Festivals and Annual Events

Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar. It is the month of fasting when Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn till sunset. The purpose is to teach Muslims patience, modesty and spirituality. It’s the time to offer more prayers than usual and seek refuge in Allah. It is the dearest festivals of the Muslims that culminates to Eid-ul-Fitr at the end of the month. Ramadan in Madinah is especially marked by a huge influx of visiting Muslims from all over the world. The Masjid Al-Nabawi is jam packed during the month and entertains a very warming and welcoming environment within its walls. The locals offer free Iftar at sunset. Madinah remains a very buzzing city throughout the month.

Eid-ul-Fitr in essence is a celebration by the Muslims to thank Allah for blessing them with the Holy Month of Ramadan. This month gives them an opportunity to get all their sins forgiven from the Almighty and get back to ground zero in terms of their bad deeds. Therefore, Eid-ul-Fitr is a time of sharing joy and happiness as gratitude for Allah’s numerous bounties. The Muslims hug each other as a show of emotion and love without the distinction of race or color. Shopping centers and malls are literally overwhelmed with people and simply put, the whole environment is very festive and refreshing.

It is perhaps the only non-religious event that takes place in the city. The Saudi National Day signifies the day when Saudi Arabia became an independent state. It marks the unification of the country by King Abdul Aziz in 1932. It was first celebrated in the year 2005 and is a day of jubilation for the locals and celebrations are marked by a national public holiday.

This is the ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ or ‘Greater Eid’ marking the day after Arafat during Haj. Domestic animals (usually goats, cows or sheep) are sacrificed as a symbol of Ibrahim’s (AS) devotion to Allah. During this time, there is none of the usual rush in the city because all visiting pilgrims perform their sacrifice in Makkah. So Madinah is usually quiet in comparison. However, the locals are very spirited during the 4 days of Eid-ul-Adha distributing meat and chanting ‘Takbir’ out loud before and after prayers.