Classroom lesson 路 Festival馃嚥馃嚘 Morocco

Eid al-Fitr

A family holiday of new clothes, sweets and visiting cousins

Families in colourful new clothes gathering to celebrate Eid

Photo 路 Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Eid al-Fitr is one of the biggest celebrations of the year for Muslim families in Morocco. It comes at the end of a quieter month called Ramadan, and is celebrated with new clothes, sweet pastries, gifts of small money for children and visits to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Tell me more

On Eid morning, families wake up early and put on their best new clothes - often white, embroidered robes called djellabas. The whole family then goes out to meet neighbours and walk through the streets together. Everyone says 'Eid Mubarak' - which means 'Blessed Eid' - to everyone they meet.

Children are usually given small amounts of money, called 'eidi', from grandparents and older relatives. They spend it on sweets, balloons or little toys. Many children save some of it too. It is a bit like getting birthday money, but on the same day as all your cousins.

Sweet pastries are the heart of Moroccan Eid. Families bake for days beforehand. Kaab el ghazal ('gazelle horns' - little crescent biscuits filled with almond paste), chebakia (sticky honey-and-sesame swirls) and ghoriba (crumbly almond cookies) cover every table.

Houses fill up with visitors all day. People who live far away come back to their families. Mint tea is poured all afternoon. Children play together in the streets while the grown-ups talk and laugh inside. It is mostly about being with family.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01What is a celebration in your family where everyone wears something special?
  2. 02Why might it feel important to all eat the same kind of food together on a special day?
  3. 03What's a present you have given that wasn't very expensive but meant a lot to the person you gave it to?
Try this

Classroom activity

Each pupil draws their plate of dream celebration food. It can be from any festival their family celebrates, or one they have read about. Display the plates as a class and find foods that show up on more than one. What do families everywhere share?