CAIRO - Millions of Muslims paid respects at ancestral graves, shared festive family meals and visited beaches and amusement parks Thursday to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
But violence and political tension overshadowed holiday joy in hot spots like Egypt, Yemen and Afghanistan.
The three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday, which caps Ramadan, also highlighted the long-running divide between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Many Sunnis began celebrating Thursday, while Shiites were to mark the holiday today, based on different views about sighting the moon.
In recent months, sectarian tensions have risen between Sunnis and Shiites, with the two sides increasingly lined up on opposite sides of Syria's civil war.
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr comprise a time of increased religious devotion, and some Muslims said they're particularly distraught over discord among the faithful during the holiday season.
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In Egypt, where rival political camps have been fighting since the military ousted President Mohammed Morsi last month, worshipper Medhat Abdel Moneam said he doesn't like to see Muslims quarrel.
He was among hundreds of Morsi opponents engaged in prayers at Cairo's Tahrir Square. Morsi supporters, camped out at two other sites in Cairo, said they will not give up until Morsi is reinstated.
"Whoever thought that the revolution would come to an end once Ramadan is over was wrong," said Mohammed el-Beltagy, a top Muslim Brotherhood figure.
For many of the world's hundreds of millions of Muslims, Eid al-Fitr begins with a cemetery visit to pay respects to ancestors. In parts of the Middle East, people typically place palm fronds on graves.
In other holiday customs, children get haircuts, new clothes and toys, while well-off families slaughter animals and distribute the meat to the poor. Relatives visit one another, gather for festive meals or spend the day in parks or on beaches.
