Muslims across the Middle East and all over the world began festivities on Tuesday, marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, one of the most celebrated holidays for the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, amid confusion about the start of the three-day holiday.
The holiday marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan when devout Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. But the start of the holiday varies from country to country – with splits even within the same country – because the start of Eid is traditionally based on sightings of the new moon, which sometimes differ from astronomical calculations and vary according to geographic location.
As with everything else in the Middle East, politics often plays a part with countries that traditionally followed Saudi Arabia's lead breaking with it this year, including the Palestinians and Jordan.
Muslim Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, as well as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, announced the first day of Eid is Tuesday, whereas Egypt, Syria, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and others said the Shawwal crescent moon was not visible across the country and won't start until Wednesday.
In Gaza, mosques blared with Eid calls on Monday evening, shortly after Saudi Arabia announced the end of Ramadan, only to be interrupted when the Palestinian grand mufti in Jerusalem said they could not spot the crescent, thus extending Ramadan by one more day.
An Imam at al-Khalidi mosque on the Gaza City beach apologized and told worshippers: "We can't but follow the instructions of our mufti," and asked them to stay in the mosque for the Ramadan night prayer known as Taraweeh.
It was not clear why Gaza did not follow Saudi Arabia's lead, as it usually does. But the change by the local Islamic authorities drew anger, jokes, and criticism on social media. Some posts urged the faithful to wake up in the morning and eat, pretending they did not know the Eid decision had changed.
The holiday traditionally lasts one to three days and is eagerly anticipated after the month of fasting. During Ramadan, the faithful refrain from eating, drinking, smoking or sexual activity from dawn to dusk.
Most businesses close during Eid, as people dress up and visit relatives, enjoying their first daytime meals in a lunar month. Mosques hold special prayers at sunrise and children are often given gifts or a special allowance.
