Many families spending Eid without some members who are away for Haj
Family members say Eid traditions and togetherness not complete unless entire family is together for the occasion
Abu Dhabi: For a number of families across the UAE, Eid this time is a bittersweet occasion. While the joy and anticipation of the festival is still obvious, people whose family members are performing Haj this year say they will miss many of their regular traditions, as well as the feeling of togetherness.
“I know my husband is away for a good cause, and I hope he will come back safely after having performed a successful and accepted Haj. In the meantime, however, I greatly miss his presence,” Shabnam Moideen, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from India, told Gulf News.
Eid Al Adha celebrations coincide with the annual Haj pilgrimage every year, and pilgrims from around the world head to the Saudi Arabian city of Makkah and its outskirts to perform the rituals. In the UAE, expat pilgrims’ family members usually move in with relatives and friends.
Moideen, who lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband, is now spending time with her parents in Dubai.
“We normally split our Eid between my husband’s family in Abu Dhabi and my family in Dubai. This time, however, I will be celebrating Eid with just my folks. It almost feels as if I am back to the Eids I celebrated with my parents while growing up in Dubai,” she added.
Moideen has also not bought not any new outfits for the occasion.
“Without my husband here, I have just not got around to it,” she explained.
Like Moideen, Afrina Nasrin, 23, a media executive from Bangladesh, has not indulged in any Eid-specific shopping this year.
“My parents are away for Haj and I am working over the holiday. So, it feels less festive to me this time around,” Nasrin said.
That feeling has been heightened because Nasrin’s younger brother is staying with some relatives on the outskirts of the capital while her older sister is in Dubai with her husband.
“Eid is usually a time for togetherness, but this year we are all apart. I will also greatly miss mum’s delicious Eid breakfast of khichri (a rice and lentil dish) and mutton curry,” she said.
Nasrin is praying that her parents return safely.
Lamia Ahmad, 18, a second-year university student, said she and her younger sisters are also missing their parents greatly as they have left for Haj.
“My youngest sister cries all the time, and I know we really miss mum’s cooking over Eid, especially her chilli chicken and kebabs. But my parents did buy us some lovely Eid outfits, and we will try to enjoy the occasion so that my parents don’t feel bad,” she said.
Ahmad is staying in the capital with some of her parents’ friends and she said her parents are due to return home 10 days after Eid.
“That is when the real enjoyment will begin for us,” she said.
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