Our I-Friend: Eid Celebration

Hello everyone! Today, we will be talking about Eid, which is my favourite celebration! I know that I am speaking on every Muslim's behalf when I say that we look forward to celebrating Eid every year after fasting for a whole month during Ramadhan. It is sad to say farewell to the holy month of course, but it is great to be able to spend time with your family.

This segment will be called "Storytime with Ray" as I will be quoting everything that he has told us rather than summarising everything which could end up missing some crucial details. Ima and I asked Ray about how he spends his Eid and if there were any traditions that he followed. This is what he had to say. 

Storytime With Ray

"Ahhh Eid! The best part of the year, after Ramadhan haha. For Eid, we always wear Thawb a.k.a the men Jubah, before going for Eid prayers. It is always held in a large area with lots of space, rather than in a masjid. And obviously, after Fajr prayers. Everyone usually gets ready in terms of shaving, haircut, etc. before the actual Eid day. And it's ALWAYS crowded during the last days so we have to book in advance hahaha.

After the prayers, we sit and listen to the Khutbah and after that, we meet everyone in the area, greet and wish them Eid Mubarak.

For my side, we usually have guests at home after the prayers. We sacrifice a goat/cow/camel/lamb beforehand and usually make a cuisine out of it. Saudis might have Kabsa but since we're not Saudis, we do it differently hahaha.

The first day is usually when we meet all our relatives, so my family would go to our granny's home where ALL my relatives would come together for Eid feast. And the day usually goes by with that.

The 2nd and 3rd day is when we go wherever we want to and basically enjoy ourselves. Mostly, it's the beach and malls. Me personally, I would go out with my friends and hang out."

Personally, for me, it is nice to see that there is not actually much difference in how people from Saudi and Malaysia celebrates Eid. However, in my family, we do not go out with friends and usually spend two to four days just visiting close relatives - I have a big family you see. Despite that, some of my friends do go to malls and spend time at the beach, so it is not out of the norm for Malaysians either.

Overall, Eid is mostly about spending time with your loved ones and lots of eating. I would not lie and say that I do not look forward to getting some "duit raya" either. Well, that is all from me and I hope you find Ray's Eid experience interesting too.