Celebrating Eid in China: A Journey of Kindness

This year’s Eid-el Kabir celebration in China was more than just a day of worship for me. It was a special moment filled with kindness in a country far from home.

I was part of 22 participants in a three-week “Seminar for Renowned Nigerian Commentators.” This seminar was organised by the China International Communications Group (CICG) Institute of International Studies and Advanced Training, with support from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

After spending two weeks in Beijing, we traveled to Chongqing two days before Eid.

For the four of us who are Muslims, a quiet worry stayed with us since we arrived in China: how would we celebrate Eid in a place where Muslims are not many?

In one of the lectures, we learned that China has about 20 million Muslims out of a total population of 1.4 billion. They are spread across different regions and ethnic groups.

While there are mosques, we were not sure how easy it would be for us to visit them, since we didn’t speak the language or know the area well.

That worry stayed until the night before Eid, when we found out about a mosque in Chongqing where the prayer would happen. We felt relieved, but new questions arose: how would we get there? What would the process be like? We had to go and see for ourselves.

On Eid day, we left our hotel, R&H, located at No. 38, Jianxin North Road, Jiangbei District. The Chongqing Central Mosque is 8 kilometres away at Zhongxing Road, Yuzhong District. In Chongqing, distance is not just distance; it is about moving through a busy city.

One of the hotel staff called a taxi for me and Mr Musikilu Mojeed, the Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times and president of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria. The taxi fare was 35 RMB. As we drove through the city, I thought about how this year’s Eid felt so different from the ones I celebrated back home in Nigeria, where mosques are easy to access.

When we arrived at the mosque, we noticed the experience was formal, with security checks in place. We had to show our international passports to enter. Other worshippers presented their ID cards. At first, it felt strange to link worship with paperwork. But I soon understood it was part of a system to manage religious gatherings safely, especially in a place where Muslims are not many.

The mosque was orderly and full of worshippers getting ready for Eid prayer. There was a sense of togetherness despite our different languages, nationalities, and backgrounds. The prayer started at 9:28 am, led by a Chinese imam, followed by a seven-minute khutbah (sermon). I could not catch every word of the khutbah, but its message was clear: gratitude, sacrifice, and devotion. These ideas go beyond language; they touch the heart.

Inside the mosque, I saw a mix of worshippers. Among them were young Nigerians studying in China, and we exchanged greetings that needed no words.

After the prayer, some Chinese worshippers smiled at me, while others asked to take pictures with me. In that moment, the mosque felt less like a foreign place and more like a shared space of respect and peace.

But the day had its challenges. As we got ready to return to our hotel after the prayer, we realised hailing a taxi would not be simple. The language barrier was a real problem. We struggled to explain where we wanted to go, as most taxi drivers did not understand English. For a while, we wandered around unsure of what to do until we met two Chinese security officials. They used gestures to help us understand our situation and eventually helped us find a taxi back to our hotel.

Celebrating Eid in Chongqing reminded me that faith knows no borders. Whether in Nigeria or China, the core values remain the same: submission, gratitude, and devotion to our Creator. The warmth from the Chinese worshippers, the presence of Nigerian students away from home, and the assistance from the Chinese security officials showed that we are all connected, even when we seem different.

If I had not had the chance to celebrate this year’s Eid in Chongqing, I might not have realised that beyond languages, borders, and cultures, people can still meet with respect, curiosity, and kindness.