Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of my friends and acquaintances going in a bubble of frenzy about celebrating Eid. As we make our way through our twenties we are faced with a surprising realisation that often can creep up on us as a society – and celebrating Eid tends to be one of them! After a dozen conversations with said acquaintances, I realised that we (those of us in our late 20s and early 30s) find no excitement in celebrating Eid anymore. The older we grow, the more rules we set, and the more rules we set, the less we enjoy. If we travel back in time, we will find happiness in every corner during Eid. Now, all of us just want some space of our own.
Photograph by Md. Iftekharul Islam Rumon
Can you recall those days when we eagerly waited for the last day of fasting just to be able to say Eid Mubarak. As a child, every little thing about Eid used to excite us – from “chaad dekha” to new clothes and the immense pleasure of counting the “salami” at the end of Eid; it was simply beautiful. The night before Eid used to seem like the longest, nonetheless the most exciting. Our mothers having us on a leash so we finish cleaning the house and help her prepare firni, shemai, and chotpoti; I even remember hurrying my father to run to the store for some “last moment shopping.” Once we were finally done with our household chores, we hid our new clothes at the back of the closet, rushed to bed, only to wake up when the skies were still dark to catch the Eid prayers. Back then, our parents didn’t force us to do anything. We wholeheartedly welcomed guests and made it a point to visit our neighbours. There was no moment of hesitation. In fact, at that time, spending time with our friends came after we spent a full day with our cousins and relatives. Nowadays, the situation has changed. The excitement to have more than one outfit, or poke fun at each other over who got the highest Eidi seems like moments from a distant past.
Like time, our idea of “having a great Eid” has changed. A glass can be either half full or half empty but how we decide to see it is what matters. Some would say adulthood has taken away the lost innocence of celebrating Eid. But for me, a day where I can switch off my alarm, make a good cup of coffee and sit by my window is how I’d like to celebrate this day! The disassociation that I feel from Eid also comes from the myriad of comments and questions which are thrown my way on the occasion. Biye kobe korba, porashona koro na keno – the list of questions and taunts are never ending. Hence the best thing to do on Eid is to stay put and not interact with people. Moreover, when I see myself now bogged down with responsibilities-I look for a day when I don’t have so many calls to make or so many meetings to attend; I grapple for moments of silence and tranquillity. Happiness now has evolved from being a shared moment with friends to a more private one with oneself. –Happiness now is waking up an hour late or eating breakfast at noon. A blissful Eid to me is being able to hit the snooze button instead of waking up in the morning or putting my phone on silent to avoid mandatory Eid Mubarak calls.