Photo essay: Muslims across the Houston area celebrate Eid al-Fitr with food and joy

As the holy month of Ramadan neared its end this week, Muslims throughout the Houston region prepared for the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the culminating holiday after a month-long dawn-to-sunset fast.

On the gymnasium floor of the Muslim American Society Katy Center, plates of dates and water cups were placed while hundreds of people slowly trickled in before the call to break fast.

“What we do in serving food and breaking fast together is really to help build the community. It’s not easy to get two people together,” said Vice President Nasir Hussain.

The mosque serves people from over 20 different countries. During this Muslim holy month, supplications during daily prayer are encouraged, Hussain said, as a way to give thanks and come together as a community.

“This Ramadan is especially difficult because of what’s happening in Gaza,” Hussain said. “When people break their fast together, they come closer to Allah.”

On the morning of Eid al-Fitr, cooks at Cedars Bakery on Richmond Avenue shuffled various types of Middle Eastern flatbreads topped with Za’atar, cheese, or minced and spiced beef (Lahmajoun). The line to order stretched across the Lebanese bakery’s seating area.

In Richmond, a group of over 150 Egyptian families filled Jones Creek Ranch Park. They had started as a WhatsApp group of six families in 2020 and grew each year. The children played in the bounce castles and the adults conversed with friends they hadn’t seen since last Ramadan.

“When you bring together over 100 families at the same time, share the food and have fun and drink tea and chat; You don’t do that every day,” said Sameh Shaheen, who had moved to Texas from Cairo, Egypt in 2010. “That’s something to remember.”

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