People across the world celebrate Eid Al-Fitra which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan . In Mecca , worshippers incircle the Kabba as they performed early morning prayers
Muslims around the world woke up Sunday and welcomed the end of a long month of fasting with hearty greetings of "Eid Mubarak," or happy festivities.
The faithful were ushering in Eid al-Fitr -- three days of celebrations that Muslims mark with joyous community prayers, acts of charity, visits from far-flung relatives, gift-giving and elaborate feasts.
"Think Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's -- all rolled into one. It's that huge for us," said Sajjad Aziz of Hoboken, New Jersey.
Islam follows a lunar calendar, and the timing of Eid al-Fitr varies around the world depending on when the crescent of a new moon is sighted.
So, while most countries -- including the United States -- observed Eid on Sunday, some will begin their celebrations on Monday.
The night before Eid, entire communities gather on rooftops, scanning the sky with giddy anticipation.
"It only needs one sighting of the moon in the whole country, and the whole nation erupts in cheers," said Qazi Arif, 35, of Sirajgong, Bangladesh. "It's a divine feeling, hard to describe."
Eid al-Fitr bids goodbye to Ramadan -- a month of dawn-to-dusk abstinence from food, drinks and other sensual pleasures. Muslims believe the Quran, the religion's holy book, was revealed to Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan more than 1,400 years ago.
The Eid is one of two major holidays in Islam, alongside another called Eid al-Adha. The latter commemorates the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, for God.
On the morning of Eid, Muslims don new clothes and head to prayers that are often held in open fields to accommodate crowds too big to contain in mosques.
Those who can afford it donate a small percentage of their possession or its equivalent to the poor and needy so they too can avail themselves for the celebrations. Feasts await at every house.
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