The Eid Al-Fitr (known in Chinese as kaizhaijie, 开斋节, or "the holiday of the breaking of the fast") concluded the Islamic holy month of Ramadan last Wednesday. As I have written before, these days are critical for observing public displays of ethnic identity. So, accordingly, I made my way down to Beijing's largest Islamic community on Niu Jie (牛街) to observe prayers and celebrations around the Niu Jie Mosque (牛街清真礼拜寺). Around 9:30AM in the morning, the community gathered (in overflow capacity) at the famous old Mosque:
The scene was festive, indeed. Though the crowd was predominantly Hui, members of all of China's Islamic communities (including Uyghurs, Salars, and other Islamic minority groups) and the international Islamic community in Beijing gathered to pray. Afterwards, the street's businesses and restaurants were packed with holiday revelers celebrating with family. I ventured across the street to the famous JuBaoYuan Restaurant (聚宝源餐馆) with friends to eat traditional Beijing-style hotpot (老北京涮羊肉) and take in the scene. Here are some highlights from the day:
