Like the start of Ramadan, during which believers abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours, Eid al-Fitr depends on the sighting of the moon and its celebration varies in different countries. The day begins with early morning prayers and then family visits and feasts.

In the Afghan capital Kabul, families celebrated with a stroll in a central park and children played on a carousel.

"We came here to celebrate Eid because this day is for happiness and all the people want to see happiness. The Afghan people hope to have peace in the country," said Abdul Raziq, a resident of the city.

Elsewhere, thousands of Muslims living in Moscow gathered in and outside the city's grand mosque to pray. Security was high and mounted police patrolled the streets.

The Moscow Cathedral Mosque, which has the capacity to hold 10,000 people, was packed with worshippers, many of whom hail originally from Central Asia.

After Orthodox Christianity, Islam is the second biggest religion in Russia.

"We came to pray and the place is not important. The only place we need is a place to put a rug, to pray to God, to take part in this holiday – this is the most important," said Sivush Veriyev.

Thousands of people packed stadiums in Addis Ababa and Mogadishu and there were also mass prayers in the Nigerian capital Abuja as well as Juba, South Sudan.

In Bangladesh, thousands of people have been scrambling to Dhaka's ferry terminals and stations, packing trains heading out of the city to return to their hometowns for Eid.

In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prayed at Istanbul's huge new Camlica mosque, which he formally inaugurated last month.

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The holiday marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan when devout Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. But the start of the holiday varies from country to country – with splits even within the same country – because the start of Eid is traditionally based on sightings of the new moon, which sometimes differ from astronomical calculations and vary according to geographic location.

As with everything else in the Middle East, politics often plays a part with countries that traditionally followed Saudi Arabia's lead breaking with it this year, including the Palestinians and Jordan.

Muslim Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, as well as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, announced the first day of Eid is Tuesday, whereas Egypt, Syria, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and others said the Shawwal crescent moon was not visible across the country and won't start until Wednesday.

In Gaza, mosques blared with Eid calls on Monday evening, shortly after Saudi Arabia announced the end of Ramadan, only to be interrupted when the Palestinian grand mufti in Jerusalem said they could not spot the crescent, thus extending Ramadan by one more day.

An Imam at al-Khalidi mosque on the Gaza City beach apologized and told worshippers: "We can't but follow the instructions of our mufti," and asked them to stay in the mosque for the Ramadan night prayer known as Taraweeh.

It was not clear why Gaza did not follow Saudi Arabia's lead, as it usually does. But the change by the local Islamic authorities drew anger, jokes, and criticism on social media. Some posts urged the faithful to wake up in the morning and eat, pretending they did not know the Eid decision had changed.

The holiday traditionally lasts one to three days and is eagerly anticipated after the month of fasting. During Ramadan, the faithful refrain from eating, drinking, smoking or sexual activity from dawn to dusk.

Most businesses close during Eid, as people dress up and visit relatives, enjoying their first daytime meals in a lunar month. Mosques hold special prayers at sunrise and children are often given gifts or a special allowance.

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