After the Holy month of Ramadan, in which the Muslims are asked to observe fast and do extra prayers and observe religious values rigidly, the Muslims in Pakistan celebrate the sighting of the new moon (start of the new Muslim month) by going to bazaars and shopping malls, with their families and children, for Eid shopping. In Pakistan, the night before Eid is called Chand Raat, or night of the moon. Women, especially young girls, often paint each others' hands with traditional "henna" also called "mehendi" and wear colorful bangles.
There is a bank holiday on the day of Eid ul-Fitr, every Muslim is expected to wear new clothes, if they can afford them, otherwise wear washed clothes, have a fresh bath and go to mosque for special Eid prayers, thanking God for the health enabling a Muslim to observe fast and enjoy the blessings of God Almighty during the holy month of Ramadan. The Muslims are ordained to pay Zakat al-Fitr (special charity money) to the poor and needy before the Eid prayer, so that they can also join other Muslims to celebrate the happiness of Eid.
After the prayers, the congregation is dispersed and the Muslims meet and greet each other, family members, children, elders, friends and others.
Some Muslims especially go to graveyards to pray for the departed and convey their salam (peace). Usually, children visit their parents and other family elders to pay respects and greet.
Special arrangements are made for the family/friends to visit each other to greet on this special occasion. They even exchange gifts, pay charity to needy and enjoy.
One of the special dishes in Pakistan is savayya, a dish of fine, toasted vermicelli noodles . Elder family members give Eidi (small amount of money or gifts) to children. After meeting friends and relatives, some people go for joyous parties, feasts, special carnivals and parks (with picnics, fireworks, etc.). In Pakistan, many bazaars, malls, and restaurants get crowded with people.
Some people also avail this opportunity to distribute Zakat, the obligatory tax on ones wealth, to the needy.
In this way, the Muslims in Pakistan celebrate their Eid ul-Fitr by thanking God Almighty and bringing their family, friends and the poor and needy closer together.
On the other hand in UK typically, the end of Ramadan is announced via e-mail, postings on websites, or chain phone calls to all members of a Muslim community. Working persons usually attempt to make arrangements for a lighter work day on the days that may possibly be the Eid day, but many Muslims are often noted to not be able to take the entire day off.
Typically, a Muslim family in the UK will wake up very early in the morning and have a small breakfast. Next the family will go to the nearest congregational prayer group to pray. The prayer may be held at the local mosque, a hotel ballroom, local arena or stadium. Often these prayers are held in shifts; for example, the first prayer would at 7 am, the second at 9 am, and the third at 11 am. After prayers, the family members disperse to school or work accordingly, or head home to prepare celebrations if they managed to get the day off.
Since every family has a different work-related situation, some Muslims may attempt to take the entire day off to spend it as a family. A few other families may have to ask for a partial day off, or in many cases, not take the work day off at all due to the importance of their job in terms of the family's financial situation or in terms of importance to the company itself, though this does not generally occur due to being denied the time off work as this goes against religious freedom laws in both nations. Muslims in UK come from all parts of the world, one particular type of food cannot be identified as served on this day. Many Muslim families visit the homes of others to congregate on a day of celebration.
to sum up I would say Eid ul-Fitr is a joyful celebration of the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral victory, peace of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Muslims here are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but thanking God for the help and strength that they believe He gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control. although this event has its own traditional ways in which it should be celebrated but different people celebrate it in different ways according to the ways there geographical place and country allows them to do.
