The majority of Arab countries celebrate Eid al-Fitr, starting Sunday. This is a religious three-day holiday that comes at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Ahead of the holiday, Saudi authorities renewed the ban on mass prayers, including the Eid prayer attended by huge crowds of worshipers.
A total of 18 Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia are celebrating together while others, including Mauritania, Sudan and the Sultanate of Oman, began the Eid festivities on Saturday.
The timing of Eid is determined by the position of the moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.
The holiday is traditionally celebrated by families getting together and visiting each other.
It is usually the season when families purchase and bake cookies and sweets.
The holiday is also an occasion for children treats. Families buy their young offsprings new clothes and take them to parks and gift shops.
This year, however, such activities were discouraged or banned in view of the confinement measures, including lockdowns decided by many countries of the region as a precautionary measure against the pandemic.
Most Muslim majority countries around the world have called on their citizens to limit their movement and face-to-face contact during this year’s celebrations.
Religious communities, including Muslims, welcomed the decision but said it will take time to put the necessary safety measures in place.
Some countries, including Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, imposed round-the-clock curfews for the duration of the holiday.
In Jerusalem, most restrictions were lifted, but the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam, will remain closed until after the holiday.
This article has been adapted from its original source (TheArabWeekly)
