Aspire Celebrates Eid al-Fitr
Eid celebration, also known as Eid al-Fitr or Eid ul-Fitr, is one of the most important festivals in Islam. It marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Eid al-Fitr translates to "Festival of Breaking the Fast."
The celebration typically lasts for three days, during which Muslims gather with family and friends, attend special prayers at mosques, exchange gifts, and share meals together. It's a time of joy, gratitude, and generosity. Many Muslims also give to charity, as sharing blessings with those in need is an integral part of the Eid tradition.
Many of our Aspire centres celebrated Eid throughout the week, with different activities and delicious cultural food. Learn more about some of the celebrations below.
Eid Festivities at Aspire
In the Toddler rooms at Aspire Cobblebank, the children created colourful lanterns from recycled materials, symbolising creativity and sustainability in their observance of Eid al-Fitr. This learning experience allowed the children to embrace the spirit of the holiday while fostering an appreciation for cultural festivities and respect for diversity. Children at Aspire Kalkallo also participated in activities to symbolise this celebration, including playdoh fun with cut up moon and star shapes.
At our Cranbourne West centre, our star chef Satish prepared dinner packs for the families to take home to give back to families and mark the special occasion. A few of our other Aspire centres also put on a delicious spread of traditional food such as lentil soups, sweet rice, samosas and sweet treats including cookies and donuts. The children and our Aspire educators thoroughly enjoyed eating different flavours and learning about traditional food from Muslim culture.
Celebrating Different Cultures
Celebrating Eid in early education settings has several important benefits for children including promoting cultural awareness, inclusivity and social cohesion. It can help children develop an appreciation for cultural diversity and different traditions that others may recognise and celebrate. It also helps to build a sense of respect and inclusivity for their peers and educators as well.
We recognise that our Aspire families have different cultural backgrounds, and therefore we like to acknowledge these different traditions and festivities that our families celebrate to create an inclusive environment. Eid is just one celebration we recognise, but we also celebrate Chinese New Year, Diwali Festival of Lights, Sinhalese New Year, Easter, Christmas, St Patrick's Day, NAIDOC Week and more. These significant cultural days are recognised throughout the year in our Aspire curriculum through engaging experiences and activities for the children and extra-curricular programs. We also run bigger community events at our Aspire centres for the local community that celebrate these festivities. These events incorporate traditions, music, food, and decorations from different cultures, and its great to bring our Aspire families together with the rest of the community.
By celebrating different cultures at Aspire, our educators can create inclusive learning environments that promote cultural awareness and respect among our young children, laying the foundation for a more inclusive society.
To learn more about our educational programs at Aspire, contact our team today or enquire at your nearest centre here.
