After a month of fasting in Ramadan, the biggest Muslim festival Eid-ul-Fitr has brought the joy of sharing to Bangladesh.

Hundreds of thousands of people have left Dhaka and other big cities for their hometowns and villages to celebrate the occasion with loved ones ahead of the festival on Thursday.

With Bangla New Year Pahela Baishakh next Sunday, and weekends, they are enjoying a five-day holiday. Newspaper workers have been given a six-day holiday for the first time.

Holidaymakers, mostly those who left the capital between Monday night and Tuesday night, had to suffer on the highways to the north after comfortable journeys for several days.
 

For a number of families, the Eid journeys became deadly amid a rush on the highways. At least eight people, including three of a family, died in road accidents in Mymensingh on Tuesday.

Cost-cutting amid high inflation and high prices of festival dresses have dampened the festivity for many.

Rickshaw-puller Hafizul Islam was eating biscuits with tea at Aminbazar on the outskirts of Dhaka on Tuesday night.

Hundreds of low-income people were waiting there to get a ride to the impoverished northern districts.
 
Nevertheless, he was not worried even though the bus fare was too high for him ahead of the festival. Like others, he would travel by truck or pick-up van that carries passengers during Eid for an extra income.

“I’m happy that I was able to buy shirts and pants for my two sons,” said Hafizul, with only a small bag in his arms.
 

Meherunnesa Begum, a resident of Dhaka’s Malibagh, bought dresses and footwear for her husband and children, and shoes and cosmetics for herself. She saved the money for her own Eid dress as she got salwar-kameez and saree as a gift. With that money, she bought dresses for her relatives as she cannot give them presents at other times.

“Making the loved ones happy brings happiness to me,” she said.

Helal Uddin, president of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, said their sales dropped by two-thirds because of price rises.

“It’s true we made profits because of price rises. But there was no extra profit that we expected from huge sales,” he said.

In his Eid message to the nation, President Mohammed Shahabuddin called upon the affluent section of the society to stand by the poor people so that all irrespective of rich and poor can enjoy the happiness of the festival equally.

He hoped the essence of Eid-ul-Fitr will spread among all and a prosperous Bangladesh will be built.

In a video message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said: “Eid means joy. Let us share the happiness of Eid with everyone, including relatives and neighbours.”

The president will join the main Eid congregation at National Eidgah at 8:30am. He will exchange greetings with visitors from all walks of life at the Bangabhaban from 10am to 11:30am, said his Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin.

Hasina will also meet people on Eid at the Ganabhaban at 10am.