By: Awiral Grover and Ridham Arora
CHANDIGARH: The city rolled into festive spirit as hundreds of Muslims congregated at the Jama Masjid in Sector 20 to start Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations by offering prayer on Saturday.
The three-day festival marks the end of the fasting month of Ramzan. The celebrations began with a morning prayer performed by the gathering at the mosque. The
prayers lasted till noon, after which everyone went back home to indulge in a bountiful feast with family and friends.
The only spoilsport of the day was the frequent rain showers which prevented scores of devotees from coming to the mosque. Despite the rain, the mosque was quintessentially filled with the young and elderly alike. The park outside Jama Masjid, which is extravagantly exuberant at this time of the year, was unusually quiet as the yearly
Eid fair setup was shut down due to rain. Both vendors and children were disappointed. “Eid is a festival of happiness and promotes brotherhood. The practice of ‘sadaaah-al-fitr’ or Zakat-al-Fitr (charity of fast-breaking) on this day ensures that no man, rich or poor, is left out during the celebrations,” said the Maulvi at Jama Masjid.
The police were also present near the mosque to prevent any untoward incidents and disruptions.
A man dresses up one of his two sons as UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath outside Jama Masjid in Sector 20 on Saturday