An Eid I will never forget
Eid Al Fitr means many things to many people. In our home, we always celebrate it as an end to a blessed month of fasting and spiritual fulfilment by offering thanks for making Ramadan such a pleasant experience each year. Eid mornings are spent with the men going for prayers followed by a hearty breakfast. Later, we go and visit friends and family and unwind at the movies or at the mall.
Over the years, since my childhood, we have had some very memorable Eid Al Fitr holidays spent with my grandparents and at large family get-togethers. Some past Eids we have travelled to Pakistan to be with the family, but the Eid that I remember with the most nostalgia and joy was in 2009 in Dubai. I was still in the hospital undergoing treatment for cancer, but I had been allowed home for a couple of days for the festive occasion. We had not planned on doing anything, and I was just glad to be back home. On Eid morning, the front door bell rang and there standing there was my eldest son with his family, his wife and two children. They had given us a surprise and had come down from Pakistan to see me. I was ecstatic with joy and with tears flowing down my cheeks. I embraced them all. From then onwards, it became the best ever Eid for me and one that I shall never forget.
From Ms Umbereen Rahman
Dubai
A time for happiness
During the month of Ramadan in the year 2013, I visited the Shaikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding and there I understood that people celebrate Eid Al Fitr as an auspicious occasion to meet and greet each other. It’s a celebration to protect humanity and offer love and respect towards all beings. It is an occasion to give zakat to those who are needy, a moment to celebrate brotherhood and togetherness. Since then, every year I celebrate Eid through various ways by helping people, the ones who make up our happy society, and I have similar plans this year as well. I will also enjoy with my family, shop and dine. Eid Al Fitr is a celebration of happiness and that’s what my plan is. I will enjoy and be happy and laugh loud.
From Ms Diya Mazumdar
Sharjah
Keeping with traditions
I’m in my hometown this Eid Al Fitr with my family, relatives and friends. I am spending this time in a traditional manner – starting with early morning prayers, then the traditional sweet dishes, and meeting the elders. Then I will be proceeding to the graveyard to visit my father and grandparents, as we shouldn’t forget the departed souls on these occasions.
After that, I shall be spending some time entertaining the poor and needy who knock doors in anticipation of some monetary assistance. I will then be visiting distant relatives, and I will be spending some time in the mosque.
Eid Al Fitr to me means sharing smiles, happiness and spending joyful moments with family first and then with others, like friends or the needy and the poor.
The Eid routine comes from the life of my late father who always created a balance of how to spend the time and happiness – sharing the joy of the day with people around him. It is my aim to spend these days like he did and transfer the same simple yet noble routines to the generations to come.
From Mr Muntazir Haider
UAE
Family, food, new clothes and henna!
Eid Al Fitr means new clothes and henna! We begin Eid with prayers in the morning. Later on, we’ll be at the family gathering with good traditional food and laughter. The little ones will have their hands full of Eidiya (money given as a form of goodwill from elders). We also wish our dear ones who are far away by calling them.
From Ms Soumiya Hussain
UAE
The transformation
Eid Al Fitr brings a lot of happiness and satisfaction to the people in the UAE. Eid marks the culmination of one month of fasting during which people realise the value of food and water. The month is also special, as people tend to focus more on prayers and abstain from many worldly activities. Our merciful God blesses his true devotees and followers in abundance during this month.
The non-Muslims living in Dubai also learn to live a moderate life due to some general restrictions imposed during the day time. Yet, they enjoy the revelry displayed by their fasting brothers in the late evenings, after iftar, stretching well into the night.
Eid holidays are a matter of speculation every year and many residents plan a short vacation to a nearby tourist destination for a quick retreat from our daily routine. Sometimes, when Eid comes exactly in the mid of the working week, the UAE authorities generously declare a week-long holiday, giving the people a special nine-day window for a bigger vacation. This year happens to be one such year.
Eid in Dubai is very special and the whole place transforms into a land of peace, happiness, satisfaction and contentment.
From Mr Suhas Inamdar
Dubai
Eid Mubarak to everyone!
Having lived in Dubai for eight years, I have come to know a lot about the festivals and traditions of my Muslim friends. Whatever be the religion, the teachings of forgiveness, peace, brotherhood and a sense of fellowship to be followed are the same.
Eid is one of the most awaited festivals of the Muslim community. I believe that Eid is a festival that brings along the vibrancy of peace and love to cherish life. All of us should come together shoulder to shoulder to share and care. The city is decorated with lights, and you can feel a wave of positivity in the air.
Muslim or non-Muslim, the holidays that this festival brings are enjoyed by all. It is a time to celebrate with family and friends. The scrumptious biryanis and mouth-watering kababs, the drooling aroma of the delicacies being prepared makes it more special.
Why not make this Eid a memorable one by celebrating it in a way where we can bid goodbye to hatred, jealousy and enmity and bring in an era of love, sympathy and brotherhood?
So here’s wishing everyone a happy and blessed Eid!
From Ms Anju Chhatwani
Dubai
A gesture of respect
I still remember a few occasions I spent with my friend on Eid. He invites me every Eid, and I attended twice and enjoyed his hospitality. Once when I couldn’t attend due to some work, at night at 11pm, he knocked on my room and gave me a pocket full of dates, almond and pistachios. I have never forgotten this kindness. Recently, when he visited India, he met up with me and gave me dates, which showed his affection and respect for me.
On this occasion, I am wishing all our friends who are celebrating Eid and wishing them peace and happiness.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Eid means sharing and caring
Eid Al Fitr is that joyous moment in the life of Muslims, when they rejoice through prayer and time with family after fasting during Ramadan. For me, my fond memories of Ramadan are from my childhood when, like all other children, I would buy new clothes and would be excited to receive Eidiya. Moreover, as a child, Eid was more of a get-together occasion for me as I would meet my cousins and relatives.
Now in my 30s, Eid has become more of solemn affair as the charm of buying new clothes is replaced by being content with what I have. For me, Eid means a time when we unite as one and blend despite our differences of language and ethnicity. Eid is also a time when we meet all those whom we seldom meet throughout the year, therefore, it becomes a time of sharing and caring.
From Mr M. Omar Iftikhar
Karachi, Pakistan
Going down memory lane
This Eid is definitely going to be the most memorable one for me. I will be celebrating Eid with my parents, sisters and brothers in India after 13 years of marriage and being in the UAE for all these years. I will do all that I did before marriage. One of my aunties is very good at henna, so I am going to get the best out of her and eat and drink with them. I will go around the neighbourhood where I have left footprints that still follow me.
My evening has been planned with friends and old colleagues with whom I am going to relish the lovely Eid dinner prepared with love by my mother. The best part is that we are all going to do something to leave memories behind! We have decided to plant some seasonal flowers in our balcony and we will keep records of their growth. It’s going to be a lovely, flowery Eid! I am already smelling the fragrance and beauty of bonding. May God bless us all!
I feel blessed and happy that my parents have brought me up in such a way that, be it a festival or any celebration, I first look up to sharing my joys with the ones who really deserve.
From Ms Anjum Hassan
Sharjah
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