MOSCOW – Thousands of Muslims flocked early morning on Tuesday, July 5, to mosques and open yards to perform `Eid Al-Fitr prayer which crowns the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Rawil Gaynetdin, the chairman of Russian Council of Muftis, sent his greetings ahead of the celebrations.

“Having been able to suppress desires of the body during the whole month, worshipers proved to themselves that they have the power to control them [their desires], [they proved] that spirituality rules over the corporeal,” he was quoted by Russia Today.

“We reminded ourselves that we cannot simply live for the sake of satisfying our desires, that the genuine pleasure does not stem from material values, but stems from spiritual enhancement, that serving people and helping those in need and not entertainment brings genuine happiness.”

`Eid Al-Fitr is one the two main Islamic religious festivals along with `Eid Al-Adha.

After special prayers to mark the day, festivities and merriment start with visits to the homes of friends and relatives.

And while traditionally everyone wears new clothes for `Eid, children look forward to gifts and traditional `ediya (cash).

At least 60,000 Muslims took part in celebrations near Moscow Cathedral Mosque, police sources told TASS.

Across the Russian capital, over 37 locations in the city’s suburbs were open to worshipers to conduct religious rituals.

According to the Russian Council of Muftis, over 200,000 of Muslims in Moscow took take part in morning prayers in ceremonies held in the city’s four main mosques including the Moscow Cathedral Mosque and several squares across the capital.

`Eid Al-Fitr celebrations also took place across Russia. The day is considered an official holiday in several Russian regions with predominantly Muslim populations.