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.”

Close window X

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Houston Landing's published content is free. Please review our republication guidelines here and give us attribution when you republish our content.

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

by Antranik Tavitian / Staff photographer, Houston Landing
April 11, 2024

<h1>Photo essay: Muslims across the Houston area celebrate Eid al-Fitr with food and joy</h1> <p class="byline">by Antranik Tavitian / Staff photographer, Houston Landing <br />April 11, 2024</p> <p>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.&nbsp;</p> <p>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.&nbsp;</p> <p>“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.&nbsp;</p> <p>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.</p> <p>“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.”&nbsp;</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.&nbsp;</p> <p>“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.”</p> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240408_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_19.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27268" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240408_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_15.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27264" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240408_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_14.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27263" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">(Top left photo) Ahmed Mansoun, 20, leads a children’s class focused on lessons about prophets as their parents pray after eating dinner at MAS Katy Center, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Katy. (Top right photo) Children play on makeshift beds during prayer after eating dinner at MAS Katy Center, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Katy. (Bottom photo) Tarek Dannoon, at center, holds his daughter Judi, 1, as he prays at MAS Katy Center, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Katy. (Antranik Tavitian / Houston Landing)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_06.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27243" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_09.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27246" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">(Left photo) Judy, 7, and her brother Hasan Hammoodi, 9, walk into Cedars Bakery with their mother, Inas Alhayali, on April 10, 2024, in Houston. (Right photo) Juan Toribio cooks flatbread tops with various cheeses and spices at Cedars Bakery on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian / Houston Landing)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_05.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27242" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">AJ Mass, at center, listens to Ala Adel, at right, tell a joke while their group eats at Cedars Bakery, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Houston. (Antranik Tavitian / Houston Landing)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR-1128_MF_21.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27227" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A family walks to an Eid celebration held by the Clear Lake Islamic Center at Marquee at the Mainland Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Texas City. (Mark Felix for Houston Landing)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR-1128_MF_09.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27215" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR-1128_MF_10.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27216" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR-1128_MF_04.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27210" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">(Top left) Men hug after a sermon at an Eid celebration held by the Clear Lake Islamic Center at Marquee at the Mainland, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Texas City. (Top right) Mustapha Nyallay and his son Mustapha Nyallay Jr. take a picture together during an Eid celebration held by the Clear Lake Islamic Center at Marquee at the Mainland, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Texas City. (Bottom photo) Men hold their hands in prayer at an Eid celebration held by the Clear Lake Islamic Center at Marquee at the Mainland on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Texas City. (Mark Felix for Houston Landing)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR-1128_MF_13.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27219" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR-1128_MF_12.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27218" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR-1128_MF_17.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27223" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">(Top left) A woman walks through a patch of light during an Eid celebration held by the Clear Lake Islamic Center at Marquee at the Mainland, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Texas City. Iqra Ali (center) and Ali Aamar (right) and try the football toss during an Eid celebration held by the Clear Lake Islamic Center at Marquee at the Mainland, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Texas City. (Bottom photo) A husband and wife take a picture together during an Eid celebration held by the Clear Lake Islamic Center at Marquee at the Mainland, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Texas City. (Mark Felix for Houston Landing)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_14.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27288" /></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_15.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27289" /></figure><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption">(Left photo) Lina Kotb, 4, blows bubbles during an Eid al-Fitr celebration at Jones Creek Ranch Park, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Richmond. (Top right) Children watch as adult men pray during Zuhr during an Eid al-Fitr celebration at Jones Creek Ranch Park, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Richmond. (Antranik Tavitian / Houston Landing)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20240410_EID-AL-FATIR_AT_13.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27287" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Families walk around during an Eid al-Fitr celebration at Jones Creek Ranch Park, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Richmond. (Antranik Tavitian / Houston Landing)</figcaption></figure> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://houstonlanding.org/photo-essay-muslims-across-the-houston-area-celebrate-eid-al-fitr-with-food-and-joy/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://houstonlanding.org">Houston Landing</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/houstonlanding.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-Frame-5-2.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://houstonlanding.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=27250&amp;ga4=G-4E41V78RX3" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

1