Today begins the three-day celebration of Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr) - one of the biggest holidays for Muslims, along with Kurban Bayram. After a 30-day fast, believers in Allah offer a special prayer after which they sit down at a table full of various sweet specialties, but most often baklava.

Ramazan Bayram this year is different, Chief Mufti Dr. Mustafa Hadji said in his address to Muslims in Bulgaria:

"Dear Muslim brothers and sisters, Ramazan is over and we now mark Bayram. This Ramazan was different from previous years as more young people fasted during the days and visited the mosques at night. It really gave us the opportunity to be more confident in ourselves and to be happier. I am sure that even after Ramazan, young people will continue to have a relationship with religion, because everyone understands that religion is a source of spiritual energy and happiness. May Allah accept the obedience and service from everyone, may Allah give us the opportunity to welcome Ramazan and Bairam for many years. Happy Ramazan Bayram!"

• Muslims in Bulgaria celebrate Seker Bayram

The final data from the 2021 population census in the country have not yet been released, but it is known that over 10% of Bulgaria's citizens are Muslim. There are also many Bulgarian Muslims who celebrate Ramadan Bayram abroad.

Gulbeyaz Sar has been living in Osnabrüch, Germany since 2016, where she works as a nurse. Together with their family, they welcome Ramazan Bayram this year with great excitement, but they also feel sadness. "We are far from our relatives and friends. We miss them a lot. When it's Bayram we feel their absence much stronger," Gulbeyaz says.

"Many Turks live in Osnabrüch, where there are many Muslims. We live in constant contact with Muslims here. We keep our customs and celebrate Ramazan Bayram together. In fact, there is not much difference with the celebration in Bulgaria. Iftar evenings were organized during the month of Ramadan. There are four mosques here and we used to visit the Great Mosque. In connection with the traditional iftar dinners, the mosques had the following motto: ‘Cohesion, unity, friendship’. At these gatherings, people have the opportunity to see friends and acquaintances whom they have not seen for a long time, communicate, have fun," Gulbeyaz Sar tells Bedrie Haliz of the Turkish section of Radio Bulgaria

Ebru Ahmed has been living with his family in Austria and studies law at the University of Vienna:

"In the past two years we celebrated Bayram in Vienna. Before that, we always celebrated in Bulgaria. Our first Ramazan Bayram here was filled with sadness because very few of our loved ones were with us. We are used to be with the whole family, all relatives gathering and celebrating together. For this reason we were sad. But we also have relatives and family friends here. On Bayram they visit us or we go to their homes. We have cousins in other cities and we visit each other. In days like these, it's the only way to deal with the homesickness we feel."

Translation: Al. Markov

Photos: BTA, personal archive, Chief Mufti Office