I'd miss them all on eid

This is probably going to be my first time that I’d spend Eid-ul-Fitr away from home. Although I’d go to my relatives but it won’t be the same feeling that I would have had, had I been at home with my family. This feeling of spending this Eid away from home, family and friends makes me recall many moments from my past.

As someone way back commented, Sabreena is a very girly type of a girl . She loves new dresses, she loves Mehendi, she loves new shoes, she loves the colorful purses young girls usually hang to put all of their Eidi’s in . And because she loves this all, I love her. She would force her mom to put mehendi on her hands and would go about wearing it and showing it off to her friends and relatives. She would show her new dress, the one that she is supposed to wear on Eid, to everyone over and over again come to you and ask you if she already showed you her new dress, and would then answer herself, “Ji aapko tou dikha diya tha” and get disappointed on not being able to show her dress again, or on not being able to find more people she could show her dress to. Ohh and yeah, she also loves bangles. She would get all ready on Eid day and would come to me and say “Chachoo main achi lag rahi houn na?” and would show her bangles and her new shoes and everything and I would kiss her with love. She is one person I’ll miss the most.

This Eid will be the first Eid-ul-Fitr for jibran, the youngest of my brother’s sons. He’ll turn 1 year old in October Insha-Allah. I so wanted to see him and his elder brother Arbaz baig (who is almost two years old) to get all dressed up in new clothes. In fact I would have loved to take along Abdullah to the Eid prayers. Now, I can only hope they look cute in their Eid dresses Insha-Allah.
We usually spent our Eid’s at my grandfather’s place. The Sawaiyyan (Vermicelli) before leaving for Eid prayers. Offering prayers with so many relatives, embracing everyone after the prayers got over, coming back home to hear that round of Eid Mubarak all over the place. The duas and pyaar that we used to get from elders, the kisses and hugs that we gave to children, and obviously the Eidi part that we all so anxiously waited for. This all was followed by another round of eating Haleem, cakes, ras malayi and a variety of other dishes.

Then we’d plan to go to our relatives. Lots of them . Each visit to someone’s place brought along so many new dishes to try, as if it was almost pre decided who will cook what dish so that things do not get overlapped . Evenings would normally see many other relatives coming to our place. The first day usually went so busy eating and visiting and eating there again, and then hosting guests and then eating with them again to give them company, and then eating again whatever was left thereafter . Mind you, the lunch and dinner is not included in all these eating exercises. Lets see how the Eid experience goes here at my relatives place , although I do plan to eat a lot because that is something I cannot compromise on.

I wish you all a very happy Eid. May Allah shower his blessings on all of you. Ameen