Islamic Festivals

The usual Islamic holidays are celebrated in Ethiopia, especially in and around Harar. At the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, the first day of the month of Shewal is celebrated as Eid-al-Fitr. This is followed by six days of fasting. The 8th day of the month of Shewal is Shewal Eid – a special Harari cultural festival, consisting of 24 hours of celebrations. Harar also comes alive during the Ashura ceremony, which takes place on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.

Important Islamic pilgrimage sites holding annual festivals include the Al-Nejash Mosque in Tigray and the Sof Omar Caves and Dire Sheikh Hussein in the lowlands east of the Bale Mountains.