New Coastie – Just like Eid

I grew up in Karachi, Pakistan which is predominantly Muslim. Back home the time of national merriment is called Eid al-Fitr (Eid). It is a celebration following the 30 days of fasting and religious rejuvenation during the month of Ramadan. 

The day before Eid is a frantic scramble to the shops for a final dash at buying special clothes to be worn on the first day of Eid. This day is a traffic nightmare with brutal price gouging but everybody expects it and is part of the experience. Our pockets are filled with cash, so pickpocketing and handbag snatchings are a nice cherry on top of this wonderful experience. 

Eid celebrations last for a marathon three days. I remember fondly how I used to spend Eid with my family. On the morning of the first day, everybody goes to the mosque for special prayers and after prayers, everybody hugs each other three times. That is a lot of hugging. I used to enter the mosque smelling like a fresh rose and walked out emanating the stench of 250 sweaty men. 

With my father and brothers we walk home, where a sweet dessert made with vermicelli noodles and milk along with an array of savoury treats like samosas, barbecued chicken, and spring rolls await us. After filling our belly with the assorted treats, all the adults then start giving money to the young ones of the family.

With full bellies and empty pockets (depending how young one is), we head off to the cemetery to pay our respects to our grandparents who have passed on. We then return home by lunchtime and we obviously eat all of that lunch, even if we were already full, because it is Eid and God has created extra space in our stomachs for all this food. 

After lunch a constant barrage of family begins, and, of course, we eat again and again and again. We are making up for the deficit created by all the fasting in the preceding 30 days of Ramadan. There is always someone who becomes overexcited and says unsavoury things, and there is always someone who tries to rehash old family squabbles. This lasts for three days. I haven’t been a part of Eid for the past seven years, and I miss it.

Christmas has filled that void quite successfully. It is not much different from Eid. Relentless spending, friends gathering, family arguments, and lots and lots of food. It has become the holiday that I look forward to the most throughout the year. It does not matter that I am not Christian. Why would someone not like a celebration with friends, gifts, and food just on the basis of a technicality? 

Covid-19 has tried to dampen the national spirit for Christmas this year but I am not going to let a deadly virus get in my way. I will find a way to celebrate. I have to, there is no other way. I have a nice matching ensemble ready to go for Christmas Day and a gathering planned with friends. 

I wish everybody a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful holiday.