The end of Ramadan heralds Eid Al Fitr, a time for family gatherings, travelling and celebrations. e+ asked a cross-section of people about their plans for the holidays.
Nihal and Noha Salmeen, Indian
For Eid we usually don't leave the country. We like to stay here and mingle with the family. This Eid we will be spending the holidays having long family gatherings and lots of lunches and dinners! During Eid, we usually have this breakfast ritual where we get up early, at about 7am, get ready and then eat breakfast with our family and relatives.
Breakfast is normally at our place or at our aunt's place. According to whoever hosts the breakfast, the other party will organise the lunch. In the evenings my sister and I usually like to go out with our friends so we all get together and think of something fun to do!
Shady Naseraldeen, Jordanian
As my sister and my mother will be coming to town for the Eid holidays, we'll seize the chance for a nice family getaway. We're planning to go to Oman for a couple of days. I have heard a lot about the country and would like to visit it. Also, as it's very close, only a two-hour drive, it will be perfect for the short Eid break.
Before we go to Oman, I'll take my family on a tour of Dubai to show them all the beauties of this city. A visit to the beach will also be included in the tour!
Hekmat Belayneh, Ethiopian
For the Eid holidays I'm planning to stay in town since I just got back from a short vacation. I will spend time with family and friends and eat a lot of the exquisite Arabic sweets ma'amool. I might also plan a trip with my friends to the northern emirates and spend a couple of days there. We'll see.
Ekram Belayneh, Ethiopian
This Eid I'm planning to visit my cousins in Germany. It's a long time since I've seen them and it will be something different from the other Eids where I usually stay in Dubai with family and friends. There I'll go on a tour with my cousins and visit the BMW Museum and Factory.
It's open to the public and I was always interested in visiting it and knowing how it all started. However, if I was to stay in Dubai, I would probably spend my holidays in family gatherings and get-togethers. For my family, Eid is a chance to see people you haven't seen the rest of the year and bond with your dear ones.
Carmen Cioffi, Italian
My Eid plans are to take my children to Syria where I'll meet up with my husband who's there for work. In Syria, Eid is a huge celebration. Most of the three days are spent exchanging visits with relatives and friends.
As in Syria holidays will continue for a week, we'll have plenty of time to see everybody, arrange nice dinners and finally go for a tour which is always something very interesting to do. I believe we will head off to the coast in Latakia, take some time off in Homs and then visit the famous Aleppo. It will be a great holiday!
Alina Ansari, Indian-American
I just arrived in Dubai three weeks ago and my family is back in the States. For this reason my Eid plans are a bit in the air! I might just stay home and relax and go for some shopping as the Eid sales begin. In the States, however, Eid is a major thing and I would celebrate with family and friends.
We would all attend Eid prayers together and after the prayers, the festivities would begin! It's a tradition for my family to host brunch and invite relatives and friends. After brunch we would attend other people's parties.
Cherifa Gaid, French-Algerian
As my family is in Paris, Eid is an opportunity to go back home and enjoy the festivity with them. As an expatriate, celebrating Eid by myself would be very sad and for this reason I'm taking advantage of these days off to re-unite with my family.
I'm going to stay there four days and enjoy the celebrations with my dear ones. Usually Eid is all about exchanging gifts with one another and giving money to children.
