Eid el-Fitr, the feast for the breaking of the fast which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, will take place on Sunday, announced Friday evening the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM), which recalled that the prayer of the 'Eid could not take place in mosques.
"Given the context of the pandemic, the prayer of Eid (Sunday morning, note) cannot take place in mosques", underlines the CFCM in a press release, just after a videoconference was held between the main leaders of this instance at the great mosque of Paris.
A constituent federation of the CFCM, the Rassemblement des Muslims de France, "calls (...) to celebrate the Eid prayer at home, individually or collectively in the restricted family circle".
As since the beginning of containment, the mosques are still closed. Ramadan, the fourth pillar of Islam which began in France on April 24, was largely lived at home, the Muslim authorities discouraging any gathering.
The CFCM annually determines the dates of the start and end of Ramadan based on the observation of the lunar crescent, in accordance with the choice made by the main Arab-Muslim countries.
Eid el-Fitr or Eid el-Seghir (small festival) is one of the two most solemn dates of the Muslim calendar with the other Eid, Eid el-Kebir or Eid el-Adha, the great festival or Feast of Sacrifice. It is traditionally an occasion for family celebratory meals, visits to loved ones and the exchange of gifts.
During Eid el-Fitr, the Muslim is invited to pay alms for the poor, the zakât el-Fitr (7 euros per person).
The CFCM also noted in its press release "the recommendation of the medical-scientific authorities and the public authorities" to resume religious ceremonies with the public "in June, to better analyze the effects of the lifting of confinement on May 11 on the health situation of our country".
France has between five and six million practicing and non-practicing Muslims, according to the latest studies on the subject (Pew Research Center, Montaigne Institute, Insee, Ined), which makes Islam the second religion of the country. And makes the French Muslim community the first Muslim community in Europe.