Eid al-Fitr:
During Ramadan, the life of Hui Muslims is much richer than usual. Generally, there are nutritious foods such as beef and mutton, white rice, white flour, camellia oleifera, sugar, tea and fruit.
People who fast should eat their fill before the East turns white. After dawn in the east and before sunset, it is forbidden to have sex and cut off all food and drink. The purpose of fasting is to let people experience the pain of hunger and thirst, and to let the rich really help the poor. Through fasting, Hui Muslims gradually develop the virtues of perseverance, strength and honesty.
When people fast for a day, and it is almost time to break fast, most men who fast have to wait in the mosque. After hearing the sound of clappers in the mosque, I ate "fast food" in the temple.
When breaking fast, if it is summer, you should eat fruit first if you can, drink a bowl of water or cover a bowl of tea unconditionally, and then eat. This is mainly because the fasting Hui people feel thirsty first in summer, not hungry.
If in winter, some people pay attention to eating a few dates before eating. According to legend, Muhammad loved to eat red dates when he broke fast, so Muslims now have this habit. The expiration of fasting is one of the most solemn festivals of the Hui people every year-Eid al-Fitr.
Eid al-Fitr will last for three days, and the first day will be lively from dawn. Every household should get up early and clean the yard roadway, giving people a clean, comfortable and pleasant feeling. Men, women and children put on their favorite new clothes. Mosques, the places where Hui people meet and have activities, are also cleaned up during festivals, and huge slogans and colored lights are hung to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
Eid al-Adha:
"Eid al-Adha" means "sacrifice" and "dedication", so it is also called "Eid al-Adha" and "Loyalty and Filial Piety Festival". Hui people in most areas are called "Little Eid", which is one of the three major festivals in Islam and is usually held 70 days after Eid al-Fitr.
On Eid al-Adha, there will be a grand slaughter ceremony. This is the festival, besides frying oil, making dumplings and giving ceremonies, cattle, sheep and camels will also be slaughtered. Generally, if the economic conditions are better, each person will slaughter a sheep, and seven people will slaughter a cow or a camel. There are still many stresses when slaughtering animals. Lambs under two years old, calves and camels under three years old are not allowed to be slaughtered, and livestock that are blind, lame, deaf and have few tails are not allowed to be slaughtered. It is necessary to choose strong and beautiful slaughter. The slaughtered meat should be divided into three parts: one for self-feeding, one for relatives and friends, and one for giving alms to the poor.
Some even invite imams to chant Buddhist scriptures at home, eat fragrant oil, and at the same time, visit graves to remember their ancestors. There are various forms to celebrate this festival, and there are similarities and differences between different places. In some places, besides attending parties and visiting relatives and friends, various recreational and sports activities are also organized. On the Eid al-Adha Festival, the Hui people in Xinjiang, both men and women, like to organize all kinds of recreational activities, and they are very happy.
Holy Day:
Holy Day is a memorial day to commemorate the birth and death of the Prophet Muhammad of Islam. Because Muhammad's birth and death happened to be on March 12 of the Islamic calendar, the Hui people are generally called "holy Ji".
On the day of the festival, Muslims first went to the mosque to chant scriptures, praise the saints and tell the life story of Muhammad. Afterwards, Muslims volunteered to donate grain, oil, meat and money, and invited several people to be specifically responsible for grinding flour, purchasing things, frying oil, cook the meat and cooking. All the chores were done by the Hui people voluntarily. Hui people regard voluntary labor on Holy Day as doing good deeds. Therefore, it is a great pleasure to compete with each other.