RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY
Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan
The beginning of Eid al-Fitr is determined by sightings of the new moon - spotted on 21 April in several countries - and is celebrated with family feasts, prayers and other festivities.
Eid al-Fitr is one of two major holidays in the Islamic calendar and is celebrated for one to three days after a month of fasting.
According to a report by the Pew Research Centre, about 24% of the global population is Muslim, with 1.8 billion Muslims in the world as of 2015, making Islam the world’s second-largest religious tradition after Christianity and one of the world’s fastest-growing religious groups.
While some families happily observe a carefree Eid al-Fitr with food and selfies, others struggle with the bite of the cost-of-living crisis and displacement due to war and natural disasters. The largest earthquake in the history of Turkey on 6 February 2023 killed 56,000 – causing significant loss of life in the southeast of the country as well as northwest Syria. People continue to pick up the pieces of their lives in the aftermath of the quake and continue to mourn the devastating loss of family members.
The war continues in Ukraine, with Russian missiles hitting Kharkiv. And according to a report released by the United Nations Development Programme, 71 million people in the developing world have fallen into poverty due to surges in the price of food and energy.
An Iranian woman attends Eid al-Fitr prayers at the shrine of Abdol Azim in the city of Shahr-e Ray, Iran, 22 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Abedin Taherkenareh)
Pakistani children greet each other after the Eid al-Fitr prayers in Peshawar, Pakistan, 22 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Bilawal Arbab)
A girl looks on as her mother performs Eid al-Fitr prayers outside the Al-Bukhari Foundation Mosque (Masjid Al-Bukhary) on 22 April 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: Annice Lyn / Getty Images)
Palestinian Muslims at Jaffa Beach during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Tel Aviv, Israel, 22 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Abir Sultan)
Relatives of earthquake victims visit and pray at the graves of their loved ones on the second day of Eid al-Fitr on 22 April 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. Turkey was struck by two successive earthquakes in early February. (Photo: Burak Kara / Getty Images)
Bosnian Muslims pray while standing between the gravestones at the Vlakovo cemetery in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 22 April 2023. Many Bosnian Muslims visited cemeteries to offer prayers for the dead. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Fehim Demir)
A South African man arrives to attend Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Nizamiye Mosque, Johannesburg, South Africa, 22 April 2023. The mosque is a copy of the famous Blue Mosque in Istandbul, Turkey. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)
Nepalese Muslims attend Eid al-Fitr prayers at Kashmiri Mashjid in Kathmandu, Nepal, 22 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Narendra Shrestha)
A Pakistani women prays as people celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Karachi, Pakistan, 22 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Shahzaib Akber)
A boy has his eyes smeared with traditional Kohl eyeliner before attending prayers, at Walajah mosque, in Chennai, India, 22 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Idrees Mohammed)
Women take selfies during an Eid al-Fitr morning prayer at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand on 22 April 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo: Lauren DeCicca / Getty Images)
A Muslim man performs Eid al-Fitr prayer at the Al-Bukhari Foundation Mosque (Masjid Al-Bukhary) on 22 April 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: Annice Lyn / Getty Images)
Muslims break their fast in the back street laneways on the eve of Eid al-Fitr on 21 April 2023 in Varanasi, India. (Photo: Ritesh Shukla / Getty Images)
South African Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Nizamiye mosque, Johannesburg, South Africa, 22 April 2023. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Kim Ludbrook)
Relatives of earthquake victims visit and pray at the graves of their loved ones on the second day of Eid al-Fitr on 22 April 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. (Photo: Burak Kara / Getty Images)
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