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Local mosques coming together to join in an EID prayer at the Ohio Expo Center. Credit: Courtesy of the Noor Islamic Cultural Center

Celebrating Eid away from home can be difficult for students, but with community and traditions, Muslim students plan to preserve its spirit at Ohio State.

On Wednesday, over 1.8 billion Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, considered to be the holiest month of the year and a month of fasting and reflection. This festive day is traditionally marked by prayers, feasts and time with friends and family. 

Eid is largely centered around family gatherings, and it is common for families to go out for a meal or attend parties together during the holiday. The communal focus of Islam makes it uncommon for holidays to be celebrated without a large group of friends and family. 

Being on campus can make this difficult for some Muslim students. 

For Brickelle Rahmaan Bixler, a first-year in medical anthropology, Eid is a day full of celebration with family, and being away from them will feel strange. Originally from West Bloomfield, Michigan, she decided to stay on campus for Eid due to her heavy workload and exams. 

“I feel a little sad about spending Eid on campus. It wasn’t what I originally planned,” Rahmaan Bixler said. “I would say [I feel] a sense of sadness, but I’m grateful that it will allow me to study.” 

Rahmaan Bixler typically begins Eid by waking up early to attend community prayer at the mosque with her family and walking around the city afterward, dedicating the day to bonding. However, due to her course load, she said she will be studying for most of the holiday.

Rahmaan Bixler said although this year won’t include the usual festivities — like going to festivals with inflatables, food and games with her family — she still plans to wake up early and pray. 

“My plans for Eid are to find someone to drive me to a nearby [mosque] and go to prayer,” Rahmaan Bixler said. 

Though Rahmaan Bixler will be celebrating apart from her family for the first time, she said she will try to maintain the tradition of going to the mosque to feel closer to home. 

Others are looking to do the same, like Yazan Shams, a third-year in public management, leadership and policy, and president of the Saudi Student Organization, who is spending the holiday away from his hometown of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

“Spending Eid on campus is nothing compared to being back home with family, but OSU being very diverse helps me, as an international student, to meet new people from the same background who make me feel a little closer to home,” Shams said. 

To foster the sense of community they feel at home, the Saudi Student Organization is planning an on-campus Eid celebration. The celebration will consist of traditional Saudi food, games and giveaways.

In past years, Shams said older students and community members have brought their families to the celebration to introduce them to Saudi culture. The organization hopes this will serve as a “home away from home” for other international students.   

That’s what Abdullah Helal, a third-year in communication and social media director of the Saudi Student Organization, will be doing as he spends his first Eid away from his hometown in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Helal is looking forward to celebrating a piece of his culture with the Ohio State community. 

“With the relationships I’ve built here and with the Muslim community I surrounded myself with, I believe I will be able to resemble the Eid vibes from back home with a unique taste,” Helal said.