One big happy family

Muslims around the world will be celebrating Eid Al Fitr this week with new outfits, food festivity and family visits all day long.

After a month of fasting, Eid starts with a special prayer and ends with families getting closer together, friends catching up with each other and children receiving gifts and lots of love.

Eid carries special memories for GulfWeekly’s Bahraini reporter Farishta Saeed.

“When I was a child Eid for me meant that I was going to get a new dress, a new pair of shoes and lots of money from my family and relatives,” said Farishta, 37. “So, yes Eid was an exciting event for me during my childhood.

“I remember my mother used to wake me up early in the morning and if her first attempt failed she would come again and again until she was sure that I was out of the bed and ready to start the day.

“After that I would go and change into my new clothes and wear my shiny shoes. When I was all set, I went to my parents and kissed them and wished them a Happy Eid … and then I ask for my Eidiyah (money given on Eid).”

The money would have been any amount starting from BD2.

“Then one by one all my four other sisters, three brothers and their families showed up in our house for lunch,” said Farishta.

“My mother used to cook her traditional yearly feast and, of course, there were always the sweet dishes like jelly, cream caramel and custard.

“It was nice to have the whole family under one roof, it was crowded and noisy but it was a happy home,” she remembered.

She added: “My mother passed away two years ago and a few months later it was Eid again, but for the first time in our life we didn’t feel the happiness we shared in the past. It was hard for all of us to accept the fact that our mother was not there for us anymore.

“But I am sure that she is happy to see that her husband, her children and grandchildren are still getting together on this day ... just the way she wanted us to be … one family.

“For the past three years I have been going along with my husband Abdullah, my three-and-half-year daughter, Leyan, and now my eight-month son, Nawaf.

“Although I don’t get any Eidiyah now except from my husband and elder brother Tariq who has been given me the same Eidiyah BD5 for ages now just to tease me, my children get the treats instead!”

Bahraini T&M Eventscom managing director Zahra’a Taher, 34, said Eid had changed in recent years.

She said: “When I was a kid and a teenager, it meant new clothes, going out with family, getting lots and lots of money, visiting people and being happy just because it was Eid!

“But suddenly people started to change. They run away and travel abroad during Eid holidays to avoid visitors.

“When our lifestyles changed and going to restaurants and buying new clothes became a weekly thing to do, to be honest, it affected the spirit of Eid.

“Eid once meant family gatherings and forgetting about problems but now I feel that it is being more commercial.  I miss the Eid of the 80s and 90s. Being a mother changed everything. I feel that it is my responsibility to make my daughter Maria, who is one-and-half-years old, enjoy Eid the way I used to.

“I decided that this year I would visit family members and try to enjoy every minute of the festival.

“We should promote the forgiveness and kindness in Eid and not the branded giveaways.”

Eid to Pakistani BFG International corporate affairs director Mohammed Usman, 49, is about social responsibility.

“Eid to me is a day of forgiveness, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. It is a time of giving and sharing,” he said.

“It’s not only a celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan but is also about thanking God for what we have got and giving to those who are less fortunate.

“Every year I wake up early in the morning and go to the mosque to offer Eid prayers along with my three sons. After this we come home and enjoy a large traditional breakfast. This is then followed by visits to the houses of close family and friends to greet them on this joyous occasion.

“But this Eid our sons will not be able to join us, therefore we will be travelling to London to celebrate Eid with them,” he said.

In Mohammed’s opinion Eid traditions are as strong as ever.

“Muslims all over the world still celebrate it with all the same enthusiasm as I remember it as a little child.

“It is a time for all the adults and children, rich and poor, to come together and thank God and this tradition will always remain,” he said.

Bahraini Sausan Al Arrayed, 37, who is currently living in London, said Eid was not only a celebration but an exquisite way of sharing love and joyful moments with friends and family.

“I haven’t changed from the way I used to celebrate Eid in Bahrain, I usually do the same things,” said the MBA student who is currently working for a property firm.

“I do miss my family in Bahrain and get nostalgic on Eid day especially when I remember my childhood and the silly games we used to play,” she said.

“I think Eid traditions remain the same, it is the people who change. The way we look at Eid nowadays is different because many people from the Middle East live in a hostile environment, with war in Iraq, instability in Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. People are unhappy and very insecure.”

Sausan said the celebration in London is excellent. “London is a multi-cultural city. It embraces all religions and Islam is one of them. The British are open-minded, they read a lot, therefore, they accept all ethnic groups and all races,” she added.

“The Central Mosque is just across the road and I feel very excited when I see hundreds of Muslims from all parts of England walk towards the mosque.

“They are all dressed up in new clothes, shaking hands. It is an amazing feeling to see such a thing happening in a non-Islamic country.

“Muslims in Britain have the same rituals, they start their day by praying in the mosque, then visiting friends and making Eid cookies.”