What it’s like to be alone on Eid?

Muslims celebrate Eid every year after the month of Ramadan and this festivals has a special place their hearts. People say their prayers and greet their relatives and fellow Muslims ‘’Eid Mubarak/Happy Eid’’ and spend time with their families. I used to enjoy this routine every year with my family too until this year of 2021 – I found out what it’s like to be alone on eid.

Starting with Eid Mubarak/Happy Eid. International travel itself, isolates a person in a journey and in new culture and environment but this 14 days quarantine is a cherry on top. My quarantine started since the day I landed in this foreign land and that was Chand Raat (Moon sighting Eve).

Celebrating Eid in Quarantine

I went straight to my quarantine hotel from the airport with a single-human interaction i.e. with my cab driver. In spite of going out with my folks to celebrate the eve, I went in. Well I slept myself throughout the night (Not so like me).

Next day I woke up with a ring on my door, my husband sent me a bowl of vermicelli- an eid delicacy, giving me holy vibes (That’s dramatic of me). But the rest of the day was quite the opposite of how I used to.

I, myself, did not get dressed which is against the tradition of our family – being dressed for eid at 7.00 in the morning, can’t be late. I could not say my eid prayers in the mosque, judged other aunties outfits and embraced random people greeting ‘’Eid Mubarak’’ instead I stayed in my room called the relatives. 

I did no sneak out with my cousins and friends and roamed around in Islamabad instead I roamed in my bathroom. I did not enjoy their jokes and fun because I wasn’t there with them. Most importantly, I did not stood in lines to receive my Eidi and had a serious discussion with my folks about who got more and who got less.

Since, I missed out on all of this routine this year, I realized people don’t enjoy and embrace what they have unless they lose it and then they feel this emptiness because of the absence of all of the excitement, hustle, love and joy their people bring into their lives. I advise to myself and to all of you reading this is… Cherish what you have till it lasts.

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