Eid Al Fitr celebrated in parts of Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia
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Muslims around the world are celebrating the Eid Al Fitr festival, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Worshipers gathered in mosques in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, to begin the celebrations Thursday.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, also began Eid celebrations Thursday along with Muslims in across the Middle East and South East Asia.
Crowds of worshippers prayed and celebrated in Cairo's Tahrir Square, while Egypt's interim leaders attended prayers at a mosque in the capital.
Eid Al Fitr celebrates the purification achieved during Ramadan -- a month of sunrise-to-sunset fasting, one of the five pillars of Islam.
Eid is the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal and a major holiday. Because most significant Islamic events depend on a lunar sighting, the festival's timing can vary in different countries.
Oman announced that Shawwal crescent has not been sighted and Eid Al Fitr will be marked on Friday. Other Muslim countries marking their Eid on Friday include Iran, Pakistan, India and The Maldives.
Source: timeofoman.com (Aug. 8, 2013)
