Moon sighted, Bangladesh to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr Monday

Bangladesh desk: Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, will be celebrated across Bangladesh on Monday as the moon of Shawwal month of 1446 Hijri was sighted in the country’s sky Sunday evening.

The National Moon-Sighting Committee announced the decision after a meeting at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the capital.

Religious affairs adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain presided over the meeting.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people left Dhaka and its adjacent areas for their ancestral homes in villages in different districts to celebrate the eid with their near and dear ones.

Eid-ul-Fitr is an Arabic word meaning ‘festival of breaking of the fast’.

The festival marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk during the holy month.

On the Eid day morning, usually, Muslim devotees gather at mosques and prayer venues to perform Eid prayers and greet each other.

The festival is celebrated by visiting residences of friends and relatives, hosting food parties and sharing sweets.

The occasion is seen as a time of forgiveness and giving thanks to Allah for helping people to complete their month-long spiritual fasting.

Many Muslims distribute cash and food to the less fortunate ones.

The main jamaat of the Eid-ul-Fitr will be held at the National Eidgah on the High Court premises in Dhaka at 8.30am on Monday.