Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Fitr across World

The Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan was celebrated by Muslims on Wednesday with family reunions, new clothes, and sweet treats.

On Wednesday morning, Muslims joined communal prayers shoulder-to-shoulder on the streets and inside mosques.

The timing of Eid al-Fitr, which translates to “the feast of breaking the fast,” is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, by the Muslim lunar calendar.

In Saudi Arabia, Eid al-Fitr is expected to be a four-day holiday.

In Indonesia, which at 220 million has one of the world’s largest Muslim populations, the celebration is called Lebaran. An estimated 193 million Indonesians will travel home to celebrate for an entire week with their families known locally as "mudik" which is always welcomed with excitement.

Before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, markets teemed with shoppers buying clothes, shoes, cookies, and sweets.

Ramadan this year was overshadowed by the Israeli war in Gaza, where Israel has killed at least 33,000 people, mostly women and children.

As Eid begins, Gaza is on the brink of famine as the UN warns that Israel is preventing the delivery of aid to Gaza.

Preachers in their sermons called on people to pray for Muslims in Gaza who were suffering after six months of war.

In Pakistan, authorities have deployed more than 100,000 police and paramilitary forces to keep security at mosques and marketplaces.

Muslim American communities rebuffed politicians who have not called for a ceasefire, held fundraisers for Gaza, and organized protests demanding an end to the war.