Itasca shoppers prepare Saturday for Eid ul-Fitr, end of Ramadan

Part of celebrating Eid ul-Fitr, or the holiday marking the end of Muslim holy month of fasting called Ramadan, is wearing new clothing and giving gifts. And that of course leads to bazaars.

Traditional clothing worn by Indian and Pakistani people and jewelry to accessorize it was sold at such a bazaar Saturday in Itasca, organized by Anwar Siddiqui, who owns Grill and Kabob House restaurant in Glendale Heights.

While the exact date of Eid is named in a traditional way by sighting the right phase of the moon, Siddiqui said he follows direction from the Hilal Committee of Islamic scholars that declared Eid is today.

Among those at the bazaar were the Morina family, ethnic Albanians from Kosovo who do not wear clothes from the Indian peninsula. Merva Morina, 19, of Addison, and her mother, Remzije, were shopping for jewelry and henna for decorating hands.

Merva Morina, a Harper College student who hopes to go into nursing. said she had already purchased a nice Western-style suit for Eid. She said the jewelry and henna were for gifts for Eid and other occasions during the year.

Mariam Khan of Hoffman Estates was selling semiprecious jewelry at the bazaar with stones mimicking everything from diamonds to rubies and emeralds. She does it as a hobby, said her husband, Syed Alikhan, who is in marketing for a medical diagnostics company.

"With every outfit of clothing, I want to wear something matching. All the women and girls want something nice to wear with their new dresses," said Mariam Khan.

She said people who can't afford real diamonds can buy her jewelry, which is priced from $25 to $250, and customers are always looking for something new and different.

"I just buy one of each design because the community is so small," she said. "I don't want them to wear the same things."