The holy Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the greatest religious festivals of Muslims, has been celebrated in a sombre mood amid coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The festival was celebrated on Monday in line with the government’s directives including maintaining social distancing, avoiding mass gathering and abiding by the health rules as the country, like rest of the world, is trying to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Eid was celebrated with due solemnity, fervour, and gaiety as the holy Ramadan, the month of fasting and abstinence, came to an end and the people remained themselves confined in houses after offering Eid prayers to the nearest mosques in their vicinities, reports BSS.
The very auspicious occasion began with the sighting of the Shawwal moon last night and reached the climax this morning amid offering the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers by millions from all strata of life at mosques in the capital and elsewhere across the country.
Eid-ul-Fitr is an Arabic word meaning festival of breaking the fast. The festival marks an end to the Muslims fasting in Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk during the holy Ramadan.
On the Eid day morning, Muslims gather at mosques and prayer venues to perform Eid prayers and greet each other.
The festival is usually celebrated by visiting friends and relatives, hosting food parties and sharing sweets.
Children not only get new clothes and shoes, but also receive cash gifts called “Salami” from their elders, relatives and well-wishers.
The occasion is seen as a time of forgiveness and of giving thanks to Allah for helping people complete their month-long spiritual fasting. Many Muslims distribute cash and food to the less fortunate ones.
However, this year, the Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated in a sombre manner as the government had imposed a strict restriction on all social gatherings and urged the devotees to celebrate the Eid with only family members indoors instead of visiting relatives’ houses and outing around in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic.