Daily Times

LAHORE: Eidul Fitr, which marks the culmination of the holy fasting month, was celebrated across the city with fervour.

People of the Muslim community in large numbers clad in their best traditional outfits gathered at local mosques in the city to offer prayers, besides exchanging gifts and sweets with friends and loved ones.

Over 700 big and small Eid congregations were held amid tight security in the provincial metropolis in which millions of Muslims, including children, participated and offered prayers. Special prayers were also offered for the victims of the oil tanker tragedy and Parachinar twin bomb blasts.

While big congregations were held at Badshahi Mosque, Data Darbar Mosque, Grand Jamia Masjid Bahria Town, Race Course Ground, Masjid Mansoora, Jamia Naeemia, Jamia Ashrafia and Punjab University Jamia Mosque Quaid-e-Azam (New) Campus. Loads of people visited graveyards after offering Eid prayers and offered Fateha for the salvation of their loved ones.

Special food items, including feniyan, sevian, chicken and mutton biryani, were prepared by the people at their homes in the evening.

Eidul Fitr is rightly known as the “feast of fast”. The day’s celebrations also call for desserts that are rich, dense and oozing with flavours. Desserts including ‘meethi sewayan’, ‘sheer khurma’ and ‘phirni’ sweetened the occasion. Traditional sweets were prepared and exchanged in most households on the day of Eid.

Children also marked the festival by visiting different recreational spots, especially zoo.

They were also seen busy to get Eidi from their elders.

A large number of families too thronged the recreational places like Greater Iqbal Park, Lahore Fort, Iqbal Tomb, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Gulshan Iqbal Park, Jallo Park, Fortress Stadium, and Safari Park on the second day of Eid.

Youngsters also thronged the city’s cinemas to watch new Pakistani movies. A massive rush of people was witnessed at Wagah Border to observe parade.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) continued its crackdown on food adulteration and imposed heavy fine on renowned eateries and bakeries.

The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) also conducted a cleanliness awareness drive at Greater Iqbal Park. The main objective of the drive was to reach out to a maximum number of people to sensitize them to the importance of cleanliness.

LWMC MD Bilal Mustafa Syed led the drive and distributed awareness material among visitors. Representatives of Turkish contractors were also took part in the activity.

Published in Daily Times, June 29th, 2017.