by Sadaf Farooqi

Created on: September 15, 2009

As the Islamic month of piety, abstinence and worship - Ramadan - draws to a close, excitement and anticipation of the imminent Eid ul Fitr celebration starts to fill the air. Having lived in Pakistan's largest cosmopolitan, seaport city - Karachi - all my life, I cannot imagine celebrating Eid anywhere except in my own home country, and particularly in my birth town. Hub to a plethora of commercial, business, religious and social activity, with a thriving nightlife, Karachi comes alive during the last few nights of Ramadan, with every shop and business operating in the wee hours to maximize profit during this time of the year - Eid ul Fitr being the epitome of Muslim gaiety and celebration.

Pakistani Muslims spend the last 2 or 3 days before Eid in a frenzy of last minute Eid shopping. Hitting the glittering malls after the culmination of the nightly taraweeh congregational prayer, families can be seen shop hopping for shoes, clothes, artificial jewelry, and henna, ending their nights with good, hearty dinners at local restaurants. Mosques start displaying the amount of Zakat Al-Fitr to be given to the needy during the last 2 days of Ramadan, with collection booths set up for this purpose outside their doors. Beggars are, unfortunately, around in abundance amid the shops and markets, asking all and sundry for a bite to eat, or a penny or two, in Allah's name. Keeping up the spirit of giving, Muslims do not jerk them off, but help them as much as they can whilst Ramadan lasts.

The 29th night of Ramadan experiences a major flurry of excitement as Pakistan's moon sighting committees start to peer at the sky to spot the crescent moon, which if seen, will signal the end of the month of worship and the start of Shawaal, the next month in the Islamic calendar. Local news channels make the announcement regarding the result of the local Islamic scholars' moon sighting efforts. If Eid is the next day, shouts of joy are heard from the windows of apartment homes and residences, with some young boys climbing rooftops to fire amateur shots in the sky to signal the onset of Eid. If not, everyone fasts for the last time the next day, and they elatedly start their festive preparations for Eid the following night - known as "chaand raat" ('night of the moon-sighting') in popular culture.

Women of the house excitedly rush to prepare for Eid morning's sweet breakfast before Eid prayer, which, according to local Pakistani tradition is a nutty, thick and creamy milk-and-vermicelli

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