In Pictures

Eid al-Fitr 2019: Muslims around the world celebrate

Eid al-Fitr means ‘festival of breaking the fast’ and marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Turkey's Muslims pray during the first day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul. [Emrah Gurel/AP Photo]

4 Jun 2019

Muslims around the world are celebrating the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The timing of Eid al-Fitr, or “the festival of breaking the fast”, begins with the first sighting of the new moon, and it often varies from country to country.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria started Eid on Tuesday, whereas Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Australia and others won’t start until Wednesday.

Celebrations begin with a special early morning prayer in mosques and open-air spaces and later move on to feasts and festivals.

Amira, 10 months old, holds her mother's hands while waiting for the start of Eid al-Fitr prayers in Bucharest, Romania. [Andreea Alexandru/AP Photo]

Muslim worshippers pray to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. [John Wessels/AFP]

Russian police officers help Muslim believers cross a street following the annual celebration of Eid al-Fitr in Moscow, Russia. [Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo]

Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr with mass prayers marking the end of Ramadan in Abuja, Nigeria. [Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters]

Libyan Muslim worshippers gather to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Martyrs Square in the capital Tripoli. [Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

Indonesian Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr at Sunda Kelapa port in Jakarta, Indonesia. [Willy Kurniawan/Reuters]

Muslim girls show their hands painted with henna to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at a Mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. [Muhammad Sajjad/AP Photo]

Muslim worshipers pray to celebrate Eid al-Fitr outside a train station in Mumbai, India.[Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo]

Security forces stand guard outside the 17th of Ramadan Mosque as Muslims gather for prayers on the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Baghdad, Iraq. [Khalid Mohammed/AP Photo]

Palestinians shop ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in Jerusalem's Old City. [Ammar Awad/Reuters]

Muslims arrive to perform Eid al-Fitr prayer at the Blue Mosque (Rawza-i-Sharif or Shrine of Ali Mosque) in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. [Sayed Khodaberdi Sadat/Anadolu]

A young Muslim girl enjoys a swing ride at Eastleigh High School in Nairobi, Kenya on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. [Dai Kurokawa/EPA]

Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayer at Addis Ababa Stadium in Ethiopia. [Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu]