LAHORE: With the culmination of the holy month of Ramazan, people are gearing up to celebrate Eidul Fitr with great fervour and gaiety. Eidul Fitr is the event of sweetness, joys and happiness. The festive season is approaching as the residents of the provincial capital are all set to welcome the festival with `sheer khurma’ a traditional sweet dish made of vermicelli cooked with dates in milk. Eidul Fitr is also known as `sweet Eid” because of the variety of sweet dishes being cooked and consumed on this day. Markets and bazaars are brimming with shoppers for the last minute shopping. Women and children were also seen applying henna on their hands to mark the festival in a traditional way. Big congregations will be held to offer Eid prayers at Badshahi Mosque, Data Darbar Mosque, Punjab University Jamia Mosque, Grand Jamia Masjid Bahria Town, Race Course Ground, Mansoora Mosque, Jamia Naeemia and Jamia Ashrafia. Special prayers will also be offered for prosperity, progress, religious harmony, peace and solidarity of country. It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) has also predicted rain/dust-thundershowers with gusty winds at isolated places in Lahore and other divisions of the country. Tailors too were seen busy in completing the orders of customers in stipulated time frame. Several families were also seen buying essential commodities such as chicken, meat and other food items in bulk quantity from super markets and general stores on Sunday. Talking to Daily Times, a citizen said, “I have planned a get together with my family members, relatives and friends on Eid getaway to mark the festival.” Children are also eagerly waiting to throng different recreational spots such as parks, zoo and playgrounds during the holidays. Separately, Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) Deputy Manger (Communication) Umari Khan told Daily Times that holidays of all field workers had been cancelled in order to implement sanitation plan. He said that 10,000 sanitary workers would be performing during Eid holidays. He said that a ‘Zero Waste’ operation would be conducted in the city on Chand raat. Special cleanliness arrangements have been planned for all major mosques, eidgahs, imambargahs, roads and graveyards. He said that LWMC MD had appealed to all citizens to litter the waste properly. He added that the LWMC Communication Department would conduct a special cleanliness awareness drive at Greater Iqbal Park to sensitive citizens to the importance of cleanliness on the second day of Eid. Published in Daily Times, June 26th, 2017.