Families celebrate Eid in Auckland
The Moulvis
My family has lived in Auckland for ten years. As with all other things we have adapted the way we celebrate Eid to suit the resources, community connections and changed priorities of our lives. Back in India (our country of origin) the day of Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday so no one goes to work or school. Everybody dresses up for the day. Men and children go to the mosque to offer early morning Eid prayers. Most
women prefer to pray at home so they can prepare the special Eid food and get the house ready for relatives and friends who come visiting
throughout the day.
Here in New Zealand many Muslim men and women will go to work and children go to school if Eid falls on a working day. Also, people who are new migrants or students may not have any relatives or friends to visit. However, as one gets settled down, families and communities are
able to come together and enhance their experience of occasions like Eid.
While, Eid prayers are a common religious aspect, there are some traditions of Eid that vary among different countries and societies. E.g. in some cultures priority is given to families who have lost a family member during the year, they are visited first and given the special Eid sweet.
And in India, typically Muslims are visited on Eid by their non-Muslim friends and associates, just as Muslims will participate in non-Muslim festivals like Holi, Diwali and Christmas.
The Shaikhs
Ramadhan is a month for feeding the soul with spirituality and Eid for us is a day of celebrating an elevated soul, we get up early in the morning and wear new clothes apply perfume remember our elders and family members who have passed away then head to the mosque to pray the special Eid prayers.
As soon as the prayers are over people hug each other expressing joy. We visit friends and relatives and the kids have a ball wearing new clothes meeting up with their friends, house hopping, we usually end up visiting eight to ten houses on that day. Every household
cooks special dishes welcoming guests.
It is a day which reminds us that love is eternal and all ego boundaries can be broken and heart breaks forgiven with the power of love.
The Zaidis
The day after a month of patience, self-control and serenity, Eid is about having fulfilled the hunger of the soul by fasting. It may sound surprising about how fasting can relieve this starvation and hunger of the soul, but Sheikh Kabir Helminski beautifully explains it that “The basic concept in spiritual fasting is to control the ego’s compulsions to consume. There is spiritual benefit in emptying and remaining in emptiness, rather than continually satisfying the urges of the self or psyche.”
During Ramadan, we eat the food before sunrise and the day begins after the prayer, and as an observer of Ramadan fast we do not eat or
drink anything during the day. It is at Eid that we get back to the normal course of life. The whole month of Ramadan appears to us as a metaphor to a simple life. Preparation of Eid usually starts after 22nd of Ramadan, there is so much that people are involved in. My family is involved in shopping, deciding savouries and delicacies for Eid and decoration of home.
We gift sweets, dry fruits and clothes to each other and cook special recipes for this day, after a month avoiding a lavish menu. Charity plays an important role before Eid, as an Islamic custom, we are obliged to give charity so that people in need can celebrate Eid comfortably without any financial difficulty.
This day is also about removing all the negativity and grudges that are held in our heart about others and take a fresh beginning with relationships and that is why giving a hug is one of the customs of Eid day. After offering the prayer of Eid, people make sure to greet each other by hugging. Eid is definitely more than just having food and celebration.
The Askaris
Eid-ul-Fitr falls on the first day of Islamic calendar month of Shawaal which marks the end of the month of Ramadan (in which fasting is obligatory on Muslims). Preparations for Eid celebrations begin at least a week before the actual festival day, shopping for new clothes, gifts for children, groceries for special Eid dishes like Sheer Khurma, Sivaiyyan, Dahi Bada, Shami Kebab etc.
We get up early on Eid day and offer Fajr (morning) prayers, cook special Eid dishes and go for Eid day prayers to our mosque later in the morning. Everyone is dressed in new clothes and especially children enjoy their traditional Eid dresses. After Eid prayers people visit each other at their homes to offer Eid wishes and enjoy the food, this part is especially exciting for children as they get Eidi.
Eidi is basically gifts children receive from elders in form of money, toys etc. Some years we also organize big community outings or events to celebrate Eid in Kiwi style, apart from traditional dishes for food barbeque is also a non-separable part of celebrations. Towards the end of the day people get in touch with their friends and family back in India and offer them Eid wishes.
The Rashids
Eid al-Fitr is a day to celebrate the end of the Holy month of Ramadan during which Muslims observe fasting, whereby they refrain from food
and drink from sunrise to sunset. It is a festive time to spend with family and friends. Following the morning Eid prayer, light refreshments are
served by the Mosque including juices, cakes and biscuits.
After this our family makes it a point to visit the cemetery to my father’s grave and to pay our respects. We are usually accompanied with other members of the community who also wish to pay their respect to their loved ones. Families and friends then gather
at friends place or at a picnic spot, beachside or park for a shared brunch. Here we spend the day together laughing and having a
good time.
A customary Eid tradition is that the elders of each family give Eidi, a small amount of cash or a gift to all the children. Following the brunch of
the day, my family then go visit the elders in our community at their homes to pay our respects.
The Moulvis
My family has lived in Auckland for ten years. As with all other things we have adapted the way we celebrate Eid to suit the resources, community connections and changed priorities of our lives. Back in India (our country of origin) the day of Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday so no...
The Moulvis
My family has lived in Auckland for ten years. As with all other things we have adapted the way we celebrate Eid to suit the resources, community connections and changed priorities of our lives. Back in India (our country of origin) the day of Eid al-Fitr is a public holiday so no one goes to work or school. Everybody dresses up for the day. Men and children go to the mosque to offer early morning Eid prayers. Most
women prefer to pray at home so they can prepare the special Eid food and get the house ready for relatives and friends who come visiting
throughout the day.
Here in New Zealand many Muslim men and women will go to work and children go to school if Eid falls on a working day. Also, people who are new migrants or students may not have any relatives or friends to visit. However, as one gets settled down, families and communities are
able to come together and enhance their experience of occasions like Eid.
While, Eid prayers are a common religious aspect, there are some traditions of Eid that vary among different countries and societies. E.g. in some cultures priority is given to families who have lost a family member during the year, they are visited first and given the special Eid sweet.
And in India, typically Muslims are visited on Eid by their non-Muslim friends and associates, just as Muslims will participate in non-Muslim festivals like Holi, Diwali and Christmas.
The Shaikhs
Ramadhan is a month for feeding the soul with spirituality and Eid for us is a day of celebrating an elevated soul, we get up early in the morning and wear new clothes apply perfume remember our elders and family members who have passed away then head to the mosque to pray the special Eid prayers.
As soon as the prayers are over people hug each other expressing joy. We visit friends and relatives and the kids have a ball wearing new clothes meeting up with their friends, house hopping, we usually end up visiting eight to ten houses on that day. Every household
cooks special dishes welcoming guests.
It is a day which reminds us that love is eternal and all ego boundaries can be broken and heart breaks forgiven with the power of love.
The Zaidis
The day after a month of patience, self-control and serenity, Eid is about having fulfilled the hunger of the soul by fasting. It may sound surprising about how fasting can relieve this starvation and hunger of the soul, but Sheikh Kabir Helminski beautifully explains it that “The basic concept in spiritual fasting is to control the ego’s compulsions to consume. There is spiritual benefit in emptying and remaining in emptiness, rather than continually satisfying the urges of the self or psyche.”
During Ramadan, we eat the food before sunrise and the day begins after the prayer, and as an observer of Ramadan fast we do not eat or
drink anything during the day. It is at Eid that we get back to the normal course of life. The whole month of Ramadan appears to us as a metaphor to a simple life. Preparation of Eid usually starts after 22nd of Ramadan, there is so much that people are involved in. My family is involved in shopping, deciding savouries and delicacies for Eid and decoration of home.
We gift sweets, dry fruits and clothes to each other and cook special recipes for this day, after a month avoiding a lavish menu. Charity plays an important role before Eid, as an Islamic custom, we are obliged to give charity so that people in need can celebrate Eid comfortably without any financial difficulty.
This day is also about removing all the negativity and grudges that are held in our heart about others and take a fresh beginning with relationships and that is why giving a hug is one of the customs of Eid day. After offering the prayer of Eid, people make sure to greet each other by hugging. Eid is definitely more than just having food and celebration.
The Askaris
Eid-ul-Fitr falls on the first day of Islamic calendar month of Shawaal which marks the end of the month of Ramadan (in which fasting is obligatory on Muslims). Preparations for Eid celebrations begin at least a week before the actual festival day, shopping for new clothes, gifts for children, groceries for special Eid dishes like Sheer Khurma, Sivaiyyan, Dahi Bada, Shami Kebab etc.
We get up early on Eid day and offer Fajr (morning) prayers, cook special Eid dishes and go for Eid day prayers to our mosque later in the morning. Everyone is dressed in new clothes and especially children enjoy their traditional Eid dresses. After Eid prayers people visit each other at their homes to offer Eid wishes and enjoy the food, this part is especially exciting for children as they get Eidi.
Eidi is basically gifts children receive from elders in form of money, toys etc. Some years we also organize big community outings or events to celebrate Eid in Kiwi style, apart from traditional dishes for food barbeque is also a non-separable part of celebrations. Towards the end of the day people get in touch with their friends and family back in India and offer them Eid wishes.
The Rashids
Eid al-Fitr is a day to celebrate the end of the Holy month of Ramadan during which Muslims observe fasting, whereby they refrain from food
and drink from sunrise to sunset. It is a festive time to spend with family and friends. Following the morning Eid prayer, light refreshments are
served by the Mosque including juices, cakes and biscuits.
After this our family makes it a point to visit the cemetery to my father’s grave and to pay our respects. We are usually accompanied with other members of the community who also wish to pay their respect to their loved ones. Families and friends then gather
at friends place or at a picnic spot, beachside or park for a shared brunch. Here we spend the day together laughing and having a
good time.
A customary Eid tradition is that the elders of each family give Eidi, a small amount of cash or a gift to all the children. Following the brunch of
the day, my family then go visit the elders in our community at their homes to pay our respects.
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