On the night before Eid, mothers in New York made the magic happen

Ms Kenza Fourati and her two children hovered around a decorative Ramadan calendar they put up about a month ago in their Brooklyn home.

- Sadiba Hasan

NEW YORK - On March 29, Ms Kenza Fourati and her two children hovered around a decorative Ramadan calendar they put up about a month ago in their Brooklyn home. "Yallah, let's turn it around," Ms Fourati said. Together, they flipped it and revealed the other side: "Eid Mubarak. The Mohyeldin Fourati family." The sun had just set, the crescent moon was spotted and it was confirmed: Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the holy month of fasting for Muslims, would be on March 30.

Decorating the house during Ramadan and Eid is a relatively new tradition that Ms Fourati, a model and the co-founder of a brand called Osay, has adopted. As her children got older, they have been asking more questions about their faith.

In Tunis, where Ms Fourati, 39, grew up with a large family, Ramadan celebrations were all around her. On the night before Eid, she recalled running around the streets surrounding her home with her friends as fireworks lit up the sky.

"This is how I grew up, and I want to give them a glimpse of how we grew up," said Ms Fourati, who has been creating fun ways for her children to explore being Muslim.

After a spiritual and disciplined month of fasting, Eid al-Fitr is a joyous holiday for Muslims. They show off new outfits, attend festivals, eat special-occasion dishes and sweets, and visit friends and relatives. But none of it would be possible without the mothers in the households, who, on the day before, make the magic happen.