Today all Muslims in the country celebrated their biggest religious festival of the year, Eid-ul-Fitr. The sighting of the new moon last night heralded the end of the month-long fasting observed by devoted Muslims during the month of Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan Muslims are permitted to eat before the sun rises, and again after the sun sets. This practice must be extremely difficult to adhere to for those many people who work at physically demanding jobs. The evening meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan is called 'Iftar'. The manager of our apartment building organized an Iftar party one evening on the roof of the building. It was a wonderful opportunity to socialize with our neighbours. Here is a photo taken from that party:

Eid is a very festive time when Muslims offer prayers seeking divine blessings and eternal peace, progress and prosperity for all people. There is a large influx of beggars during this celebratory time. The majority of the beggars are day labourers who do not have enough consistent work to survive the entire year on their meagre wages. These people come into Dhaka from the surrounding countryside to take advantage of the generosity that is associated with this festive time.

The feast of Eid-ul-Fitr is seen as a celebration and reward for abstention during Ramadan, when devotees observe daylong fasting. Families traditionally gather to offer meals, as well as to give treats and gifts for children. They also pay visits to relatives and friends, and thousands of people leave Dhaka to go to their home villages on every means of transportation available. This has resulted in the streets of Dhaka feeling relatively quiet, and it has been a lovely time to go out for a walk with Clara and Mark.

Clara is doing very well. She has started to roll over from her back to her stomach, although, she isn't sure what to do when she gets there!




She gives us lots of smiles, and has just started to put her feet into her mouth. We had a bit of a struggle with naps this past week, i.e. she wasn't napping, but that is starting to get better now. She is still sleeping well during the night, so we all feel refreshed and ready to play the next day!




She has started to play with objects. One of her favourites right now is a soft book that has different textures, as well a page that makes a *crinkle* sound when touched.



We hope that all is well with everyone, and we look forward to your continued email!
Love,
Brenda, Mark & Clara