From March 23 to April 21, Muslims will celebrate the month of fasting in 2023 ramadan. Since Muslims live according to a purely lunar calendar, Ramadan advances by about ten to eleven days each year, so that Lent touches all seasons over time. The end of Ramadan is usually celebrated with a three-day break of the fast, the Sugar Festival. The festival is called “Eid al-Fitr” in Arabic and “Şeker Bayrami” in Turkish.

The Sugar Festival lasts for three days and follows Lent. That means the Sugar Festival will be celebrated in 2023 from April 21st to 23rd. However, the date changes every year because Muslims follow the lunar rather than the solar calendar for religious festivals.

The end of the fasting month of Ramadan is celebrated. On this occasion, younger Muslims usually visit their older relatives and gather at richly laid tables, where sweet pastries and other delicacies are mainly served. Hence the name Sugar Festival.

The Sugar Festival is the holiest holiday in the Muslim faith after the Festival of Sacrifice. When going into the mosque on the first day of the festival, the revelers thank their god Allah for Fast and have mastered the associated renunciation. They also ask Allah to accept their prayers and their efforts in Ramadan and to forgive their mistakes. So that all Muslims can celebrate and enjoy the festival sufficiently, donations are collected for the needy after the prayer.

On the festival of breaking the fast, the words “eid mubarak” or “eid said” (Arabic) or “Bayramınız mübarek olsun” (Turkish) wish each other a happy and blessed festival. In Southeast Asia, the words “selamat hari raya” are used, which means something like “blessing on the holiday.” In addition, younger Muslims greet older family members, but also acquaintances or teachers with a kiss on the hand. They express love, respect and loyalty towards these people. At the Sugar Festival, the younger ones receive gifts from the older ones after this respectful greeting.

There are these sayings for the Sugar Festival: