Photography by: Manal Aman
When a crescent moon is spotted in the night sky, it marks the end of Ramadan and the Eid holiday begins.
Eid al-Fitr celebrates the hard work of Ramadan. Many traditions over the holy month occur at night: beginning and ending with sighting the crescent moon; meals are only eaten at night (at sunset and before dawn), “tarawih” prayers occurs at night; and one of the most important traditions of Ramadan, the Night of Power is about staying awake at night in worship. These nighttime traditions inspired our color scheme: We used purple to represent the night sky and gold to represent the lights seen in Muslim homes or mosques in the darkness of the night as the inhabitants perform their Ramadan traditions. Along with purple and gold, we’ve used a touch of blue and magenta to represent the colors seen at sunset.
“Eid Mubarak.” “Happy Eid.” “Eid Saeed.” However you say it, the sentiment means the same: You wish your friends and family a happy holiday. Specifically, “Eid Mubarak” is an Arabic phrase that, when translated, means “blessed festival.” This common greeting and the star-and-crescent motif are the combined inspiration for this festive garland. Display it over the dinner table or in a doorway to greet guests as they visit your home.
Get the Eid Crescent & Star Garland How-To
Get the Eid Mubarak Circle Garland How-To
Photography by: Manal Aman
If you’re hosting a sit-down dinner, create a centerpiece that’s simple yet stunning. Since Eid can be experienced in all four seasons over your lifetime, embrace the season. This is a summery floral arrangement made special for Eid with crescent and star charms. Here, we used a mix of colorful flowers including delphium, hydrangeas, veronica, statis, peonies, and mint.
Each bloom is showcased in it’s own glass vessel. Reuse empty wine bottles, milk bottles, or sharbat bottles leftover from Ramadan. You can also reuse rose water bottles from your Eid cooking.
Get the Eid al-Fitr Floral Centerpiece How-To
Photography by: Manal Aman
Because Ramadan’s traditions occur at night, before electricity, lanterns were used with great importance: when going outside to observe the moon, to help a Ramadan drummer wake up the neighborhood for their pre-dawn meal, and performing nighttime prayers, particularly on the Night of Power.
Similarly, we used the lantern to pay tribute to another tradition: Eid money. On Eid al-Fitr, small children look forward to collecting few small bills from their elders as a gift and token of their hard work. You can hang these decorative money envelopes anywhere in your home, such as the living room by the fireplace or the kitchen above a bar counter before digging into brunch. Kids will break out into smiles as they reach up for them and rip them open.
Get the Lantern-Shaped Eid Money Envelopes How-To
Photography by: Manal Aman
Who doesn’t get a thrill out of ripping open their wrapped Eid present? The bright gold mosque motif on these gift boxes can be regarded as a nod to Eid prayers that happen in the morning. Save this gift-wapping idea for family and friends, or even a Secret Eidi exchange.
Get the 3-D Eid Gift Wrap How-To
Photography by: Manal Aman
Leave your guests with a sweet surprise. These festive paper crackers are filled up with individually-wrapped morsels of Turkish nougat and date balls. You can also fill them with gold chocolate coins as a nod to the tradition of Eid money.
Get the Eid Party Crackers How-To
SOURCE:http://www.marthastewart.com/1503870/elegant-eid-al-fitr-ideas-we-love