The birth of the Prophet Muhammad — Mawlid an-Nabī (translated from Arabic — birth of the Prophet) — is celebrated on the 12th of the third month of Rabi' al-awwal (Rabi' al-awwal) of the Islamic calendar. But the celebration begins the night before.
The birth of Muhammad began to be celebrated only 300 years after the advent of Islam. Since the exact date of Muhammad's birth is unknown, this memorable day was timed to coincide with the day of his death, which leaves an imprint on the nature of the celebration. It should be noted that in Islam, birthdays are celebrated modestly and sometimes not at all, while death dates, understood as births for eternal life, are celebrated more solemnly.
Currently, Mawlid al-Nabi is widely celebrated in Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and other Muslim countries. In Pakistan, it is an official holiday celebrated for three non-working days.
Mawlid consists of reading prayers and words of remembrance of Allah, praising the prophet, poetic narratives and lectures about his life and birth. On Mawlid, it is customary to express joy at the arrival of Muhammad into this world, whom Muslims consider the last messenger of God, and to offer gratitude to the Almighty for this, turn to God with prayers, give alms to the poor and conduct pious conversations with each other.
In Egypt and some other Arab countries, this holiday is especially loved by children. Flag-decorated pavilions appear everywhere, selling sugar figurines of various sizes «arusat an-nabi» — «brides of the Prophet» — with a colorful paper fan behind their backs. Another popular sugar figurine — rider with saber in hand.