Thousands celebrate end of Ramadan at Prairieland Park

Thousands of Muslim worshippers gathered at Prairieland Park on Monday morning to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

Eid-al-Fitr, otherwise known as the “festival of breaking the fast,” is a celebration of the culmination of Ramadan. It’s the first of two festivals that are celebrated once a year by Muslims all over the world.

Mueez Rafiquie, a member of the media committee of the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan, explained what Ramadan is.

“Ramadan itself is a month where Muslims all around the world observe fasting so that means from sunrise to sunset, we aren’t able to eat any food or drink any water,” Rafiquie said.

“On top of that, there’s a more spiritual and religious aspect to the fasting as well. Overall, it’s just a month where people focus more on being a more well-rounded person of themselves.”

Rafiquie says it can be incredibly difficult to go through Ramadan while having to work and go to school.

“Part of the whole purpose of it is the fact that it’s humbling in a way,” Rafiquie said.

“The reality is even if you are making yourself not eat food or drink water, it’s always accessible to you. The reality is there is lots of people around the world for whom it is not a reality.”

Rafiquie says it’s easy to see how proud everyone is that they’ve made it through the month and he believes everyone will be better off for it.

“I think you can see that feeling of joy just on everyone’s faces,” he said. “All of the kids are smiling (and) laughing and it’s because of the fact that as a community, this is a very important celebration for us.”

Another huge bonus in 2022 is the fact the community is able to celebrate Ramadan together for the first time in years, according to Rafique. COVID-19 restrictions would have limited their ability to do so in recent years.

“Just the general atmosphere, you can tell that people are appreciating the fact that we’re able to come back in person,” Rafiquie said.