Eid Time!

Happy Eid everyone!

And so, the Eid season visits again. Although saddened by the departure of the blessed month of Ramadhan, Syawal comes with its own blessings as well. Eid, the time to celebrate our achievements in Ramadhan and to strengthen ties and relationships with your loved ones. This year Eid does feel different. With the situation in Gaza as it is today, it is hard not to feel for our fellow brothers and sisters in Islam. Photos of rubble of what used to be places of worship and education strewn the empty streets, orphaned children left unattended and men and women bloodied from warfare can be seen on Facebook feeds. Anyone with heart and humanity would surely feel for them. My heart cries for them.

On a personal note, I have finally graduated! (more about this in another post Insya-Allah) Alhamdullilah, it does feel good. Especially during Ramadhan when you don't have to think about pending assignments or attending school. You could focus on ibaadah during the holy month. And of course, help out around the house in preparation for Eid. 

Reflecting on Eid

Upon reflection, the way we celebrate Eid evolves as you grow older. When I was younger, the excitement builds up as 1 Syawal draws even closer. When morning arrives, the euphoria peaks as we dress up and make our way to the homes of our loved ones. As usual, the Malay tradition of the elders giving out 'duit raya' (packets of money!) never dies out. And I would look forward to getting 'duit raya'. Almost every house that I visit, it's a guarantee that I'll get 'duit raya'. 

But as I grow older and wiser (I hope), I learn to contain that excitement. Why? Because it's gradually being replaced by sadness born out of the  the reality that the beautiful holy month of Ramadhan is leaving us. A month filled with bountiful blessings that we meet once a year. And we don't even know if we'll still be alive to meet Ramadhan again the next year. The reality of being older, of people's expectations of you taking on the role of adult weighs heavily on my shoulders. No longer would the elders hand out 'duit raya', no longer would they inquire about school and menial what-nots. 

And so begins the era of your aunties asking about your marital status:
'kau dah ada boyfriend ke belum?' (Do you have a boyfriend already?)
'bila nak kahwin nanti?' (When are you getting married?)

Questions of work or 'what's next?' since I've graduated:
'Kau dah dapat kerja?' (Have you gotten work?)
'Nak kerja apa?' (What kind of work are you interested in?)
'Lepas ni nak buat apa?' (What are you going to do after this?)

The embarrassing questions from your parents' friends just before leaving their house as they contemplate whether we are deserving of 'duit raya':
'Ni masih sekolah ke?'  (Are you still attending school?)
'Dah kerja?' (Are you working?)

What should I say? I'm clueless. I'm figuring it out really. But I must say, at this stage in life, it is rather ambiguous. People want to give out 'duit raya' but only give them to those still in school with the assumption that working adults do not need money but young children do? We do actually need money even more than the children though. But I digress...

In preparation for Eid

This year we baked! And baked and baked and baked lots of kuih and cookies and cake. There was a week during Ramadhan when we spent five days straight just baking. From morning till before breaking fast. It was definitely worthwhile. And a test of faith I must say. The aroma of vanilla-scented freshly baked cookies wafts in the air. For hours on end. The temptation to break fast was there. Those yummy kuih just waiting to be consumed. 

Shopping at Bazaar Ramadhan. It seems like a must-do every year. Shopping for THE dress to wear for the first day of Eid. I've always stuck to wearing 'jubah' every year. It's a one-piece simple dress. My reason being that comfort is of utmost importance. Especially when you're out visiting the whole day. Every year, we go to Geylang's Bazaar Ramadhan to find THE dress. And this year, the colour theme was turquoise. It was tough searching for it but alhamdullilah, we managed to find THE dress :) 

I'm sure we all have our Eid stories and so I will share more about it soon Insya-Allah.
Here's to wishing everyone a Happy Eid and may you be filled with peace, joy and contentment. 

~Salaam~