The Most Exciting Eid

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As her mum takes her on an adventure to gift delicious Eid treats to all their neighbours, Safa will realise how wonderful it is to make others happy…and will want to make it up to Alissa. Play the video. The duration is 4'29" and the final words are: '...‘As-Salaam-Alaikum, sweetie. Eid Mubarak.’ Ramadan ends upon the sighting of the new moon and a celebration we call Eid-ul-Fitr. Because we follow the lunar calendar this could mean Eid-ul-Fitr will either be on April 21st or 22nd this year. My book tells the story of a little girl, Safa, who is so excited for Eid-al-Fitr. As her mum takes her on an adventure to gift delicious Eid treats to all their neighbours, Safa learns an important lesson in the book about what makes Eid exciting: sharing special moments with the people we love. Display the gallery images of wrapped presents or, if you prefer, use your own wrapped gift as a prop. Begin by asking the children some or all of the following questions: 1. What am I showing you / What am I holding? 2. What do you think could be inside? 3. When do we give presents to each other? 4. Why do we give presents to each other? 5. Have any of you ever received a really surprising present? Continue by explaining that Eid will be happening soon - a special time when Muslims celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan (add as much detail as you feel is necessary). The exact timing of Eid is dependent on the new moon appearing in the sky. In the video a girl called Halima will tell us more about one particular Eid when she received a very special present...

Then the best part comes: she gets to open her presents! She is gifted a shiny pink bicycle. The only thing is she absolutely doesn’t want to share with her cousin, Alissa. The Deliveroo survey also reveals an appetite for learning, with 5 in 10 (50%) non-Muslims saying they would like to understand more about the calendar observation. This is positive news for the 10% of Muslims who say they have felt unsupported by family, friends and colleagues who are not observing Ramadan. Zeba: I visit my family and spend the day with them. I wear new clothes and I buy gifts formy friends andfamily. My favourite Eid tradition is receiving guests who come to visit my family and sharing food with them. Continue by exploring some of the themes of the story including presents and gift-giving: 1. Do you think Halima changed during the story? What things did she start doing differently? 2. The story was called 'The best Eid present ever'. Why do you think it was called that? 3. Can you think of any other very special presents or gifts...things that perhaps don't come wrapped in boxes? A recent survey showed that 75% of non-Muslim Brits are not familiar with Ramadan and 37% didn’t even know it involved fasting.

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One of the most important aspects of Eid is sharing, but Safa is too excited to let her cousin Alissa have a ride on her bike. This year, Mum has a special surprise for Safa saying she is old enough to accompany her as they visit their neighbours with gifts. The final stop is at her grandparents’ house, where they enjoy a wonderful meal together. This Eid has proved to be extra special and feeling a little guilty about Alissa and the bike, she now understands the power of sharing. Next year, they can do everything together. A beautifully illustrated story to introduce the true meaning of Eid to little ones, now as a chunky board book! Zeba Talkhani is the author of My Past Is a Foreign Country: A Muslim feminist finds herself, which was praised in The Times, Vogue, and Stylist Magazine Portrait of Zeba Talkhani by Chris Boland What do you usually do at Eid?What's your favourite Eid tradition? Zeba: My favourite thing about celebrating Eid is reconnecting with my family and friends. It's a great opportunityto make time for people who you don't live close to and who you don't get to see often. There is a festive feeling in the air and people are able to forget their daily routine for a while and enjoy theday with loved ones.

With 37% of non-Muslim Brits being unaware that Ramadan involves fasting, Deliveroo is helping to educate and bring support to communities - friends, families and colleagues - who might be observing the practice. Abeeha: All the things my grandmother used to make from scratch! She wasn’t always able to spend a lot of time standing up cooking due to her health but she would go all out for Eid, spending the evening before prepping everything – homemade kachoriyan, aloo chana puri, samosas. She always poured so much love and effort into her food. I also love the rice dishes like pilau and biryani. What's your favourite thing about celebrating Eid? The creators of The Most Exciting Eid, Zeba Talkhani and Abeeha Tariq, tell us all about how they celebrate Eid.Zeba: My favourite Eid food is sheer khurma. It's a sweet dish prepared especially for Eid. It's made with vermicelliand milk and also includes lots of other delicious ingredients like nuts and dates.Growing up the tradition was to have biryani for lunch and that's what I still love to have as an Eid meal. If you could give another person - or even the whole world - a very special gift, what would it be?

You could use the story questions to consolidate the children's recall of the events and meaning of the story. It was important to me to get my book put in the hands of the masses. Information at a young age is imperative in developing equality, compassion, and tolerance. Introducing children to a range of religious practices in their early years breeds acceptance and understanding, which is the key to informing generations to come. The ‘Deliveread’ initiative comes following a survey commissioned by Deliveroo revealing over 7 in 10 (75%) of non-Muslim Brits are not familiar with the concept of Ramadan, while 9 out of 10 ( 89%) Muslims in the UK believe Islamic culture and practices should be taught to children from a young age. Features a non-fiction spread for especially curious minds about Eid, including different Eid traditions, foods and greetingsThere are all sorts of gifts…some that come wrapped as presents…and some gifts, like the one in our story, which do not… You could do an internet search on 'gifts', 'presents', 'greatest gift' etc. There are plenty of well-known songs to choose from!

Abeeha Tariq, illustrator of The Most Exciting Eid said: ‘Working on The Most Exciting Eid as my debut picture book was such a wonderful experience. I'm so grateful that I was able to bring Zeba's fun and inviting story about Ramadan and Eid to life through my illustrations and sprinkle in all of the things I loved about Eid growing up throughout them - from family and food, to clothes and community! I hope young readers will continue to see themselves and their communities through this story, as well as learning more about the festival of Eid.’ Safa can’t wait for Eid al-Fitr. With the new moon marking the end of Ramadan, there is so much to look forward to, including Eid decorations, delicious food, pretty henna patterns and a big family gathering. And hopefully the pink bicycle that Safa has been longing for!

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Busi Sizani, Global Head of DE&I at Deliveroo said: “At Deliveroo, we celebrate the special blend of differences—of lives and journeys—that make up this unique community and network of ours. Ramadan is observed by many of our employees, riders, partners and customers, so we’re proud to be partnering with Zeba Talkhani, author of The Most Exciting Eid’ and launch this free books initiative."