BEIJING -- Millions of Muslims across China celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Saturday, the festival that signaled the end of the very important Ramadan fast.

Women select food in the street of Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on October 12, 2007. [Xinhua]

Early on Saturday, more than two million Muslims in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwest China, donned festive costume and white skull caps, and swarmed mosques in their localities to hear preaching given by imams.

Poor people who flanked the gates of the mosques got handfuls of donations by the mosque goers.

Muslims went to visit each other's homes on the festival. Those who work in government departments or companies would be allowed to take one more day off on Monday.

Young Muslims regard the festival as an opportunity to learn virtues from their parents.

Qiang Zhaoyang, a fourth grader with Jinxing Primary School in Litong District, Wuzhong City, came along to the mosque together with his dad.

"I saw my father extend greetings to older people for the festival and give alms to the poor," said Qiang, "through his actions, my father has taught fine virtues of Muslims such as showing respect for the old."

Muslims in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, another major habitat for Muslims in China, and other Chinese provinces also celebrated the festival with a lot of candies and cakes.

During Ramadan, the ninth month of the year in the Moslem calendar, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. But children, elderly people and the weak do not have to observe the fast.

China has now 20 million Muslims, about half of them being from the Hui ethnic group.