Ramapo Indian Hills adds new holiday to school calendar
OAKLAND — Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, will be added to the Ramapo Indian Hills high school calendar for 2023-2024.
Ramapo Indian Hills is the latest district to adopt new religious holidays in recognition of the county's increasingly diverse population. New Jersey has the largest percentage of Muslim residents in the United States, with 3%, according to the Pew Research Center.
"We are very pleased they are adding the holiday," said Shaykh Moutaz Charaf of the El-Zahra Islamic Center in Midland Park. "It makes us feel we are included in the community, that we can share our culture, and help educate the public about Islam."
On Tuesday, Superintendent Rui Dionisio said a day will be added to the end of the school year to accommodate the new holiday. It is unclear if the grade schools of the sending districts in Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Wyckoff will add Eid al-Fitr to their calendars as well.
The calendars for the current and future school years are similar, with weeklong December, winter and spring recesses. Rosh Hashana was included this year but does not appear on next year's calendar because it starts at sunset on Friday, Sept. 15. Yom Kippur is included both this year and next year on Monday, Sept. 25. Martin Luther King Day continues to be a holiday in the current and future calendars.
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The district's spring break does not always coincide with Easter. This spring, the district has off Good Friday and the following week. Next year, Good Friday is on March 29, but spring break does not happen until April 15 to 19. The Eid al-Fitr holiday is April 10.
The proposed calendar is posted on the district's website, rih.org.
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Ridgewood, the largest school district in Bergen County, added Eid al-Fitr to its school calendar in 2021-2022. Montclair and Paramus are among the Bergen County districts that have also added it to their calendars.
For Muslims, Ramadan is a monthlong period of fasting, prayer and reflection. Its end is honored at Eid al-Fitr with new clothes, special pastries, gifts, visits to relatives' graves and family gatherings. Because the Muslim calendar is shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Ramadan moves 10 to 12 days earlier each year. This means Eid al-Fitr also moves through the calendar over a 33-year cycle, so it does not happen at a set time each year. This year, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated April 21.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ramapo Indian Hills adds Eid al-Fitr holiday to school calendar
