Steemit Engagement Challenge Week 2 || Share Your Favorite Culture In Your Country
Hello everyone.
I’m much excited to take part in this week’s engagement contest. I’m here to submit my entry for the second week edition of the steemit engagement contest in this great community.
This week’s contest is all about sharing your favorite festival in your country be it religious or cultural festival. Indeed it is a good contest which will broaden our knowledge and also expose us to different types of festivals that we haven’t heard or witnessed before.
The engagement is all about going through other participants contents and leaving comments on them. Through this we get to know and understand each other culture very well.
Before I start with the main agenda of this post I would like to explain some key words in this contest that I will be using often.
Festivals are events and occasions that are marked by joy and happiness and lots of merry making, they have been created and developed over the course of history and passed on from generation to generation. Festivals are often celebrated basically for religious or cultural reasons.
I live in a country (Ghana) that is made up of five (5) ethnic groups which include Akan, Ewe, Ga Adangbe, Mole Dagbani and Guan. All these ethnic groups has a way of live known as their culture. Among these five ethnic groups, they all celebrate variety of festivals. All year round, these ethnic groups celebrates variety of festivals ranging from cultural to religious and some include the Damba, Bugum, Eid-ul Adha, Eid-ul Fitr, Homoho, etc.
The Eid-ul Fitr religious festival happens to be my favorite festival among all the festivals celebrated here in Ghana. What a coincidence, I was very glad when I saw this particular contest because it happened to be on the day of my favorite festival. We celebrated the Eid-ul Fitr festival yesterday which is still fresh in my mind and having a lot of pictures of our celebration.
Eid-ul Fitr festival marks the end of the Islamic holy month of fasting called Ramadan which is the forth pillar among the five pillars of Islam and we believe it is the month the Quran was revealed to our beloved prophet Mohammed S.A.W (peace be upon him). This holiday is celebrated worldwide by Muslims and signifies the end of the 29 or 30days fasting we do from dawn to sunset the entire month of Ramadan, the celebrations depends on the sighting of the crescent moon and varies around the world.
We celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr also known as (Breaking of the fast festival) with an Islamic prayer called Salat al Eid in Arabic. There is usually no audible call for prayers but mosques all around recite zikr (the remembrance of Allah).
We then gather in the mosques after wearing the best of our clothes and also smelling the best our perfumes to offer the congregational two units of prayers (rakat) led by the imam of that particular mosque. This is followed by sermon from the imam asking for peace, unity, riches, wealth, forgiveness, mercy and all good things for the ummrah worldwide and individuals also pray their needs from Allah.
We usually fast before the prayers and break the fast on returning from the mosque, and also recite the takbeer prayers (praises to Allah). This festivity is to show gratitude for the help and strength given by Allah to practice our self-control for the worldly things and desires.
Another key element of this celebration is charity (Zakat al Fitr) the third pillar of Islam and it means giving money or foodstuffs to the poor and needy in your community to also partake in the festivity. The rest of the day is used in feasting, merry making and greeting our other Muslim brothers and sister around the world either visiting or calling sending our well wishes.
Festivals In general has a lot of impact on our lives and the societies as a whole. It helps bring back family members and relatives together, it also help in portraying our culture and enlighten the younger ones on how the tradition is.
Both religious and cultural festivals adds up to the development of the upcoming generations and help in preserving cultural activities. Hope you all enjoyed reading through my post.
I have invited @monjuapollonia, @patjewell, @njaywan, @jimah1k, @chenty and @rubilu123 to participate in this contest.
Thank You All!!
It’s really a great feeling celebrating Eid and making merry right after abstaining from food for 30 days. It makes you realize that religion is an important part of our lives. Thanks for the invite.
Eid Mubarak 🙏
I’m glad you accept the challenge, hoping to see your entry.
I hope so too
Thank you! I’m learning more and more about this festival with each post.
Congratulations on a well written post. I wish you all the best for the contest
This particular contest will enable us to learn more about other countries festivals and I’m happy you have been able to understand how the eid yo Adha festival is celebrated.
I live in a country (Ghana) that is made up of five (5) ethnic groups which include Akan, Ewe, Ga Adangbe, Mole Dagbani and Guan. All these ethnic groups has a way of live known as their culture. Among these five ethnic groups, they all celebrate variety of festivals i now know a lot about Ghana culture and their various ethnic groups, nice post my friend
Thank for going through
It's nice to read about this. Even if we Christians may not take part in this festival, down here, we really enjoy the holidays and how the celebrators paint our city with their colourful wears.
On the day of Eid just like Christmas, Muslims put on the best of their clothings moving together as one towards the praying grounds and praising the name of the Almighty Allah.
That's interesting!
The joy to celebrate Eid Fitr is always high after going through 30 days of fasting. You have shown as all the important aspect of the festival , I enjoyed reading the post . I wish you happy Eid Mubarak. Thank you for sharing
Same to you my dear and I’m grateful you went through my post.
After a full 30days of fasting, to climax it we celebrate the Eidul Fitr to show that we are indeed grateful for how far Allah has brought us. A year contains about 365 days, in these days as humans we do certain things that tend to taint our souls. The 30 day fasting helps as to redeem our souls from the hell fire, and as Muslims we are advised to keep up with deeds we did in the month of Ramadan. Great entry dear.
Thanks for the invite I wish you all the best
Thanks so much dear, hope you will participate in this contest?