by Mouhcine Azizoun

Created on: September 09, 2009   Last Updated: September 11, 2009

Eid ul-fitr is a joyous event whereby Moroccans experience what is waiting them in heaven. I prefer to call this Eid 'the one day free trial to heaven' since everything Moroccans and Muslims in general do in it is a small version of what they will do in heaven. This is probably why our forefathers called this festival the Small Eid.

In the early morning of the festival, everyone is preparing for the day. Kids kiss their parents hands to show respect and to tell how much grateful they are for the parents sacrifices. After that, they all go to the Musallah. The latter is different from a mosque or a Masjid. Here in Morocco, we pray in a large area located near a forest. But sometimes when it rains, we have to pray in a mosque. Walking instead of driving to the Musallah is recommended. Changing the streets that one passes through to get to the Musallah when going back home is recommended too. In this way, we would meet new people and exchange greetings.

When we get back home, we eat the Eid's breakfast. It is totally different from the one that Moroccans have everyday. It is a mixture of what is traditional and modern. The "Malwi" as one can see here is eaten with tea and honey. It represents the traditional food. While the "Halawiyat" as one can see here, here or here represents what is modern. The former (Malwi) is a must in this Eid. It is just so important to Moroccans that they cannot do without. On the contrary, the latter (Halawiyat) is more often than not replaced by another less expensive type. The be-all and end-all, though, is the aura of happiness that surrounds the breakfast table.

After breakfast, kids wear their new clothes go out to visit neighbors and other unknown families in a kind of trick-or-treating custom. The only difference between it and the real Halloween trick-or-treating is that there is no trick. Kids just ask for confectionery and money. This custom, however, is more prevalent among the badly-off nowadays unlike in days of yore, which is sad. More generally, kids get money and sweets from their parents and relatives.

Adults wear some special kind of clothes. Men wear Djellaba, which is one of the Moroccan traditional clothes. These pictures show different kinds of Djellaba: picture 1, picture 2, and picture 3. Men also wear some traditional slippers. This picture shows some of them. To the best of my belief, women Eid clothes are more beautiful than men's ones. They wear Takchita or Caftan. These two types have become famous around

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