Young Muslims have money on their minds with Eid almost here.
Eidiya is a cash gift to children by elders to mark the completion of Ramadan and help them celebrate the festival.
Every Eid, children aged between one and 14 wake up expecting adults to throw money at them – which is exactly what happens.
Although eidiya is not meant to be extravagant, it is usual for pre-teens to collect thousands of dirhams, courtesy of parents, older siblings and cousins who have jobs, extended family and family friends.
In fact, adolescents often compete to see who can milk the most cash out of the grown-ups.
"I won't accept anything less than Dh100 as eidiya," said Ahmad Logman, 11.
"I and my two brothers try to meet as many of our Dad's friends so we get more money. I usually buy video games with a part of my eidiya. I save the rest because I want the fund to grow in the coming years."
His nine-year-old brother, Alamein, said: "I think my Dad gives more eidiya to me than my mum. But it doesn't matter who gives what – the point is to show love for each other."
In the old days, eidiya was mainly spent on sweets, said Anwar, the mother of the Sudanese boys.
"Nowadays, there's no end to what kids want to buy", she said.
The ceremonial gift is universal across Muslim cultures, even if Islam does not explicitly mention or enjoin eidiya.
