Scenes of happiness and camaraderie played out at mosques and homes around the city, as the Muslim month of Ramadan drew to a close and Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on Monday morning. Answering the call of the Imam, devout Muslims gathered at mosques across the city to start their celebrations with prayers.
In places like Broadway, the Big Mosque in Triplicane and the Thousand Lights Mosque on Mount Road, special arrangements were made to accommodate large numbers of people who attended the namaz or prayers held on the occasion.
At several mosques, the crowds spilled onto the roads as people prayed facing in the direction of the holy city of Mecca. In some of the mosques, women too joined the prayers.
Once done, families drifted home to partake in the traditional Eid feast, the centrepiece of which is the biryani. Mohamed M, a businessman, said, “We ordered the food so that my mother would not have any work and could enjoy the day with us. Later we will be visiting our relatives, sharing food and sweets with them.”
Farah, a college student, said that her favourite part of the festivities is Eidi, or the tradition where the elders of the family present money to the younger members. “As a college student, its easy to spend off our pocket money. This gives us the opportunity to pester our elders for cash. It’s not about the amount they give but it is just a token of love, and we have fun getting it out of them,” she said. Apart from this, Farah said the day was spent getting dressed up and helping her mother serve their guests. “It was all fun and I had a great time , but now I can’t wait to get out of my grand clothes and take rest,” she added. This was the case in many households. But for those like engineering student Rafique, who was away from home, it was a day of relaxation, rest and fun.
“Of course I missed eating home-cooked food and sharing the day with my family. But my friends have made up for it by taking me for a biryani buffet lunch,” he said.
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