HYDERABAD: Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the culmination of Ramzan, will be celebrated on Monday as the Ruet-e-Hilal or the moon sighting committee confirmed the sighting of crescent on Sunday evening.
With the sighting of the moon, hundreds of people thronged the lanes of Old City in Hyderabad. The bustling lanes around Charminar, Abids, Tolichowki, Dilsukhnagar and Moazzam Jahi came alive with people thronging markets for last-minute purchases.
On the last day of Ramadan, markets were filled with shoppers, with people buying clothes, footwear, crockery, jewellery, and other such articles. At the Afzalgunj market, people lined up to buy attar, dry fruits, and sewaiyan.
“Like every year, I will be preparing ‘sheer khurma’, biryani, and bagana (vegetable) kurma. Many of our relatives will also be joining,” said Shireen Begum of Begum Bazar. Khurshid Ahmed of Saidabad pointed out that attar is considered a symbol of purity and connects to Prophet Muhammad. About the celebrations, an excited 75-year-old Ahmed said, “Eid-al-Fitr is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, and performing good deeds. ” Eid ul-Fitr, which means ‘festival of the breaking of the fast’, marks the end of Ramadan.
Saiba Bano from Vanasthalipuram came to make purchases at the renowned Madina Market. “I finally got the time today after taking leave from the job and bought clothes. I consider it auspicious to buy clothes and jewellery every year during Ramadan,” she told TOI.
Meanwhile, locals and tourists also thronged Charminar and Mecca Masjid. Several eateries, both popular and regular ones, in the Old City were brimming with biryani and haleem lovers. Some of the shopkeepers were also elated about the sales this season.
“We saw a huge footfall this season compared to the last season. This is because biryani and haleem are the most popular dishes here,” Syed Mustafa of Madina Hotel told TOI.