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 the world. These pictures show some of them: picture 1, picture 2, and picture 3. They also, like men, wear special slippers. This picture shows some of the common ones.
While kids go out, parents stay at home to receive guests or they themselves go to visit others. More often than not, the immediate family gathers over lunch table. They usually eat what we call "Djaj Mhamar" which is a kind of roast chicken. Here in Morocco, we eat from the same plate. And while doing that, we always remember Ramadan and how healthy it is for our stomachs. We usually say that Ramadan is much better when we have that feeling of fullness after lunch.
Afterwards, family members drink the Moroccan tea. This special type of tea is called "Atai". It is prepared on something called "Barad" as you can see here. There are rules to follow when pouring Atai in the cups. For example, the one who takes care of this process is usually a family elder. He or she fills one cup or two and then pour Atai back in the Barad. This process is repeated twice or thrice.
There is another rule to follow when filling the cups. There should be a considerable distance between the Barad and the cups. These pictures show how this is done: picture 1 and picture 2. "Zamita" as you can see in this picture is usually eating with Atai. We eat it with spoons and we drink or rather sip Atai since it is usually hot. The process of drinking Atai is not the most important thing. We may spend two hours to finish a small cup. Atai is meant to gather people together.
The cups, the Barad, and the Moroccan tray (Siniya in Moroccan Arabic) are what make this gathering more beautiful. You can see the most common cups in this picture, the most common Barad in this one and the most common "Siniya" in this one. The final picture of the foregoing elements of the Moroccan Eid gathering looks like this: picture. This is how we spend the early afternoon.
There is not one particular thing that we do in the evening. Families do different things. Some girls choose to have the Henna. So they go out to some specialists in Henna Art. Women are the only ones who know how to do that well. The Henna plant is said to be from heaven. So having Henna design is one of the parts that make the one day free trial to heaven: Eid ul-Fitr.
All of the said things Moroccans do on Eid-ul-Fitr are the demo versions of what they will do in paradise. The celebration of the Small Eid helps us get away from our hectic lives and experience the happiness we often ignore. We celebrate the one day free trial to heaven with the hope that one day we will have the full version.