WEB DESK
Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, being celebrated worldwide under the shadow of the COVID pandemic restrictions.
Traditionally, Eid is celebration marked by large family festivities and mass prayers.
But this year many could only celebrate at home with immediate family. Special prayers were held in a limited manner while adhering to anti-virus measures.
In India, the worst effected by Corona pandemic, Eid celebrations were low key affairs as most of the people remained at home due to lockdown. people exchanged greeting on phone and social media.
Due to restrictions, Eid prayers in mosques in Malaysia were limited to 50 people, while those who could not find a place were allowed to pray in the courtyard on the condition of maintaining social distance.
In Pakistan, people have been asked to spend the holiday break at home as it is under a week-long lockdown. Prayers were held with health measures in place.
In Kazakhstan, Eid prayers were allowed in mosque courtyards. Mosques were also full of worshippers in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Eid prayers were held in Shusha, the cultural capital of Karabakh, Azerbaijan, which was liberated from the Armenian occupation last year.
In the Egyptian capital of Cairo, people prayed in the Al-Azhar Mosque while wearing masks and paying attention to social distance.
Following the Eid prayers in Jordan, people also prayed for Palestinians amid the ongoing Israeli offensive.
With anti-virus measures in place, Eid prayers were also performed in mosques in many European countries including Sweden, Vienna, Western Balkan states — North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Kosovo — Germany, Denmark, Italy, and Ukraine.
Muslims in Athens, Greece, gathered for Eid prayer in the country’s first official mosque. Only 12 people were allowed inside the mosque and 100 others in the courtyard.
In the province of Kardzhali in southeastern Bulgaria, where Turks densely live, the Eid prayer was performed in the newly built mosque with a capacity of 1,200 people.
In Iran, Eid prayers were held in open areas in high-risk cities, and inside mosques in low-risk areas.