Muslims from across Monmouthshire gathered to break their fast and celebrate the start of Eid earlier this month .

The evening at Llanfoist Village Hall marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan with the new moon sighted as darkness fell.

Maddie Saraireh, explained more about how Muslims mark the occasion.

“Ramadan is a time for you to reflect,” she said. “Everybody here leads a very busy life, and you always just need that time to pause and stop to think about what’s happening.”

“It’s also a time for gratitude, because you aren’t eating during the day you do feel for those more in need. We take the time to cleanse our systems, cleanse ourselves and shed the burden we carry with us every day.”

The interfaith iftar has been run every year by the MMCA for four years. It is an opportunity to meet new people, catch up with old friends and deepen the understanding of each other’s faith and beliefs within the community.

As dishes from all over the world continued to make their way from the kitchen to tables where everybody gathered to fill up their plate, Adil Gatrad, the treasurer of the MMCA, explained that the occasion is always an important date on the calendar.

“This is where we ask people from different faiths and non-faiths to come and share the night with us, because this open dialogue and respect for each other’s beliefs is exactly what we want to encourage,” he said.

“We want to break down the barriers between us and destruct the misconceptions we have about all our cultures. At the end of the day, we are all humans, we all live in the same community, and we all need to feel that we belong in each other’s company.”

He sat proudly showing people pictures published in the Chronicle from 1996 of the Abergavenny Hockey Club team, where he lined up next to Abergavenny Mayor, Chris Holland.

Cllr Holland joined in the festivities and addressed the room as celebrations got under way.

“It is a privilege to share in your celebrations and represent you, the people of Abergavenny, at this special time of year for you all,” he said.

“On behalf of everybody here, thank you very much for including us, your community, in your thoughts during Ramadan and for bringing us all together tonight.”

The chair of the committee, Mohammad Habboub, told us that seeing so many people enjoying their night a testament to the humanity found in Abergavenny.

“The world is a scary place at the moment,” he said.

“But tonight is proof that there are good people in our community. We have more in common than you might think, and that it what our celebrations are all about.”

Eid festivities took place on the last Sunday in March, which would have seen Eid prayers take place before celebrating with family and friends. The community gathered at Mardy Hall on a sunny day, for a huge celebration to commemorate the end of Ramadan.