Dubai: Residents of the UAE started their Eid Al Fitr celebrations in full gusto, visiting relatives and friends and enjoying traditional dishes, the most indispensable elements of the festivities.
Eid is very much a family-oriented festival for Emiratis, said Dr Fatima Habib, a dermatologist.
Her children, 20-year-old twins Shatha and Fahad, who study in universities in London and Boston, have flown down to celebrate Eid with the family.
“We had already finished our Eid shopping. We usually buy new clothes and perfumes. I don’t keep shopping for the last minute because the malls will be too crowded.”
A trip to the beauty parlour was also a must ahead of the Eid festivities. “My daughter and I went for manicure and pedicure. She wanted to do henna also.”
Dr Fatima, whose husband Redha Hassan Salman is the director of Health and Safety Department in Dubai Municipality, said the entire family spent the Eid morning praying.
“We also visited the elders, first my in-laws and then my house. Everybody would gather for a family dinner at night.”
Trying out the dishes at newly opened restaurants and visiting the latest attractions in the city were also part of the Eid holiday festivities for Dr Fatima’s family.
Indian expat Nisheeda Basheer is spending Eid with her family in Dubai after a gap of three years. “I was raised here and got married from here. But after marriage, we used to celebrate most of our Eid with my in-laws in Kerala. This time, we stayed back to celebrate with my parents here.”
Her preparations for Eid started with making the traditional sweets on Saturday. “I had bought all our Eid dresses even before Ramadan started so that we can prepare for Eid comfortably after the days of fasting and prayers.”
Helping children with applying mehendi designs on their hands was part of the celebrations on the eve of Eid, said Nisheeda, mother of two girls aged seven and two.
“After early morning prayers, it was time to visit families and friends. My parents and brother live here. We visit each other and spend time together during Eid.”
Pakistani expat Saima Khan, a pharmacist living in Sharjah, feels Eid celebrations are more exciting for the women and girls. “We get very colourful dresses, bangles and put henna and enjoy cooking. We have a lot of exciting things to celebrate.”
However, she said, the women also make sure the men get their share of joy. “We started preparing the traditional sweet dishes by Fajr prayers in the early morning. When the men came back after Eid prayers, we all ate that. We had guests coming in by then. We all wished Eid Mubarak and shared our sweets with the guests, neighbours and family friends.”
Visiting and greeting families and friends were the next major agenda of the day. “My parents, sister’s and brother’s families are also here. So, we have big family get-togethers. Sometimes we prepare lunch at home with traditional dishes like biryani, kofta, chicken kadai. And then in the evening, we go out again.
“The first day of Eid was full of enjoyment. Normally my kids enjoy going outdoor but it’s very hot so we would go to some malls. Unfortunately, we have only two days’ holidays this time. We will try to make the most of it,” said Saima, who has two sons aged 12 and nine.
