The Islamic festival marking the end of a month of fasting during Ramadan was celebrated at Unitec on Thursday.
Nearly 300 kaimahi and ākonga joined in the festivities at the Unitec Eid al-Fitr Celebration held at the Events Kitchen in Te Puna.
Organised by Unitec’s Muslim Club and supported by the Unitec Student Council and Student Events team, Muslims and non-Muslims came together for lunch and participate in activities such as such as henna painting, Islamic calligraphy, hijab workshop, and a lucky draw.
Eid al-Fitr is the “festival of breaking the fast”. It takes place the day after the new moon is seen at the end of the month of Ramadan, and marks the start of Shawwal – the 10th month of the Islamic calendar. Eid Mubarak is a common Arabic phrase used by Muslims all over the world as a greeting to celebrate Eid, which means “blessed feast or festival”.
“Eid is as an expectation and hope for forgiveness after this past month of fasting and refraining from a lot of things during Ramadan. On this day it is hoped that our penance and prayers have all been accepted. That is why we celebrate Eid,” says Unitec Muslim Club member, Mun Naqvi, from the School of Applied Business.
Muslim Club member and Subject Librarian, Norasieh Md Amin, was overwhelmed by the show of support from staff and students over the past month. Over 20kg of chicken biryani and 5kg of vegetarian biryani was cooked by staff for the lunch. “Fasting is not easy but it’s a good feeling. I feel spiritually fulfilled. Seeing so many Unitec staff and students supporting us and here to celebrate Eid is a blessing,” says Norasieh.
Construction Management student Rajesh Gupta, who comes from Kashmir says the opportunity to celebrate Eid in New Zealand makes him feel closer to home. “Every country is different, but it is great we can come here and celebrate our culture and customs here and eat the food we love which reminds me of my family and friends who I miss,” he says.
Unitec hosted two events as part of Ramadan, which started in the first week of March 2025: Iftar (breaking fast) on 14 March, which was attended by Muslim staff and students, and Eid al-Fitr on 3 April.