HARTFORD, Conn. — Hundreds of Muslims from around Connecticut came together Monday morning to mark the end of Ramadan at the XL Center in Hartford.
The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends.
Fasting is important during Ramadan as it allows Muslims to devote themselves to their faith and come closer to Allah, or God.
"That’s one of the five pillars of Islam," explained Mobashar Akram, General Secretary of the Islamic Center of Connecticut. "The whole concept behind Ramadan is to practice self-restraint. Self-restraint for eating, drinking and also practicing becoming an ideal Muslim and human being. We’ve given extra to charity. We’ve tried to reach out to our neighbors, and we’ve done a lot of good deeds throughout the month."
Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan and is one of the most anticipated Islamic holidays. Eid al-Fitr is distinguished by the performance of communal prayer at daybreak on its first day.
Eid al-Fitr is a time of official receptions and private visits when friends greet one another, presents are given, new clothes are worn, and the graves of relatives are visited.
People at the event Monday were happy to be back together with COVID restrictions loosened.
“We tried. We tried to do as much as we can with our countries but what’s so good about this year is we’re able to do it," said Joumana Shahine of Hartford.
“It was very depressing cause Islam is a communal religion. We come together for prayer. We come together for fasting, and for other events in our entire religion," said Akram.
Angelo Bavaro is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at abavaro@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
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