Muslims worldwide celebrate end of Ramadan with Eid ul-Fitr

Muslims around the world mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan with Eid ul-Fitr. The celebrations begin at sunset at the sighting of the first crescent moon

  • A Muslim faithful celebrates during the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Kaduna, Nigeria
    (image: Marvellous Durowaiye/REUTERS)
  • A man peers though a telescope
    New crescent moon signals end of Ramadan: Ramadan, a period during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, lasts one lunar cycle and ends with the confirmed sighting of the next crescent moon. Adherents celebrate the end of the holy month with the Eid ul-Fitr holiday (image: Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)
  • A young girl tries on a bracelet
    A time of gift-giving: Eid ul-Fitr, which lasts three days, is a spiritual and social holiday that celebrates the month-long self-purification and devotion to Allah practiced during Ramadan. Traditionally, Muslims dress up for Eid ul-Fitr and children are given money, sweets, clothes or jewellery (image: Faisal Bashir/SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
  • Indonesian women are seen praying
    Morning prayer: The Salat al-Eid morning prayer marks the beginning of Eid ul-Fitr and is followed by the first daylight breakfast after four weeks of fasting. Here, women are seen performing the prayer in Bandung, Indonesia (image: Dimas Rachmatsyah/ZUMA Press Wire)
  • A drone view of Albanian Muslims attending Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan
    Mass prayers all over the world: A drone is the only way to photograph the huge crowd gathered on Skanderbeg Square in Albania's capital Tirana for Eid ul-Fitr prayers (image: REUTERS/Florion Goga)
  • A woman shows her hands covered in henna designs
    Henna on hands: It's common to see Muslim women with intricate henna designs painted on hands and arms for Eid ul-Fitr. Applying henna is also customary during weddings. The tradition originates from the Levant (image: AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
  • Two men are seen from above, one hands money to the other
    Sharing the wealth: Giving to people who need help plays a big role during Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr. Indeed, Zakat – one of the five pillars of Islam – obliges Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth to charity (image: AFP/picture-alliance)
  • Volunteers from Cape Town's NGO, Nakhlistan help to prepare more than 180 pots of food for less fortunate families to celebrate the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Cape Town, South Africa
    Feeding the poor: Volunteers from an NGO in Cape Town ensure that even the poorest can take part in the ritual of breaking the fast. Here they prepare dishes for needy families in over 180 cooking pots (image: REUTERS/Esa Alexander)
  • Two Muslims are seen at a cemetery in Jerusalem
    Commemorating the dead: Eid ul-Fitr is not just a celebration. This period is also time to settle disputes and commemorate the deceased. Many make time to visit cemeteries and pray for the dead. Pictured here is a Muslim graveyard outside the Old Town of Jerusalem (image: RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
  • A woman watches a ferris wheel in an amusement park in Baghdad, Iraq.
    Seeking pleasure in Baghdad: This Iraqi woman watches the hustle and bustle in Baghdad's largest amusement park, which attracts many of the city's inhabitants after the month of fasting (image: dpa/picture-alliance)
  • Muslims who are part of the Zazzau Emirates celebrate the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Kaduna, Nigeria
    In full regalia: Magnificently decorated horsemen from the Zazzau Emirate, a traditional state in Nigeria, celebrate a ritual in Kaduna to mark the end of Ramadan (image: REUTERS/Marvellous Durowaiye)
  • Children are seen praying outdoors
    Celebrating Eid in times of hardship: Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, though some perhaps more exuberantly than others. Seen here are children praying outdoors at a south Gaza refugee camp near the border with Egypt (image: Jehad Alshrafi / Anadolu)