Photo album: World celebrates breaking of month-long Ramadan fast
Romania, Panama, India, Afghanistan – all celebrate Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr. After month of Ramadan fast, Muslim world provides colorful photos of celebrations
From Romania to Sri Lanka, from Panama to Thailand – and of course in Israel as well – Muslims around the globe hold prayers praising Allah with a variety of celebrations and sweets.
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According to Islamic tradition, Eid al-Fitr is designed to express feelings of appreciation and gratitude to Allah for aiding the worshippers in fasting successfully during the Ramadan. During the holiday, it is customary to give charity to the poor (an act that also serves as atonement for sins committed during the fast), visit the sick, give presents to children and eat plenty of sweets.
Eid al-Fitr takes place at the beginning of the month of Shawwal, the tenth month in the Islamic calendar. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, and not based on the sun like the Christian calendar, the beginning and the end of the holiday depend on the birth of a new moon.
On the morning of the first day of the holiday, a special prayer is held in all mosques. In this prayer, similar to Friday prayers, worshippers must pray together as a group in a mosque and not by themselves. The prayer is about 15 minutes long, and is accompanied by Takbir chants ("Allahu Akbar").
Worshippers must eat or drink before they enter the mosque in order to emphasize the breaking of their fast. It is forbidden to fast during the holiday, and it customary to decorate the cities' streets for the holiday.
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