasting, visiting family and friends, donating money to the poor, and the giving of gifts and new clothes.
The date the holiday falls on is based on the Islamic lunar calendar and coincides with the first sighting of the crescent moon, which could be hindered by cloud cover and other factors.
"We realize that there are a number of different dates listed on which this holiday may be observed, depending on the moon sighting in different locations," Superintendent Sanchez wrote in his note to families, which explains why the two school districts observed the holiday on different days.
Ramadan officially ended at sundown on May 1 this year.
You can watch a religious service of the 1st and 2nd Eid Salah from May 2 on the Islamic Society of Vermont's Facebook page.
Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Two Chittenden school districts have day off for Eid al-Fitr
