Eid Al Fitr represents a comprehensive state of joy that pervades families in all cities of the Kingdom. Saudi families continue to restore the traditions on Eid days, by strengthening social cohesion, and the convergence of ancient traditions with modern neighborhoods.
Eid prayer is the first occasion on which families and friends meet. Everyone is keen to wear new clothes, and children carry baskets of sweets to distribute to worshipers.
After the end of the Eid prayer, it is time for breakfast, which brings families together. Some of them prefer to meet at home, where the family gathers at a table full of all kinds, whose consumption decreased during the holy month.
Cheeses, pickles, and different types of bread dominate everything else. Some families break their fast in restaurants that open their doors after the Eid prayer, and the festive atmosphere prevails.
In some areas, citizens gather in the neighborhoods in which they live, to eat shared breakfast with other people, according to what is possible from the produce of each house. People who live in those neighborhoods or gatherings of different nationalities are invited.
Eid customs vary according to region, and some city residents feel the importance of returning to their villages during the first day of Eid, where the most expressive character of celebration is through group home visits, festive gatherings in public squares, and performing folk dances, especially in the evening.
Children wait on the day of Eid to collect what they can of “Eidat” (money) to be spent after that in toy stores and others. The celebration of Eid is not complete without sweets, as chocolate tops the serving dishes in most homes.
The home ladies prepare traditional sweets such as cakes, to present them to visitors who are keen to visit relatives to greet them in their homes.
