Modern twists to an age-old tradition

We are in the last third of Ramadan. It is the period when worship intensifies as one night of worship in these last ten days could be worth more than a thousand months as the holy Quran states. Then as the lights begin to wind down for the month and the dawn of a new Eid emanates, there is a surge of renewed excitement and expectation among all.

The Christians have Christmas, the Jews their Hannukah. For Muslims, it is the Eid day and especially the Eid day that follows Ramadan. Eid means a lot of things to a lot of people. In a rapidly changing world, the old traditions that once governed this auspicious day that marked the end of the month of fasting have also been transformed — a somewhat doleful aspect of Eid in our culture.

In the years gone by, a significant part of Eid day was apportioned for a gathering at, or a pilgrimage if you will, to the family patriarch. Preparations were made early in the day. Children dressed in their new clothes and shoes and the entire family would then descend upon the residence of their elders. It was there that the children would show off their new livery, while adults would catch up with the new additions in the family.

To keep things simple, plans were loosely made a day or two before Eid to coordinate and allocate the task of feeding the whole family. Everyone contributed to lessen the load on the elderly hosts. During the visit, greetings and gifts were exchanged and family bonds were revived. The children would play or fight together and on occasion matchmaking would play its part among the young adults. Afterwards, family members would gradually disperse to continue their visits to other extended members of the family.

However, as we moved ever so slowly towards the modern era, certain aspects of Eid have begun to crumble and change. Families have moved further from one another and the practice of visiting the family patriarch has been modified or curtailed. Family members have lost real contact with the offspring of their relatives and have become strangers in some instances.

Many of those who used to personally visit and greet family members and friends have now adopted personality traits that could be due to a changing world. Among them is the ‘Status Seeker’. This type usually charts out his visits very carefully and in order of social rankings rather than family ties. Big names are hit first. It is important for him to make an appearance there. The scene is reminiscent of minions around a large barracuda. Satisfied that he has ensured his status in society by his presence, he then leaves, often unnoticed.

Then there is the ‘Traveller’: He or she chooses this specific period to be out of town. He does this either through a short holiday or a sudden business trip. Family gatherings can be a nuisance and an unnecessary burden. Delayed flights, cancelled bookings or lost luggage will not daunt him during this busy season. Little do these people know that their absence is sorely missed by others in these days of family bonding.

Then there is the ‘Telephone Operator’: This type gets his or her list of telephone numbers of all his relatives and friends and proceeds to call everyone to convey Eid greetings. It is usually an obsession to ensure that all numbers have been called. If the person on the other end is unavailable, then the Eid greeting is posted with the housekeeper for delivery. When all is done, satisfaction seeps in.

In the recent past, we have also had the ‘Faxer’: This person considers himself slightly more hi-tech. With his fax machine running, he would send a standard Eid greeting message to those relatives and associates on his list who had fax numbers. This practice ensures a verifiable copy of the performance of an obligation. The message or greeting is personalised simply by replacing or changing the name of the addressee at the top of the fax.

Then there is the ‘Hallmark’ enthusiast: This type conveys his or her greetings through greeting cards. Signing their names on a stack of pre-printed Eid greeting cards, they then hand the bunch to their secretaries who then have the unenviable task of addressing each card and posting them.

Today, the internet and the mobile phone have de-personalised traditions even more. A simple SMS sent to the group, or a general Facebook or WhatsApp message takes care of traditional obligations with very little human interaction. With the passage of time and the emergence of newer technology for the transfer of information, I can assure you that more colourful aberrations will emerge.

Eid is definitely changing in today’s times. And I have no reason to suspect that this coming Eid will be any different. However, a question persists in my mind about those people who chose to celebrate it without human touch. To all those types I ask: Why bother?