Eid’l Fitr Festival Goes to the Metro, at The Block, SM City North EDSA

Annually, Muslims celebrates Eid’l Fitr, the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. This important event usually falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. It’s a time of joy, forgiving and thanksgiving among Muslims as they take the occasion to strengthen ties with family and friends, give gifts and zakat (alms), and feast together. Here in our country, Republic Act No. 9177 declared Eid’l Fitr a national holiday.

This year, instead of having this celebrated within the ARMM Region where most Muslim communities reside, the Eid’l Fitr Festival goes to the metro and takes centerstage on August 24-26, 2012 at The Block, SM City North EDSA, Quezon City.

Gracing the event is Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile as the Keynote Speaker and Guest of Honor during the formal Opening Ceremonies on August 24. ARMM Governor Mujiv Hattaman and NCMF Secretary Mehol Sadain with  MKFI Chair Santanina Rasul are this year’s co-organizers of the Festival.

The three day Eid'l Fitr and Muslim Festival will showcase the many facets of Muslim life in the Salam (peace) Villages. Art works of the National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao and photo-essay exhibit on “How Islam Came to the Philippines” curated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines will also be displayed during the event.  Products from Islamic states, represented by their embassies in Manila and ARMM, will also be sold during the celebration. There will also be daily cultural performances that showcase the richness and diversity of the cultural heritage of Filipino Muslims.

The annual national cultural event of Eid’l Fitr Festival is an excellent springboard to build a better understanding and appreciation among Filipinos of ethnic, racial and religious diversity in the country. This brings mallgoers of The Block, SM City North EDSA closer to the richness of the cultural heritage of Muslims in the Philippines that lays strong foundations for stronger social, economic and cultural partnership between Muslims and non-Muslims, create a positive environment of mutual trust and confidence among Muslims and non-Muslims and, provide an attraction for tourist arrivals from the Islamic countries who go on vacation during the Eid’l Fitr.