Eid, 1992

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. Yet again contradictory, most nightly celebrations are more modest than the end of the month celebration of Eid.

The year of 1992, Eid fell on April 5^th and the Muslim population of Kitchener-Waterloo decided to begin their celebration with prayer and conversation. Formally dressed of course, considering this is a festivity. Ramadan, one of the months within the Islamic calendar, is a special month in which many Muslims fast daily from dawn till dusk. On this day of April 5^th, 1992, the end of Ramadan is signified by the celebration of Eid, and in these photos, it is humbly demonstrated.

One of most enjoyable aspects of working for the Special Collections and Archives department is my ability to travel through the timeline.  As I ready myself for my own Eid celebrations, I wanted to take the opportunity to research any past ripples of Islamic festivity.  The 1990s are not too far into the past, but still significant change can occur in the span of three decades. Although not expansive, I had stumbled upon this photo set taken by photographer 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 that those in prayer on this day of the early 1990s, do not differ greatly from those today, and those signifying the beginning of Eid at the end of this week. This year, I am lucky to have these two situations align, in which I work for the Special Collections and Archives department, at the same time I am celebrating Eid. Maybe this year’s celebration will find its way into future records, for others to find.