Today (April 9) is officially the last day of Ramadan. Muslims will be celebrating the end of the month of fasting with a big blowout called Eid al-Fitr (festival of breaking the fast).
Ballinafad’s Istiqlal Islamic Centre of Toronto (IICT) hopes to celebrate with the local community with a lunch on Saturday, April 13.
The gathering will begin at 11 a.m. at the mosque, located at 14369 Trafalgar Rd. in the hamlet. Mayor Ann Lawlor and members of the Halton Hills Interfaith Council have been invited to attend. On the menu is a feast of Indonesian food, in particular the traditional recipe of opor ayam.
“This is going to be an open house. Anyone can come,” mosque secretary Roby Ikhsan told HaltonHillsToday. “The whole approach for this Ramadan is we are trying to make a whole new experience, rather than just [being] a place to worship.”
The mosque often distributes food to its neighbours, which Ikhsan says is for showing "gratitude and appreciation for the people around us, and trying to be a good neighbour."
The festival day is officially on Wednesday and the mosque will be having special prayer services that same morning. Those who wish to attend can do so at 9 a.m. on April 10. The services will be truncated to allow observers to return to work or celebrate with their families.
Eid al-Fitr, sometimes shortened to simply Eid, is often compared to Christmas due to its emphasis on feasting with friends and family. Parents commonly give their children money to spend on gifts for themselves.
The mosque livestreams events like this on its YouTube channel. More information, including links to its various social media, can be found on Linktree.
