Eid Mubarak عید مُبارک
Today it is Eid ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan and the first day of Shawwal.
Eid is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”, while Fitr means “to break fast”; and so the holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period.
In India the night before Eid is called Chand Raat, which means, night of the moon.
During Eid, the traditional greeting is Eid Mubarak (Urdu: عید مُبارک ) which means “blessed festival”, and frequently also includes a formal embrace.
Women and young girls paint each others’ hands with traditional “henna” and wear colourful bangles.
Gifts are frequently given mostly new clothes and it is also common for children to be given small sums of money (Eidi) by their elders.
After the Eid prayers, families visit graveyards and pray for the salvation of departed family members.
It is the time for special celebratory dishes like sivayyan, a dish of fine, toasted sweet vermicelli noodles with milk & dried fruit.
Some people also avail themselves of this opportunity to distribute Zakat, the Islamic obligatory alms tax on one’s wealth, to the needy.
There is a lot of excitement in the celebration of this festival.
Eid is a public holiday and is celebrated all over India.
Even non-Muslims visit their Muslim friends on this occasion, to convey their good wishes.
This picture was shot at Ahilyabai ghat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
Those Muslim ladies must belong to the same family, they came with a few children at the end of a summer afternoon in order to find some freshness on the river.
“Eid Mubarak” to everyone.
