Eid-ul-Fitr is one of the most significant and delightful festivals for the Muslim people. After having fasted throughout the holy month of Ramadan, the followers of Islam around the world celebrate this day with great delight and enthusiasm. The night before the Eid day, which is called ‘Chaand Raat’, is also an exhilarating time for the Muslim people and everywhere they celebrate the night very excitedly, commencing the celebration of the Eid day. Well, celebrating Chaand Raat is an exceptionally interesting and exciting occasion for the people of Dhaka city. Some people love to go shopping on the very night before Eid day. In fact, it has been a tradition for the people of old Dhaka that they go to the New-market or some other places to shop after watching the Eid Chad (the new moon) in the sky. Meanwhile, people decorate their houses gorgeously. Young girls decorate their hands beautifully with henna. Young boys are seen preparing their Eid outfits for the next day’s Eid prayer. Mothers also remain busy in their kitchens for preparing some delicious dishes. All these things generate a kind of festive mood in every house.

Meanwhile, the fact that the month of Ramadan may consist of either twenty-nine or thirty days is a matter of uncertainty; and so one cannot be quite certain about whether the very next day is going to be the Eid day or not until the new moon shows up in the sky. So, in the evening, moon-sighting also becomes a very exciting event for the children as well as the elders. Everyone comes out and assembles in one place trying to spot the new moon of Eid. And the moment they can discover the new moon in the sky, everyone bursts out in great joy and greets each other by saying “EID Mubarak.” Iffat Jahan, a university student, said, “On the twenty-ninth day of Ramadan, after having Iftar I along with my cousins rush to the rooftop of our house to see if the moon has shown up or not. If the moon shows up, then we all exclaim with joy and embrace each other, and this is the finest and most exciting night for us.”

However, in our country, if the people cannot see the moon by themselves, then they wait for the announcement from the “Jatiyo Chad dekha committee”. Everyone turns the television set on to get the final news. And in the evening before the Eid day, all the television and radio channels play the famous Nazrul song ‘O mon romjaner oi rojar sheshe elo khushir Eid’ welcoming the holy Eid-ul-Fitr and celebrating the enormous happiness of the Muslims.

Israt Shipra, an MA student, said, “In our childhood my father used to turn on BTV channel just to listen to this Eid song. Now I along with children sing this song on the Chaand Raat which multiplies our happiness. So, it seems that without this song, the enjoyment of the night will be incomplete.”

Well, it is also true that on the night before the Eid day, children’s joy knows no bound and they feel much more enthusiastic than the adults. They go outside to play with their playmates. They also plan to do a good deal of things like what they will do on the Eid day, whose houses they will pay their visits and so on.

However, elder people also feel very happy and start calling their relatives and neighbors over cell-phone and wish them “Eid Mubarak”. So, there is no denying the fact that Chaand Raat plays a significant role in adding joy and merriment to the Eid festival of the Muslims.