New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Eid al-Fitr, one of the most celebrated holidays for the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, will be celebrated across India on June 5, i.e. Wednesday. However, UAE and Saudi Arabia celebrate the festival today after the moon was sighted late on Monday evening, Khaleej Times reported.
The Eid moon was sited on Tuesday evening, marking it to be the end of the holy month of Ramzan. Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari made the announcement after a meeting of the moon-sighting committee.
Eid-ul-Fitr symbolises peace and brotherhood. The festival is marked with feasts and the faithful offers prayers at mosques and idgahs to seek blessings of the divine. People, especially children dress up in their traditional fineries to mark the festival.
President Ram Nath Kovind greeted fellow citizens on the eve of Eid. "Marking the culmination of the holy month of Ramzan, this festival strengthens our belief in charity, fraternity and compassion," he said.
Kovind said, "On this day, let us re-dedicate ourselves to these eternal values that characterise our civilization."
The Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, when devout Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. But the start of the holiday varies from country to country, with splits even within the same country, because the start of Eid is traditionally based on sightings of the new moon, which sometimes varies according to geographic location.
Muslim Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, as well as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, announced the first day of Eid is Tuesday, whereas Egypt, Syria, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and others said the Shawwal crescent moon was not visible across the country and won't start till Wednesday.
In Gaza, mosques blared with Eid calls Monday evening, shortly after Saudi Arabia announced the end of Ramadan, only to be interrupted swiftly when the Palestinian Grand Mufti in Jerusalem said they could not spot the crescent, thus extending Ramadan by one more day.
The holiday traditionally lasts one to three days and is eagerly anticipated after the month of fasting. During Ramadan, the faithful refrain from eating, drinking, smoking or sexual activity from dawn to dusk.
Most businesses close during Eid, as people dress up and visit relatives, enjoying their first daytime meals in a lunar month. Mosques hold special prayers at sunrise, and children are often given gifts or a special allowance.