Just two days ago, I celebrated the most anticipated festival for myself, that's Eid-Ul-Fitr, one of the biggest festivals for Muslims. I can't think of anything else for this week's prompt of 'celebrate' that appeared before me at the perfect time.
What's so special here? Throughout the whole year, we wait for the holy month of Ramadan, which ends with this grand celebration of happiness that we call Eid ul-Fitr. It's really sad that the holy month of Ramadan has come to an end; we have to wait another year to have it again. But the joy it brings while going is beyond description, especially among the kids. If you ever get a chance to stay among us during this time, you will get to know our enthusiasm.
In one of the previous blogs, I mentioned my shopping experiences, how it has changed over the years, and different factors that work behind the change, but in the end, I did a lot of shopping, hehe. New clothes, Eid prayers in the morning, traditional foods, visiting relatives' houses, hanging out with friends and family, etc., are part of the celebration that we are used to doing on this day.
With time I thought that the enthusiasm getting reduced to celebrate like before, like the childhood; somewhere, it's true that we are now less excited to celebrate. Instead, we try to let others celebrate more. To whom? Our family and the younger, how? Coming down to that.
So the day starts with getting ready with new clothes for going to the Eidgah, a place where everyone meets to say Eid prayers. Before going out, everyone would sit down and have some desserts; the day starts with something sweet, which most commonly includes shemai and ruti (bread).
I, with my father, my cousin, my nephews, and many more, went together to complete our prayers. I have missed my elder brother, who isn't here, celebrating in another country, and also my big uncle, who passed away a few years ago. He was dearest to me, and I missed him badly during Eid time. I used to go to him early in the morning and help him to come with us every year, that was one of the mandatory tasks for me, but now he is not here. On Eidgah, thousands of Muslims say their Eid prayers together. That's a beautiful sight to see and feel. We have also visited the graveyard in remembrance of those who left us, praying for them on this joyous day. Can't forget them just because they aren't here now, as we won't be here too for an eternity.
After that, I visited my relative's house with my cousins, nephews, and little sister. Do you know what the most exciting part of Eid is? It's the salami, money that is given as a token of love, mostly to the younger. That's the saddest part that I have grown up, and the amount of salami I get is less than the amount I need to pay now to my younger, hehe. Well, there is happiness; the smile and joy portrayed on the face after receiving the salami know no bounds. During my childhood, Eid day used to consist of new clothes, Eid prayers, lots of food, salami, and buying toys with the salami from the fairs.
Throughout the whole day, I visited many relatives; a few came to my house, met with my friends, and called the ones who were far from here. In short, I tried to communicate with everyone on this joyous day in a festive mood. From the early morning till the night, that's how my celebration went on.