*Seen in these pictures are Muslim men at Church road vegetable market in Ranchi on Sunday morning, buying vegetables to celebrate Eid festival on Monday

As soon as the sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon, Hamid Akhtar says he and his family and community members will celebrate Eid al-Fitr on Monday.

Akhtar is among scores of Muslims -men and women-who were spotted on Sunday moving from one vegetable vendor's shop to another to buy vegetables along the roadside in Church road, behind GEL Church, in Eastern India's State of Jharkhand, home to millions of tribals.

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Akhtar argued that if the moon is not observed immediately after the 29th day of the previous lunar month(either because clouds block its view or because the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets), then Eid is celebrated for one to three days.

"I look forward to the whole day", he says."I come to the vegetable market to buy vegetables, fruits and meat. He bought a pack full of mangoes."

In fact, in the pick of the summer season of mangos, Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the month-long dawn -to-sun-set fasting of Ramadan.

This religious Eid, therefore, is not the only day in the month of "Shawwal" during which Muslims are not permitted to fast, it provides them a special day to relish "best food" and wear "beautiful new dress", says Akhtar.

As per Islamic tradition, Eid prayers are offered in an open space or field available for congregations. But Akhtar says this time the scene, created by Coronavirus lockdown, will be very different. " We will offer Eid prayers in our house."

"Due to lockdown and shops shut, we failed to buy new dress and cloths" he laments.

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