➡ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙄𝙛𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙, 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩, 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧, 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙛𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙣𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮, 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙠𝙞𝙙-𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠-𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙨.
As a kid, I loved helping my parents plan iftar parties for our extended family. It was always something special and a lot of fun! Over the years, what I have realized is that we are so accustomed to hosting the party the same way every Ramadan. The truth is it is possible to create something meaningful that can actually be productive for everyone.
In honour of this Ramadan, I would like to share helpful tips to throw an awesome Iftar Party!
1. Preparing Ahead Is a Must
First thing first. You need to decide on a date that is convenient for you. Then you need to confirm the date with the guests at least a week before the iftar party. Once you get a confirmation then you can start preparation. You need to make a to-do list for the iftar party and make a to-do list for the party at least a week before the party date.
‣ What could be a good day to host the party?
There is no set date to invite people over for the iftar. What matters more is how free you are to make it happen. It all relies on you since you'll be doing all the organizing and preparation. If I can recommend a day, it would be the weekend - Friday and Saturday. That way you'll have plenty of time to meal prep and get ready and it's usually when people are free anyway.
2. Prepare a Little Invitation Card
Designing an Iftar invitation card can be super fun! It adds a nice personal touch to the invite that your friends and family will appreciate. You really don’t have to be a professional to make an invitation card. You can use a simple design tool such as canva or visme. Make sure to include the time, date and venue in the invitation card.
3. Can’t Miss the Decorations
Even if it’s iftar, what is a party without decorations right? The decoration is important to create an amazing Ramadan vibe. You can decorate the place with flowers and warm string lights. If you have scented candles at home, they can be used to create a cosy ambience. It would be fun to put a Ramadan backdrop on the wall or you can display a digital backdrop on the TV to save some money. The decoration will help to lighten up the mood and energy.
4. A Fun Activity Before Iftar Time
If you think you can wrap up all your work by 4:30 PM, why not invite your guests over at 5 PM? That way, they can get settled before it's time for iftar. As the host, you can organize a game to pass the time. This can be a fun Islamic game to increase Islamic knowledge. Here's a link to some game ideas. https://shade7publishing.com/blog/islamic-activities-games-for-kids/
5. Breaking of Fast
When the time comes, ask everyone to make a personal dua. It is sunnah. Also, make sure to provide your guests with dates, drinks and water before they break their fast to follow the etiquette of the Sunnah. Don't serve large platters yet as it is better to enjoy the food after Maghrib prayers.
‣ Make Arrangements for Prayer
For the guests who prefer to pray at home, you can make an arrangement to pray. Depending on the space of your home, you can pray together or all of you can take turns.
‣ Iftar Meal
After the maghrib prayer, you can actually serve all the delicious foods that you have prepared for your guests. Try not to overindulge and eat in moderation. Everyone needs their energy for Tharaweeh too, so you can set an example!
6. Keep Snacks and Drinks Ready for Grab
After breaking the fast, it's important to keep some light snacks and drinks around for your guests. People tend to get dehydrated after fasting all day, and they'll eventually start getting hungry again. Make sure they stay hydrated and eat something when they can.
7. Prepare a Kid-Friendly Space
You can set aside a spot in your home just for the kids. Fill it with fun activities. That way they can stay busy and the adults can relax during iftar without worrying about them. That way everyone enjoys the Iftar Party together!
8. Give Out Some Goodies
As a way to show your appreciation for accepting the invitation, why not get each family a thank you gift basket? You could put together some food parcels with leftovers from the Iftar meal for each family to take home.
We hope these tips help you throw a lit iftar party! Wishing you and your family a blessed Ramadan!