TThe festival of Id-ul-Fitr in 2026 is taking place around the world under contrasting circumstances, shaped by both celebration and conflict. In India, the festival brings crowds to mosques, family gatherings and markets full of last-minute shoppers. Elsewhere, particularly in conflict-affected regions, celebrations are more muted, shaped by displacement, deprivation and insecurity. This photo story shows how Id is observed around the world: from moments of joy and tradition to quieter, more subdued celebrations. Interestingly, the festival not only takes place in different ways, but also on different days, as communities follow their own moon sightings, which vary from region to region.
In 2026, several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, observed Id on March 20. In India, parts of Kerala celebrated it on the same day, while the rest of the country, along with Pakistan and Bangladesh, celebrated on March 21 after local sightings of the moon.
These photos capture the contrasts in how Id is viewed around the world.
Photo: AP
Iranian worshipers perform Id-ul-Fitr prayers at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran on March 21, 2026.
Photo: WANA via Reuters
People participate in Id-ul-Fitr prayers in Tehran, Iran on March 21, 2026. At dawn, a crowd of worshipers gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in central Tehran, named after the founder of the Islamic Republic. Photo: WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Photo: WANA via Reuters
Due to a lack of space, many worshipers watched the prayer outside, with state television showing footage of crowded areas around the mosque, despite the risk of strikes. Photo: WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Photo: AP
Men hold up two children during an event where volunteers prepared food packages and Id sweets for displaced families to celebrate the holiday away from their homes, at a public university that was turned into a shelter after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon, March 20, 2026.
Photo: AP
A child looks on as people celebrate Id-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on March 20, 2026, at the Panama Convention Center in Panama City.
Photo: Reuters
Women displaced from southern Lebanon pray at a grave in a Shiite cemetery on the Eid al-Fitr holiday following the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran in Sidon, Lebanon on March 20, 2026.
Photo: AFP
Iraqi Shiites visit the graves of relatives at the cemetery of the pro-Iranian armed group Kataeb Hezbollah in the central Iraqi holy city of Najaf on March 21, 2026, where they remember the dead and victims of the wars on Id-ul-Fitr. Iraq was involuntarily drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-I attack on Irael in February.
Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma
Photo: Raghunathan SR
Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Devotees offer prayers to mark Id al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramzan, in the Eidgah Uttam Nagar area of southwest Delhi on Saturday, amid the deployment of heavy police and paramilitary forces in the capital March 21, 2026. I was guarding a tense security area where a localized clash killed a man and sparked community tension.
Photo: Imran Nissar
A crescent moon rises above the sky on Id al-Fitr in Srinagar on Saturday (March 21, 2026).
Photo: AM Faruqui
Faithful offering namaz on the occasion of Id-ul-fitr at Eidgah in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on March 21, 2026.
Photo: Emmanuel Yogini
Members of the Muslim community offer namaz on the occasion of Id-ul-Fitr at the YMCA Ground in Mumbai, Maharashtra on March 21, 2026.
Photo: PTI
Members of the Muslim community offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayers along the Jaipur-Delhi highway in Jaipur, Rajasthan on March 21, 2026.
Photo: Imran Nissar
Members of the Muslim community offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on March 21, 2026.
Photo: AP
Muslim girls display their hands decorated with traditional henna as they celebrate Id-ul-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan on March 21, 2026.
Photo: AP
Muslims pray Id-ul-Fitr at the Baitul Mukarram Mosque, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 21, 2026.
Photo: Indonesian Presidential Palace via AFP
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (right) distributes aid to flood victims after Id-ul-Fitr prayers at Darussalam Mosque, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Aceh Tamiang, Indonesia, March 21, 2026.
Photo: AFP
Muslim devotees share food during Id-ul-Fitr celebrations at a mosque, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Beijing, China on March 21, 2026.
Photo: AP
Children celebrate with balloons after attending Id-ul-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Karachi, Pakistan on March 21, 2026.
Photo: Thulasi Kakkat
Worshipers offer Id-ul-Fitr Namaz at Eid Garh at Kaloor in Kochi, Kerala on March 20, 2026. Kerala celebrated Id a day earlier than the rest of India due to differing reports of moon sightings.
Photo: KR Deepak
A mosque lights up ahead of Id-ul-Fitr at Chinna Waltair in Visakhapatnam to mark the end of Ramadan in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on March 20, 2026.
Photo: Siddhant Thakur
Crowds of people throng the Charminar market to shop for clothes and accessories on the eve of Id in Hyderabad, Telangana state on March 20, 2026.
Photo: Imran Nissar
People shop at a market ahead of Id-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on March 20, 2026.
Photo: AP
Trucks and police vehicles block a street as Muslims gather for Id-ul-Fitr prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan on March 20, 2026 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Photo: Reuters
Muslim worshipers participate in Id-ul-Fitr prayers in front of a mosque in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia on March 20, 2026, on a frosty morning marking the end of Ramadan.
Photo: AFP
Muslim worshipers gather for Id-ul-Fitr prayers in Al-Saraya Square in Gaza City on March 20, 2026. A day earlier, Israeli airstrikes killed four people, according to the Gaza Civil Defense Agency, while the Israeli army said it had killed four militants.
Photo: AP
Children gather around performers during an event where volunteers prepare food packages and candies for displaced families at a public university that became a shelter after Israeli airstrikes on March 20, 2026 in Beirut, Lebanon.
Photo: AFP
A Palestinian woman visits the graves of relatives at the Al-Saraya cemetery in Gaza City on March 20, 2026, as Muslims celebrate Id-ul-Fitr. Gaza’s Civil Defense Agency reported four deaths in Israeli airstrikes a day earlier, while Israel’s military said it had killed four militants.
Photo: Reuters
Palestinians visit a grave in a cemetery during Id-ul-Fitr in Gaza City on March 20, 2026.
Published – 21 March 2026 14:49 IST
