WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Muslims celebrate feast ending Ramadan
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-21 10:44
A look at how Muslims around the world began celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a three-day feast that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Egypt Families thronged the streets and the banks of the Nile to celebrate, showing off children in new holiday outfits. On overloaded Nile cruise boats decorated with brightly colored lights, men and women danced to traditional Egyptian music blaring. Children set off fireworks in the streets. The traffic that normally snarls the busy streets of Cairo eased as many used mass transit to visit amusement parks and Cairo's gardens. Vendors and beggars wished passers-by a happy Eid with a smile, hoping for a tip. Supermarkets and sweet shops had special sales on hundreds of boxes of traditional Eid cookies. Another popular Eid treat is smoky or salted fish as most Egyptians refrain from eating those dishes during the fasting month of Ramadan. In downtown Cairo there was a beefed up police presence to keep the boisterous crowds under control after incidents of mass harassment against women two years earlier. Saudi Arabia Saudis decorated their homes and prepared sumptuous meals for friends and family. Big chunks of lamb mixed with rice and vegetables are traditional. The whole country reveled in celebration with men and women greeting and kissing each other in big cities. All male folk dances with swords were performed in public. In the capital Riyadh, the local government planned celebrations that began with prayers followed by seven separate fireworks displays, concerts, theater, poetry readings, a parade and women's programs. Car races, a remote control air show, a sky diving performance, a bicycle race and traditional music were also planned. Palestinian Territories In Gaza City, the old market was packed with street merchants hawking their wares and families shopping for new clothes, sweets and salted fish. But the holiday atmosphere was strained in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade for two years and is still reeling from January's war. "People are psychologically worn out since the war," said Midhad Ihmeid, 45. "Does someone who lost a family member or had his house wrecked want to go and buy new shoes?" Salam Haddad, a 34-year-old vendor, said Gaza's economic decline was affecting holiday preparations, and only the network of smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border was keeping commerce alive. "There's no work here now, so people don't have much money for the holiday," he said. |
