New York City skyline with Empire State Building

New York's Empire State Building will be lit up in green this week to honor the Muslim holiday Eid-al-Fitr.

This is the first time the building will be illuminated for the festival. Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and is expected to begin Friday.

Officials say the green lighting will become an annual event, following the tradition of colored lights at the tower to mark the Christian holiday Christmas and the Jewish celebration of Hannukah.

In Islam, the color green symbolizes a happy occasion. 

The Empire State Building dominates the New York skyline, and once again became the city's tallest building when the World Trade Center Towers were destroyed by al-Qaida in 2001.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.