Turkey says farewell to holy Ramadan and welcomes 3 day holiday

Muslims across the world and Turkey on Sunday bid farewell to the holy month of Ramadan and welcomed Eid al-Fitr, the three-day holiday that marks the end of the month of fasting.Eid prayers were performed across Turkey early on Sunday with mosques being filled with millions of believers.

Worshippers greeted and hug one another in the spirit of peace and love after the congregational prayer in celebration of one another’s Eid. They later dispersed to visit their friends and family, give gifts to one another and call distant relatives to convey their good wishes for the holiday. Eid lasts for three days and is generally an official holiday in Muslim countries.

Eid al-Fitr, a three-day religious holiday, marks the end of the month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic term meaning “festivity” or “celebration,” while fitr means “to break the fast.” Eid falls on the first day of Shawwal, the month that follows Ramadan on the Islamic calendar.

Turkish President Abdullah Gül performed Eid prayers at İstanbul’s historic Sultanahmet Mosque. After greeting the believers who filled the mosque, the president had breakfast in the room of the mosque’s imam together with other mosque clerics.

The president then returned to the presidential Tarabya Kiosk residence, where he was met with a long queue of children who were waiting at the entrance of the kiosk to get pocket money from the president. Gül allowed the children into the kiosk and gave them pocket money, a common Eid tradition in Turkey.  Gül shared photos from the first day of Eid on Twitter.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was also in İstanbul on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, performing Eid prayers at Süleymaniye Mosque.

19.08.2012
SOURCE: TODAYS ZAMAN