Enamul Haque came to the National Eidgah ground from Hussaini Dalan with his wife and their two children for the Eid-ul-Fitr congregation on Tuesday, bdnews24.com reports.
Their paths soon diverged, however, as his wife and daughter headed towards a separate gate on the left, leading into the women's enclosure.
After waving goodbye to her husband and 8-year-old son, Enamul's wife and daughter made their way past the security fence erected by the police across the archway in front of Shikkha Bhaban as they slowly faded out of view.
Meanwhile, Enamul and his son waited in line to enter the ground through the main gate.
"Everyone in my family -- all four of us are here," said Enamul, who runs a bicycle parts shop in the capital's Bangshal.
"This is the joy of Eid," he added.
With COVID-19 cases on the wane, households in Bangladesh are set to celebrate Eid with customary gusto.
The biggest religious festival for Muslims lost its sheen the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Four Eids have come and gone without the traditional congregation taking place at the National Eidgah during that time. Even though the Eid prayers were held in mosques, the familiar scenes of hugs and handshakes among Muslims were also lost to the strict COVID-19 restrictions.
Although the Eid congregation at the National Eidgah was scheduled to start at 8 am, worshippers started streaming into the field next to the Supreme Court from as early as 6 am. Arrangements have been made to host 35,000 people on the ground.
Even though dark clouds were hovering in the sky, with a thunderstorm in the forecast, it did little to dampen the mood as devotees rejoiced at the chance to be back at the National Eidgah ground after a two-year interval.
The prayer service was later held at 8:30 am.
Four-tier security measures were implemented at the National Eidgah by police and the Rapid Action Battalion.
Police had earlier banned worshipers from bringing anything other than umbrellas and prayer mats to the ground. And, everyone abided by the instructions.
People are still required to adhere to the health and hygiene guidelines although there was some reluctance to comply among many worshippers. Most people were seen without masks.
As many as 1,468 prayer services are being held in Dhaka, including the National Eidgah, on Eid day, police said.
The first Eid prayers were held at the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram at 8 am. In total, five congregations will be held there until 11:15 am.