What happens during Eid?
After a month of fasting, it’s no wonder Eid Al Fitr is such a great holiday. Our favourite cultural liaison, Manal Mansour, met with us at Cafe Arabia to give us an inside look at an Emirati Eid:
“The night before Eid, everyone is very busy getting ready. Everyone has new clothes – even the children – and the men will go to the barber for a fresh haircut and shave.
“The ladies will be in a frenzy because they need to have two new outfits and two new abayas – one for each of the first two days of Eid – plus they have to go get their henna, hair and nails done.
"Also, you want to have a gift to take when you go visit everyone, so everyone is getting fresh sweets and gifts.
“First thing in the morning on the first day of Eid, we have dates and water and then men, women and children all go for the early morning Eid prayer. If you listen, you can hear the tahleel. From the moment you leave your home until you get to the mosque, you begin chanting with your children special lines specifically for Eid. As you get closer to the mosque it gets louder and louder. It’s really beautiful.
“People begin Eid greetings at the mosque – even greeting people you don't know. Once this prayer is finished, we normally have breakfast at home and then proceed to greet our relative. The first thing we do is greet our parents with Eid Mubarak.
“The phone starts ringing as soon as the prayers are finished, and if there’s anyone in the hospital, it’s very important to go and visit them. People continue greeting family and friends throughout the day.
“The governors of each emirate receive Eid greetings from the members of parliament, ministers, ambassadors, diplomats and the public in the mornings starting after Eid prayer for three days.
“By 10 am the formal greeting is finished. In my family, everyone goes home for a big traditional breakfast with the family – this is when we exchange gifts – and by afternoon we’re all ready for a nap!
"In the evening, it’s time for more visiting. Last year I held an open house for anyone to drop by, say hello and have a snack.
“On the second day of Eid, we do more visiting, normally seeing extended family and by the third day we’re ready to spend some time with our own children – they deserve it!”
As told to Laura Fulton
