Mumbai, Jul 7 (IANS): Millions of Muslims celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, with joy and fervor in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra on Thursday.

Attired in their finery, Muslim men, women and children trooped out of their homes before dawn to offer special Eid congregational thanksgiving prayers marking culmination of the 30 days of rigorous fasting and prayers. After offering namaz, they hugged each other with greetings of 'Eid Mubarak’.

Similar joyful scenes were witnessed at their homes, in Muslim dominated localities with their Hindu, Christian, Jain and Parsi brethren joining in the celebrations symbolising communal harmony.

Reports of peaceful Eid, at some places the enthusiasm doused by sudden monsoon showers, were received from Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Pune, Nashik, Beed, Aurangabad and other cities and places of Maharashtra.

In many areas celebrations spilled onto the streets by sharing the Eid special sweet dish ‘Sheer-korma’, a preparation of milk with vermicelli and generous sprinkling of dry fruits, and later biryanis and other delicacies.

The Shia communities of the state, including Dawoodi Bohras, had celebrated Eid on Tuesday, while other sects celebrated it on Thursday.

In the wake of the recent terror strike in Bangladesh, police here maintained tight security across Mumbai and rest of the state to ensure a peaceful Eid-ul-Fitr.