Eid Al Fitr is on its way – and you know what that means right?
Eid Al Fitr is a religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan and is celebrated by Muslims around the world. It’s that time of the year where Bahrainis get extra excited over food (and don’t forget coffee!) after fasting for an entire month.
For three days, Bahrainis get to flaunt off their new clothes, chill with their family members, go to malls, catch up with the latest movies, and most importantly – eat!
But there are some quirks and fun traditions that happen every Eid, right? Let’s recount them:
- Eat like there is no tomorrow. You have to make up for the breakfast and lunch you’ve missed the past 30 days, that’s for sure. Plus, Bahrainis go way overboard with the gdoo3 on the table, ranging from matai, halwa, nuts, the classic Mackintosh’s Quality Street chocolates, pettifor biscuits, baqlawa – Oh and of course fruits for the health conscious. But your mind tricks you into believing that you’ve been food deprived for an entire month and that you need to compensate for it. One piece of baqlawa doesn’t hurt, does it?
- Grandma’s sewing tin actually has biscuits this time. We get it, it’s pretty frustrating whenever you open that blue box expecting biscuits, only to find threads and needles. But Eid is actually the only time where you don’t get disappointed whenever you open that box! You get to enjoy fresh butter biscuits amongst the other types of delicacies around you.
- You probably see your family every week, but you gotta be extra in Eid. Bahrainis are pretty tight-knit and see their family members once or twice a week. But during Eid you have to be all out and not just happy, but SUPER happy and overjoyed for seeing your aunts and cousins – even though you just saw them last week.
- Fangirl over your cousin’s or sibling’s outfit even though you were there when they bought it. Eid is the perfect time for Bahrainis to show off their outfits – no one says no to flattering comments. Funny part – you’ve already seen that outfit when you helped out your sibling/cousin pick it out, but you still have to be thrilled for them. No harm in boosting their self-confidence though!
- If you’re an adult, hard luck. The most exciting part about Eid is getting money – also known as Ediya. But once you’re an adult, you’re not even spared a look. Only kids get the benefit of getting those Ediyas (and get to eat an endless amount of chocolate and candy without being judged).
- Tell some of the kids you don’t work to avoid giving them money. As mentioned, the highlight of Eid for kids is the money. So if you’re, unfortunately, an adult, expect some kids to brush by you for an Eidya. Some will be subtle, and some kids will just flat out scream in your face demanding for an Eidya, and will even dare to ask you why if you didn’t give them some. In this case, you just have to nicely try to explain that you don’t work and hope for the best!
- Salons and barbers become a war zone. The night before Eid, everyone rushes to their salon and barbers to get their kash5a on. This is both a nightmare and a dream come true for salon owners – bookings are full, customers on a waiting list, owners need to ensure that they have enough staff and stock. Oh and there’s always that one annoying customer who’s either too critical or would keep asking for more from the hairdresser. Hello? there’s an entire line waiting out there!
- That one cousin you don’t see all year long sitting in a corner frowning. When it comes to Eid, Bahraini families do not believe in the concept of “introversion”. Whether you hate crowds, or can’t stand loud places, you’re obligated to get out of bed, fix yourself up, and go to your family’s gathering with a big forced smile. Oh and hard luck if you’re forced into family selfies! But hey at least you get Eidyas and good food, right?
- Food coma anyone? After all that food consumed in literally less than 10 minutes, most men can’t help but fall into a food coma. But that’s okay, it gives the women all the freedom and leisure for endless chitchats over some good dessert that men are missing out on.
- Pretending to know the people your mother is introducing you to. One of the wonders of Eid is that you get to meet some long-distance relatives for the first time. The trap here is sometimes they know you, but you don’t know them. So what do you do in this case? You smile, nod, greet them, and give them some kisses on the cheek until they move on to the next person.
- How many kisses on the cheek? Is it 2? 3? 4? 10? Eid is a special occasion so you must give your family members not just 1, not just 2, but God knows how many kisses on the cheeks. Oh but it gets worse, no one knows when it’s time to switch to the other cheek – so you’d always end up having an awkward moment! Hey, we still haven’t figured that out yet, so you just have to wing it at this point.
- Friendly reminder to disable your WhatsApp notifications. Get ready to be spammed with pixelated pictures and long broadcasts about Eid on your WhatsApp. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg – there’s always that one family member who’d send a broadcast that was already sent a message or two before by someone else! We’re not sure at this point if people send broadcasts for the sake of sending aka attention or to genuinely wish someone an Eid Mubarak.
- Eid is the perfect occasion to pester you with updates. “When are you graduating? When are you getting married? When are you having kids? Oh and by the way, you gained weight.” Expect all of these comments to be thrown at you in Eid. Bahrainis can come off as nosy, but it actually comes from a good place – or so we like to believe. You just have to adapt and learn not to take their comments seriously. And again, just smile, nod, or laugh along with them.
- Last but not least, here’s a cheat sheet for all the Chicken Nuggets: We don’t want you to struggle and embarrass yourselves whenever someone wishes you an Eid Mubarak, so we thought you’ll find this helpful. Thank us later.
و انت بصحة و سلامة كل عام و انتم بخير ايامك سعيدة عيدك مبارك من السالمين و الغانمين من العايدين و الفايزين م منا و منكم تقبل الله طاعتك
And what about you? What is your favorite thing about Eid? And do you have any exciting Eid plans? Why not share them with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn!