Men get into crisp new clothes, splash themselves with scents and happily trudge to the mosques for the special morning prayers. It is customary to walk to the idgah (mosque) for this holy service. The Eid prayer is a noble and impressive event. Multitudes assemble together and raise their hands to the heavens in a ceremony of unparalleled organisation, discipline and equality. In one of his famous couplets, Iqbal, a famous Urdu poet, had this to say about the ritual, "Stood in the same row Mahmud and Ayez, difference between the Lord and the Slave there was none". (Mahmud of Ghazni - the great conqueror who invaded India 12 times in the first half of the 11th century and his slave Ayaz offered their prayers standing in the same row). After the prayer, the Imam, or the spiritual head delivers a discourse on social and family duties. Everyone prays for forgiveness for their sins and for protection against misfortune, after which people embrace and greet each other with ‘Eid Mubarak’ or ‘Happy Eid’ and head back home for the feast!

‘Fitar’ means a donation. It is given away to the poor and the needy during Ramzan. Fitar is a must for every Muslim and each member of the household must contribute 1.75kg of wheat and 3.5kg of barley rice. Fitar is distributed to the poor so that they can take care of their needs and celebrate Eid with the rest of the community.

Meanwhile, women pray at home and then get busy organising a lavish spread of eatables like sivai – the special sweet for Eid (vermicelli cooked in milk and sugar), dry fruits, sweetmeats, biryani (meat cooked in spicy rice) and other things. They don their fancy new clothes and pay special heed to their make-up. The men return home to their beautiful wives and the family sits down for the grand meal. People embrace each other and exchange greetings of ‘Eid Mubarak’. Non-Muslims make it a point to visit their Muslim friends to join in their happiness and especially to consume some of the scrumptious food made for Eid. Eatables are served everywhere you go and dietary precautions are thrown to the winds on this day of joyful abandon. As usual, children have a field day during Eid and enjoy spending their ‘eiddi’ money as they deem fit.

Kashmiri Muslims do not prepare sivai for Eid. Instead, they make several meat dishes, sweetmeats and kahva (Kashmiri tea, made with dry fruits, spices and a special kind of Chinese or Tibetan tea, strangely called ‘Bombay Tea’).

Brothers pay a visit to their married sisters and take along sivai and other eatables along with some clothes, bangles and money. And sisters are not the only ones who eagerly await this day. The dhobi (washerman), the postman, the plumber, the electrician take turns to ‘ appear’ on your doorstep and wish you ‘Eid Mubarak’ and flash that all too familiar grin. No one really minds though, as their ‘eiddi’ has also become a ritual of sorts.

Eid Ul Fitar is a joyous occasion. It celebrates discipline and kindness and strives to establish a semblance of equality in our crazy chaotic cosmos.