The Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the month of Ramadan, began this week in parts of the world where sightings of the new moon were made. During Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, devout Muslims abstain from food, drink, and sex from dawn until sunset. The fast, one of the five pillars of Islam, is seen as a time for spiritual reflection, prayers, and charity. After sunset, Muslims traditionally break the fast by eating three dates, performing the Maghrib prayer, and sitting down to iftar, the main evening meal, where communities and families gather together. Collected below are images of Muslims around the world observing Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan this year.
Photos: Eid al-Fitr and the End of Ramadan 2021
-
-
-
A health-care worker speaks with their family over video at Izmir Katip Celebi University Atatürk Training and Research Hospital as they continue to work on the first day of Eid al-Fitr during a full lockdown lasting through May 17 to stem the spread of the coronavirus, in Izmir, Turkey, on May 13, 2021. #
Mehmet Emin Menguarslan / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
-
-
Uzma Munir (back left), Regan Ashraf (back right), Romeesa Kiran Fatima (left), and Adil Idris break their Ramadan fast at their home in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on May 9, 2021. #
Chandan Khanna / AFP / Getty -
-
A man prepares the traditional dish lemang ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 8, 2021. Lemang, made by cooking the rice placed in bamboo canes over a wood fire, is cooked and sold in tents set up on the side of the road a week before Eid al-Fitr. #
Syaiful Redzuan / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
-
A young girl chases pigeons as Muslim worshippers gather to perform the Eid al-Fitr morning prayer at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on May 13, 2021. #
Abdulghani Essa / AFP / Getty -
-
-
A Palestinian boy waits for a batch of falafel at a vendor in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, on April 18, 2021. #
Hazem Bader / AFP / Getty -
Students wear protective masks and hold candles as they prepare to read the Quran during Laylat al-Qadr ("Night of Destiny"), which marks the night in which the holy Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, at the Nurul Hidayah Al-Mubarokah boarding school in Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia, on May 2, 2021. #
Ulet Ifansasti / Getty -
-
A Muslim worshipper makes his way to the Mosque of Divinity ahead of Faye Faat (The Compensatory Prayer) at the Mosque of Divinity in Dakar, Senegal, on May 7, 2021. #
John Wessels / AFP / Getty -
-
A picture taken on May 11, 2021, shows baklava and other sweets prepared in trays at an artisan Turkish delicatessen in Haarlemmermeer, a municipality of Amsterdam, Netherlands, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. #
Koen Van Weel / ANP / AFP / Getty -
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.