Eid al-Fitr in Pakistan is known as chhoti (small) or meethi (sweet) Eid. Eid preparations start with the beginning of the month of Ramadan and continue throughout the month. It is customary for almost everyone to wear new dress. So the shopping goes on throughout the month of Ramadan.The marketplaces are decorated to welcome `Eid shoppers. Special sale prices are offered on garments and shoes. Young girls and older women wear bangles made of fine glass. The night when the moon is sighted is fixed for this activity. Womenfolk in huge numbers throng the special bangle stalls and shops as soon as the Shawwal moon is sighted. Men and elders usually exchange moon greetings. Telephone these days are frequently used for this late evening exchange of greetings.
Pakistani girls show their hands painted with henna ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Fitr to celebrate Ramadan ending.
For the children it is a very happy day because they receive money from all the elders, to spend and enjoy themselves. They also can receive clothes or gifts. It is like Christmas. Employees get bonuses, factories and offices close down for a couple of days, and food and money are distributed to the poor. Because it marks the end of Ramadan, `Eid al-Fitr is always an occasion for a big meal, and families come together like Thanksgiving.
Eid ul-Fitr is a happy occasion with significant religious meaning, celebrating the accomplishment of enhanced devoutness. It is a day of pardon, moral victory, peace, fellowship, sodality and unity. Muslims commemorate not just the end of the Ramadan month, but also thank Allah for giving them self-discipline and strength. It's generally a time of sharing, giving, and forgiving. It's a time to enjoy what you have, to dress in holiday clothes, spend time with family, and in all this always thank God for his benevolence and love.
