Dressed in their finest clothes, about 500 people gathered at the Bradford and District Community Centre on Friday to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
The holiday falls on the first day of the Islamic month Shawwal and marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.
Families and members of the Muslim community gathered to pray together and eat a meal of Pakistani, Afghan, Arab and Canadian food and sweets.
Many of the women dressed in brightly-coloured clothing adorned with jewels, while many of the men wore dress shirts and pants.
The hall was filled with the smells of biryani, naan, channa (chickpeas), palau (chicken curry), minced lentils with beef, samosas, pasta, hashbrowns, and kebabs.
Trays of fruit and sweets, such as zarda (sweet rice), rote (dry cake) and mamool (cookie with dates inside) were also laid out.
“We’re lucky enough to be here and celebrate. It’s a time for families to get together and pray together,” said Mariam Qureshi. “We can show the kids we have our own celebrations and we can celebrate it as grand as we want.”
The annual event involves people waking up early to pray, dress in their finest clothing, and decorate their homes with lights and other items.
Part of the event is about charity and giving back to the community.
Some of the Bradford West Gwillimbury parents at the event said they had their children do good deeds every day throughout Ramadan and pick out gifts to send to orphanages.
Donations were also collected for the Bradford Islamic Community Centre, which is located at 136 Holland St. W., unit 8.
Many of the children at the event played together and opened gift bags of toys and candy.
“This celebration is no different than the celebration of Christmas. It’s time to get family together,” Qureshi said.
She said her children attend Chris Hadfield Public School, where they accommodated students practicing Ramadan with dedicated prayer and fasting rooms and allowing them not to participate in physical-education classes while fasting.
“They’re very happy to celebrate their own holiday,” she said.
