Kurdistan Region to celebrate Ramadan feast on Wednesday

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Muslims in the Kurdistan Region are set to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, known locally as the Feast of Ramadan, on Wednesday after Kurdish religious authorities set the date as the end of the fasting month.

Pshtiwan Sadiq, the Kurdistan Region's Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, announced in a press conference on Monday that Tuesday will be counted as the last day of Ramadan due to the visibility of the crescent moon in the Kurdistan Region. Therefore Wednesday would be the first of Eid al-Fitr.

Meanwhile, Baghdad's office of the Sunni Endowment announced that Eid al-Fitr would begin on Wednesday for Iraq's Sunni Muslims as well.

Religious authorities in most Muslim-majority nations typically declare the exact Ramadan schedule, which can vary a day or so depending on the visible stations of the moon, for all those within its borders. In Iraq, however, the faithful from different sects – or in this case, the Kurdistan Region – often end up beginning and ending their month of fasting on divergent dates.

Following the Eid sermons, families gather around a table, enjoying a heavy breakfast meal consisting of rice, different kinds of stews, and red and white meat. Candies, nuts, sweets, caffeinated beverages, and juices are also served as part of the hospitality.

Preparations for the feast in the Region start at least a week earlier as people flock to the markets to buy new outfits for the festival. Some people wear traditional Kurdish clothes while others stick to modern clothing.

Kids are given a sum of money as Eid gifts by their relatives and parents before visiting playgrounds and parks to meet their friends.