This week many of China’s 21 million Muslims finished celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Eid al-Fitr, or Eid for short, literally means “festival of breaking the fast,” and it marks the end of Ramadan, during which many Muslims refrain from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset in order to celebrate the presentation of the Quran to Muhammad.

In China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, home to the Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority, Ramadan and Eid can be times of tension. Some groups, including Communist Party members and civil servants, may not partake in fasting because of the need for separation between religion and politics, and local security is increased to “prevent hostile forces from sabotaging religious activities.”

For Muslims elsewhere in China, who mostly belong to the Hui ethnic minority, practicing their religion, including celebrating large festivals such as Ramadan and Eid, is more relaxed.Those living in China’s largest cities celebrated with large-scale prayer at local mosques, family reunions, and feasts of breads, sweet pastries, meat, and dried and fresh fruit.

× 1/18 Muslims attend a morning prayer session to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at a mosque in Beijing, July 6, 2016. IC 2/18 Muslims kneel down and pray to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at a mosque in Beijing, July 6, 2016. IC 3/18 Dragon dance teams perform in front of a mosque to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Jilin City, Jilin province, July 6, 2016. IC 4/18 Muslims take pictures of senior clerics arriving at the historic Niujie Mosque to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Beijing, July 6, 2016. Damir Sagolj/Reuters 5/18 Muslims pray in front of the tombs of two imams at the historic Niujie Mosque during Eid al-Fitr in Beijing, July 6, 2016. Damir Sagolj/Reuters 6/18 A man prays in front of the tombs of two imams at the historic Niujie Mosque during Eid al-Fitr in Beijing, July 6, 2016. Damir Sagolj/Reuters 7/18 A young Muslim man listens to voice messages on his phone during Eid al-Fitr at the Huxi Mosque in Shanghai, July 6, 2016. Jia Yanan/Sixth Tone 8/18 Muslims prepare for prayer during Eid al-Fitr at the historic Niujie Mosque in Beijing, July 6, 2016. Damir Sagolj/Reuters 9/18 A Muslim boy looks back while those around him pray at the Huxi Mosque in Shanghai, July 6, 2016. Jia Yanan/Sixth Tone 10/18 Muslims arrive at the historic Niujie Mosque to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Beijing, July 6, 2016. Damir Sagolj/Reuters 11/18 Muslim women sell snacks during Eid al-Fitr near the historic Niujie Mosque in Beijing, July 6, 2016. IC 12/18 During Eid al-Fitr, Muslims buy mutton skewers from a street vendor near the Huxi Mosque in Shanghai, July 6, 2016. Zhao Yun/Sixth Tone 13/18 Muslims pray in the street near Huxi Mosque to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Shanghai, July 6, 2016. Jia Yanan/Sixth Tone 14/18 Muslims attending a morning prayer session for Eid al-Fitr pass through security in Beijing, July 6, 2016. IC 15/18 Security guards patrol the historic Niujie Mosque as Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Beijing, July 6, 2016. IC 16/18 Muslims gather at the Huxi Mosque to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Shanghai, July 6, 2016. Jia Yanan/Sixth Tone 17/18 Muslims gather at the Huxi Mosque to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, Shanghai, July 6, 2016. IC 18/18 Muslims gather at a mosque in Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, July 6, 2016. Zhao Ge for Sixth Tone

(Header image: Muslims attend a morning prayer session to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, at a mosque in Beijing, July 6, 2016. IC)