How UAE students are honouring Eid traditions in 2026 while embracing change

Dubai: Eid looks a little different for everyone, but if there is one thing that ties it all together, it is the people you share it with.

Gulf News asked a handful of students and young residents across the UAE how they are celebrating this year despite the war situation, and what came back was a mix of old family rituals, last-minute plan changes, and a whole lot of excitement about finally being able to eat freely again.

Making time for the people who matter

For many, Eid is the one occasion that cuts through the noise of everyday life. Maze, a Palestinian, Jordanian and Iraqi senior at Al Zuhour International School, puts it plainly. "Eid is always the one holiday we make sure to be together," she says. Between work, school, and everything else that fills up the calendar, proper family time is hard to come by, but this one is non-negotiable.

Her family marks it the same way every year, with a group shopping trip for new outfits and a sit-down meal, and more recently, a very spirited bowling session has quietly become a staple of the day. "It's always so competitive and gives the opportunity for some fun bonding," she added.

Femi Latheef, an Indian game development student at SAE University, keeps things closer to home.

Her Eid morning starts with prayers, then greeting her parents, her brother, and their two cats before the family dresses up, eats well, and takes photos together.

It is a quieter kind of celebration, and this year, that suits her just fine. "Things have been hectic for everyone," she says. "It would be a great chance to unwind."

When plans change

Not everything goes to plan, and this year, the situation across the region has meant that several people have had to rethink their arrangements entirely.

Maze would usually travel to Iraq or Qatar to see extended family on both sides. Nijar Mohamed, an Egyptian computer science student at the University of Wollongong, had been looking forward to a camping trip in Oman. Both trips had to be cancelled.

Instead, Nijar's family will be sticking to their usual UAE-based routine, which honestly sounds like a good time in its own right. They will check into a hotel, spend the day going out, and do what they do every week without fail: go to the cinema.

The weekly movie ritual gets paused during Ramadan while the family catches up on Iftar plans and the season's shows, so Eid is when it picks back up again.

The little things that make it feel like Eid

Ask anyone what Eid actually feels like, and the answers are almost never about the grand gestures. For Swalih Shafi, an Indian software engineering graduate from Abu Dhabi University, the most enduring memory from childhood is the entire extended family crammed into one house, cousins everywhere, lunch stretching into dinner and dinner into the early hours.

"Every year, early in the morning, my father turns on broadcasts of pilgrims, prayers, sheikhs, and celebrations from around the world," he says. "We could be mid-call with family abroad or wrestling with the biryani, but the hum of Eid on TV always ties it all together. Nothing spells Eid more to me."

For Salamah Alyammahi, an Emirati student from Fujairah, the equivalent is her grandmother's halwa. Every Eid, the family brings sweets and dishes to share, but it is the halwa that everyone waits for.

"She doesn't let a single person go without trying it," Salamah says. It is served the traditional way, scooped directly onto your palm, and it is the kind of detail that is impossible to replicate anywhere else.

Salamah splits her Eid across two days, spending the first with family from Fujairah and Ajman and the second with relatives from Dubai.

"Sometimes Eid is the only time the whole family can get together," she says, and it is a sentiment that echoes across almost every conversation we had.

For Maze and Nijar, the fashion is its own kind of highlight. "It's such a delight to see how different people express themselves," Maze says, already looking forward to seeing everyone's outfits after a month of quieter Ramadan days. Nijar agrees, equally excited to see everyone out and dressed up again.

Eid on your own terms

Not every celebration looks the same, and that is very much the point. Sam Fazalur, an Indian psychology graduate from Heriot-Watt University, describes his family's approach as relaxed. They do not have fixed traditions, and the day does not look dramatically different from any other.

"I do like Eid celebrations and seeing different families have their own take on the festivities is very interesting to see," he says. This year he is hoping for calm, a few catch-ups with friends, and ideally a good lunch or two.

Then there is Ashmi, an Indian second-year data science and AI student at the University of Stirling, whose Eid is shaping up to be anything but quiet. She and her family are heading to a resort with two other families in tow.

"I'm waiting to get ready with everyone, get Eidi, and I'm excited to see my cousins," she says, and honestly, that just about sums it up.

Different cities, different backgrounds, and different ways of marking the day. But somewhere underneath all of it is the same feeling: Eid is always better when you are not spending it alone.