Saturday, June 16, 2018
The original version of this article was written by Library co-op student Tahreem Farooqi, and previously published on the Special Collections & Archives blog.
The months don’t align. That is one of the few aspects of Ramadan that most would find confusing - it being dynamic in nature. Considering the Gregorian calendar is guided by the sun’s phases, and the Islamic calendar by the moon, the dates are always changing. That is why the night of each Ramadan day is a celebration, though most nightly celebrations are more modest than the end of the month celebration of Eid.
In the year of 1992, Eid fell on April 5, and the Muslim population of Kitchener-Waterloo began their celebration with prayer and conversation, formally dressed, of course. Ramadan, one of the months within the Islamic calendar, is a special month in which many Muslims fast daily from dawn until dusk. On April 5, 1992, the end of Ramadan was signified by the celebration of Eid and, as seen in these photos, was humbly demonstrated.
One of most enjoyable aspects of working for Special Collections & Archives is my ability to travel through time. As I ready for my own Eid celebrations this year, I wanted to take the opportunity to research any past Islamic festivities in the region and stumbled upon a set of photos taken by Philip Walker for the Kitchener-Waterloo Record.
A peaceful moment in which the Kitchener-Waterloo Muslim community, presumably at the mosque, signify the beginning of the end of the holy month.
This Islamic celebration, for most, begins at the mosque, and I find the images of those in prayer 26 years ago, do not differ greatly from today. This year, I feel lucky to have these two situations align - working for Special Collections & Archives department, while I am celebrating Eid.
Maybe this year’s celebration will find its way into future records, for others to find.
