The Id-ul-Fitr festival in 2026 is unfolding across the world in contrasting circumstances, shaped by both celebrations and conflicts. In India, the festival brings crowds to mosques, family gatherings and markets filled with last-minute shoppers. Elsewhere, particularly in conflict-affected regions, celebrations are more subdued, shaped by displacement, shortages and uncertainty. This photo story depicts how Id is being observed globally: from moments of joy and tradition to quieter, more subdued celebrations. Interestingly, the festival unfolds not just in different ways, but also on different days, as communities follow their own moon sightings, which vary across regions.
In 2026, several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE 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 following local moon sightings.
These photographs capture the contrasts in how Id is observed across the globe.
Photo:
AP
Iranian worshippers perform Id-ul-Fitr prayers at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran on March 21, 2026.
Photo:
WANA via Reuters
People attend Id-ul-Fitr prayers in Tehran, Iran on March 21, 2026. At dawn, a crowd of worshippers gathered at central Tehran’s Imam Khomeini grand mosque, named after the founder of the Islamic republic. Photo: WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Photo:
WANA via Reuters
For lack of space, many worshippers followed the prayer outside, with state television showing images of crowded areas around the mosque, despite the risk of strikes. Photo: WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Photo:
AP
Men lift two children during an event where volunteers prepared food parcels and Id sweets for displaced families marking the holiday away from their homes, at a public university turned into a shelter after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon on March 20, 2026.
Photo:
AP
A child looks on as people perform Id-ul-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the Panama Convention Center, in Panama City on March 20, 2026.
Photo:
Reuters
Women displaced from South Lebanon pray next to a grave at a Shi’ite cemetery, on the day of Eid al-Fitr, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Sidon, Lebanon on March 20, 2026.
Photo:
AFP
Iraqi Shias visit graves of relatives at the pro-Iranian armed group Kataeb Hezbollah Cemetery in Iraq’s central holy city of Najaf as they remember the deceased as well as victims of wars on Id-ul-Fitr, on March 21, 2026. Iraq has been unwillingly drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the U.S.-Israel attack on its neighbour Iran on February 28.
Photo:
Sushil Kumar Verma
Photo:
Raghunathan SR
Photo:
Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Devouts offering prayers on the occasion of Id al-Fitr, end of the holy month of Ramzan at Eidgah Uttam Nagar area in South West Delhi on Saturday, amid heavy police and paramilitary forces deployed, in the Capital on March 21, 2026. Where a localised clash left a man dead and triggered communal tensions in the area, is observing Id-ul-Fitr amid tight security.
Photo:
Imran Nissar
A crescent moon rises over the sky on Id al-Fitr, in Srinagar, on Saturday (March 21, 2026).
Photo:
A.M. Faruqui
Faithful offering namaz on the occasion of Id-ul-fitr at Eidgah in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on March 21, 2026.
Photo:
Emmanual 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 Id-ul-Fitr prayers along the Jaipur–Delhi Highway, in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on March 21, 2026.
Photo:
Imran Nissar
Members of the Muslim community offer Id-ul-Fitr prayers at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on March 21, 2026.
Photo:
AP
Muslim girls display their hands adorned 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 offer Id-ul-Fitr prayers at the Baitul Mukarram Mosque, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 21, 2026.
Photo:
Indonesia’s Presidential Palace via AFP
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (right) distributes aid to flood victims after Id-ul-Fitr prayers at the Darussalam Mosque, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Aceh Tamiang, Indonesia, March 21, 2026.
Photo:
AFP
Muslim devotees share a meal 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
Faithfuls offering Id-ul-Fitr Namaz at the Eid Garh in Kaloor in Kochi, Kerala on March 20, 2026. Kerala celebrated Id a day earlier than the rest of India due to differing moon sighting reports.
Photo:
K.R. Deepak
A mosque lights up ahead of Id-ul-Fitr at Chinna Waltair in Visakhapatnam, marking the end of Ramadan, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on March 20, 2026.
Photo:
Siddhant Thakur
Crowds throng the Charminar market area as people shop for clothes and accessories on the eve of Id in Hyderabad, Telangana 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, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on March 20, 2026.
Photo:
Reuters
Muslim worshippers attend Id-ul-Fitr prayers outside a mosque on a frosty morning, marking the end of Ramadan, in Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, March 20, 2026.
Photo:
AFP
Muslim worshippers gather for Id-ul-Fitr prayers at Al-Saraya Square, in Gaza City, on March 20, 2026. A day earlier, Israeli airstrikes killed four people, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency, while the Israeli military said it had eliminated four militants.
Photo:
AP
Children gather around performers during an event where volunteers prepared food parcels and Id sweets for displaced families at a public university turned shelter, following Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon on March 20, 2026.
Photo:
AFP
A Palestinian woman visits the graves of relatives at Al-Saraya Cemetery, in Gaza City on March 20, 2026, as Muslims celebrate Id-ul-Fitr. Gaza’s civil defence agency reported four deaths in Israeli airstrikes a day earlier, while the Israeli military said it had eliminated four militants.
Photo:
Reuters
Palestinians visit a grave at a cemetery during Id-ul-Fitr, in Gaza City, on March 20, 2026.
Published – March 21, 2026 02:49 pm IST
