Eid in Egypt: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha for Travellers

What are the two Eids in Egypt?

Eid al-Fitr, the "small Eid", marks the end of the Ramadan fast; Eid al-Adha, the "big Eid", comes about 70 days later and honours Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, coinciding with the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Egyptians usually call them simply el-Eid el-Soghayyar and el-Eid el-Kebir.

Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, both Eids move about 11 days earlier each year. By 2028, Eid al-Fitr is expected in late February and Eid al-Adha in early May. For the month of fasting that leads up to the first Eid, see travelling Egypt during Ramadan.

What happens on Eid morning?

Eid begins at sunrise with a special prayer, held in mosques and in open squares and streets, followed by new clothes, gifts of money for children and a round of family visits.

From before dawn, mosque loudspeakers carry the takbir, the chanted "Allahu akbar" of Eid, and men, women and children in their best clothes walk to prayer. Large congregations spread into the streets around landmark mosques, with prayer mats laid on the asphalt. Afterwards:

• Eidiya: crisp new banknotes handed to children by parents, uncles and grandparents. Banks see queues for new notes in the days before Eid.
• Visiting the dead: many families visit relatives' graves on Eid morning, bringing palm fronds and sweets to share. Cairo's historic cemeteries, including the City of the Dead, are busy and best left to mourners that day.
• Visits and outings: the afternoon is for relatives, then parks, the zoo, the cinema and the Nile. Eid is the biggest week of the year for Egyptian film releases, and cinemas sell out.

What food is eaten at Eid?

Eid al-Fitr is the feast of sweet biscuits, above all kahk, while Eid al-Adha is the feast of meat, with fattah as its centrepiece.

• Kahk: rich, crumbly butter-and-flour rings, often filled with agameya (a honey and ghee paste), walnuts or dates, stamped with patterns and buried in icing sugar. Families bake them together or buy boxes from famous bakeries, and the tradition is often traced to Fatimid Cairo a thousand years ago.
• Ghorayeba, biscuits and petit fours: melt-in-the-mouth shortbread and plain or date-filled biscuits sit beside the kahk on every coffee table.
• Salted fish on Eid al-Fitr: many families break the month of fasting with feseekh or renga on the first day. As at Sham el-Nessim, only eat feseekh from a reputable shop.
• Eid al-Adha meals: breakfast after prayers is often fried liver, followed later by fattah, layers of bread and rice soaked in garlic-vinegar sauce and topped with meat.

Hotels and cruise ships set out kahk in their lobbies over Eid, so even travellers who never step into an Egyptian home get a taste. Our guide to Egyptian desserts covers the rest of the sweet table.

What should travellers know about the Eid al-Adha sacrifice?

Families who can afford it sacrifice a sheep, goat, cow or buffalo on Eid al-Adha and share the meat with relatives and the poor, and in some neighbourhoods this happens in the street, which visitors can find confronting.

In the week before Eid, livestock appears everywhere: sheep tethered on rooftops and outside butchers' shops, cattle trucked into the cities. On Eid morning, after prayers, animals are slaughtered by butchers in abattoirs, in courtyards and sometimes on the pavement. The meat is traditionally divided into three: for the household, for relatives and friends, and for those in need, which makes it one of the year's great acts of charity. Authorities encourage slaughter in licensed abattoirs, but street sacrifice remains common.

Tourist areas, hotels, cruise ships and the main monuments are largely unaffected. If you would rather not see it, keep the first morning of Eid for a museum or your hotel, and ask your guide to avoid residential back streets that day. The day before Eid, Arafat Day, many Egyptians fast while the pilgrims stand on Mount Arafat; daytime is quiet, and the evening is busy with last-minute shopping.

How do the Eid holidays affect your trip?

The monuments stay open throughout Eid, but domestic travel peaks, banks close for days, and resorts, trains and flights fill, so the key is to book early and sightsee at opening time.

• Sights: the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings open as normal and are lively with Egyptian families from mid-morning. The first morning, while people are at prayers and visits, is often quiet.
• Red Sea and Alexandria: Hurghada, El Gouna, Sharm el-Sheikh, Ain Sokhna and Alexandria are where Egyptians head. Rates rise sharply and good rooms go weeks or months ahead.
• Trains and flights: Cairo to Luxor and Aswan sleeper berths and domestic flights sell out. Secure them as soon as your dates are fixed.
• Nile cruises: ships run normally and often carry more Egyptian passengers, which adds to the fun on deck.
• Money: banks and exchange offices may close for several days. ATMs work but can run low in smaller towns.

In 2027 Eid al-Fitr lands in March, in the tail of the peak season (see Egypt in March), and Eid al-Adha in mid-May, when the south is already hot. Our public holidays guide lists every holiday in the year.

How should visitors join in?

Greet people with "Eid mubarak" or "kull sana wenta tayyib", accept the kahk you are offered, tip a little more generously, and treat the crowds as part of the celebration.

• Greetings: "kull sana wenta tayyib" (to a man) or "wenti tayyiba" (to a woman) means "may you be well every year"; the reply is "wenta tayyib" or "wenti tayyiba". "Eid mubarak" is understood everywhere.
• Tipping: Eid is a season of giving. A slightly larger tip for your guide, driver, cruise crew and hotel staff, given before the holiday, is warmly appreciated; our tipping guide gives indicative amounts.
• Dress and behaviour: Eid is joyful rather than solemn, but crowds around mosques at prayer time are best walked around, not through. Don't photograph people praying.
• Muslim travellers: joining Eid prayers at a historic Cairo mosque is unforgettable. Arrive early, as streets fill before sunrise; our guide for Muslim travellers has more.