Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah: There’s no other event more synonymous with the Eid Al Fitr celebrations than religious and social gatherings. The occasion marks the end of Ramadan and therefore brings forth opportunities to strengthen family ties through reunions across the UAE.

Gulf News spoke to a number of families to chronicle the special celebrations and capture the Eid spirit among different nationalities.

In Abu Dhabi, most people are travelling for Eid. Noor Sayadi, 21, a visual arts student, and her family, who do not normally travel during the summer, all travelled to Austria for Eid and took the vacation opportunity to extend their visit for an entire week.

“I’m visiting close friends with my family this Eid, as it is our yearly tradition to spend the first day with the people who are closest to us. After visits, I go with friends to a cafe where we catch up. It is an opportunity for us to sit with those people we wish we saw more often and really cherish these gatherings and thank God for the people around us,” Mais, 29, a human resources officer, said.

Ancestral home

“We usually spend the first day of Eid in our grandfather’s ancestral home in Sharjah. All of our relatives living in other emirates will go there tonight as it is part of our family tradition,” Khoulod Al Surour, 19, an Emirati student, told Gulf News.

“After that, we hope to go out as a family, more like a family night, to see a movie together,” she said, adding that The Dark Knight Rises is at the top of her list.

Khoulod said family celebrations are just one part of Eid. Another major important aspect of Eid is the fact that after her 30-day spiritual reflection, she was able to make some resolutions to change a few habits to make her a better person and be more motivated in life.

For the Moideen family, there’s more reason to be celebrate Eid especially with the newest addition to their family, a baby girl.

“We’re spending our Eid holiday at home with my wife and daughter, and my second child who was born a few days ago,” Uppala Moideen, 41, a project engineer from India, said.

The family prepared a sumptuous feast for relatives and friends who will come over to join in the celebrations. Moideen said the family has also set aside their zakat (obligatory alms) to give to his less fortunate Muslim brother and sisters.

The first day of Eid for Mohammad Aymen, 24, from Algeria, is for the family, while the second is for friends.

“We have prepared eidiyas [cash gift] to give away to all the children in the family,” the contract coordinator said. “We are also setting aside some time to call our relatives back home and wish them a happy Eid.”