PLOVDIV
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag prayed his Eid al-Fitr prayer in Muradiye mosque in Bulgarian Plovdiv city on Thursday, where Religious Affairs delivered 2 thousand holy Qurans and thousands of prayer beads.
Bozdag celebrated Eid al-Fitr of the Turkish Muslim community in Bulgaria, Turkey and whole Islamic world and wished that Eid was celebrated everywhere as it should be.
Head mufti of Bulgaria Mustafa Haci Alis described Bozdag's visit to Bulgaria as "a great honor" and stated he believes two countries will continue to live in peace and friendship, celebrating Eid al-Fitr of all Muslims.
Bozdag will visit Kardzhali and Mastanli regions, where Turks live heavily on his last day in Bulgaria and return to Turkey late Thursday.
Bozdag had stated Bulgaria was a friendly and strategic partner of them on Wednesday during an iftar meal in Plovdiv.
Delivering Turkish President Abdullah Gul's and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's greetings to the Turkish and Muslim community in Bulgaria, Bozdag said bilateral relations of two countries was dating back to history.
Having met Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev as part of his visit to Bulgaria, Bozdag touched base with his Bulgarian counterpart Zinaida Zlatanova on bilateral relations of two countries and Turkey's membership to the European Union.
Bozdag also had stressed the Turkish Muslim community in Bulgaria was important for the strong Turkish Bulgarian relations.
Eid al-Fitr is the festival of breaking of the fast also called as 'Bajram', which is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for one, two or three days and is the first day after Ramadan when Muslims do not fast. It is customary to acknowledge the day with a small sweet breakfast, preferably of the date fruit, before attending a special Eid prayer (known as salaat) early in the morning.
The month Ramadan has to do with the communal aspects of the fast, which expresses many of the basic values of the Muslim community like empathy for the poor, charity, worship, steadfastness and patience. Fasting is also believed by some scholars to extol fundamental distinctions, lauding the power of the spiritual realm, while acknowledging the subordination of the physical realm. It also teaches a Muslim to stay away from worldly desires and to focus entirely on God and thank for the blessings.
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