One of the most important festivals in the Islamic calendar, Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramazan, also called Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar), during which devotees fast throughout the day. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal (the tenth month of the Islamic lunar calendar). On this day, people dress up in traditional finery, gather at mosques and open spaces and offer their prayers, exchange warm greetings with ‘Eid Mubarak’ and enjoy a hearty feast with their families, friends and close ones. Some of the traditional delicacies savoured on this festival include sheer khurma (a milk pudding with vermicelli garnished with generous amounts of dry fruits), mutton korma (a delicious mutton gravy prepared with aromatic spices, saffron and cashew nut paste), biryani (a rice and meat - chicken or mutton - dish slow-cooked with flavourful spices) and sheermal (a sweet flatbread prepared with ghee or clarified butter, saffron milk and sugar). Haleem, a rich stew of meat and lentil, which is usually had at iftar (the meal that is had to break the day-long fast during Ramadan), is also relished during Eid-ul-Fitr.