How to Celebrate Eid al-Fitr in New York City
New York City public schools have added Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to the official list of school holidays, effectively solidifying the fact that the city’s Muslim population is strong and ever-growing. In 2017, Eid al-Fitr in New York will happen sometime between the evening on Sunday, June 25th and the evening of Wednesday, June 28th. Festivities around the world can include prayer, parades, and games in the streets. For those celebrating the end of Ramadan in New York, there are quite a few options around the city.
Mosques in all five boroughs will host Salaat al-Eid services. The Islamic Cultural Center, which is New York’s largest mosque, will have the largest services for the day—it’s not uncommon for 4,000 people to turn up. The Muslim American Society Youth Center in Brooklyn will also host its annual Eid festival.
After services, head to Jackson Heights for some traditional Eid sweets from the Indian and Pakistani bakery, Shaheen Sweets. For those looking for something a bit more hearty, Fatima’s Halal Kitchen consistently serves up some of the best halal dishes in the city.
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For those who like to wear henna for the festivities, there is no shortage of artists. Madeleine Bühler-Rose of MEHNDI NYC is a New York City-based henna artist whose work has been featured on Vice, Vogue.com and New York Fashion Week runways. Her services cost $125 per hour, or she can teach a group of people how to do henna art for $300. Henna by Kenzi, based in Crown Heights, will execute henna art starting at $50 per half hour.
Other Muslim Americans choose to go to a nearby amusement park to celebrate Eid. At Six Flags Great Adventure, New York Muslim families can often be found selecting food from one of the many halal stalls run by Muslim vendors.
No matter how you choose to celebrate this year: Eid Mubarak.
About the author
Cailey writes about travel, with a focus on arts and culture. She studied at SUNY Purchase and Paris IV Sorbonne. She now lives in Brooklyn where she maintains a balanced diet of kale and beer. Follow her @misscaileyanne
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