For a number of Muslim families, Eid is simply a twice-yearly
routine that doesn't change: get up, pray Fajr, eat breakfast, go
pray, hug Eid Mubarak, come home, maybe go out, maybe have people
over, eat, eat, eat, get gifts or Eid money, eat, and sleep.
This year, why not make Eid the special holiday that it is? Here are
some ideas of things you can do with the family to get out of the
usual yearly Eid routine.
Plan in advance
Call a family meeting a week before and plan what you want to do on
Eid day. Invite others over in the afternoon, and have dinner at a
restaurant in the evening? Or vice-versa? Discuss ideas with the
family, including all of the kids.
Also, talk about the menu and delegate cooking responsibilities
instead of dumping the whole workload on mom.
And make sure EVERYONE has a day off from work, school or any other
commitments.
Clean and decorate the home
Get everyone in on this. Make the house as sparkling clean as you
can. If there is enough time and the weather is warm, consider white
washing the house and putting mattresses and bedding outside to air
out.
Then, once the house is virtually spotless, decorate it with lights,
banners, streamers,etc. Get the younger kids involved in this
process. Have them make decorative signs saying "Eid Mubarak" and
post these around the house.
Put an Islamic song on the CD or cassette player so everyone can
sing or hum along while they work. The ideal one would be A Whisper
of Peace which features the song "These are the Days of Eid".
Make special food
Make something special which the family does not normally eat, it
can be sweet, sour or in-between. The point is that Eid is special,
and the food we eat on this day should be better and different from
our usual meals.
Set up a family gift exchange
Put each family member's name in a Kufiya and have each person pull
one out. Whoever picks a person's name has to buy or make that
person a gift. One catch: babies have to get gifts from everyone.
Have the kids make gifts for each other
If you're not into the gift exchange idea and want everyone to get a
present try this. Arts and crafts are the best tool for making these
gifts. They are personal and cheap, and save useless trips to the
shopping center.
You can have the kids collect all of the odds and ends they find
during the Eid house clean up in a box. Then they can use these
things to make strange but meaningful Eid gifts .
Buy new clothes
Kids will not feel Eid is special if they are sporting the same
Shalwar Kameez, suit or Thobe they've worn on Eid for the last two
years. Invest in Eid and get them something new. Or at least get
everyone to prepare nice clothes for Eid by washing or getting them
dry cleaned.
Do this as you plan for new clothes
Have everyone go through their clothes and toys (for kids) to find
items they have outgrown. Then arrange to have them sold through a
garage sale and give the money to a local Masjid or community
fundraising event.
The money can also be sent to Chechnya, Palestine, Kosova, etc.
Wash the car
Who wants to go to Eid prayers in a dirt stained car filled with gum
wrappers and cookie crumbs? And think about what will happen to
everyone's nice Eid clothes sitting in a vehicle like that! Get the
car clean and ready. Get everyone in on this. One person vacuums,
one cleans the windows, one washes the exterior, etc.
If possible get the car checked and fill up the gas tank so you
don't end up with any Eid day surprises.
At Eid prayer, look for those who are alone and invite them over
At the Eid prayer place, where a lot of hugging goes on, you will
find some Muslims standing alone. They are either new Muslims or new
immigrants without relatives and friends. Do hug them and greet
them. If possible invite them to your home for a meal. Also inform
them of any planned Eid celebrations at any community center.
Video record Eid day events
From the time everyone wakes up in the morning till everyone conks
out happily at the end of Eid day, video record this Eid to make it
memorable. It will probably make a hilarious piece of family history
as well. Give the responsibility for recording to one of the
responsible, technologically adept members of the family.
Visit a homeless shelter or food bank and donate your extra Eid
food
Also do some Dawa by telling workers at the shelter what Eid and
Ramadaan are about. Bring pamphlets and other written material.
The visit should remind everyone what it was like when they were
hungry while fasting.
Share Eid with your neighbors
Make dessert (something simple that everyone likes, like chocolate
cake) and write up a small decorative definition of Eid day. Share
this with your neighbors.
Visit relatives and friends
Make it a point to visit those far away especially. There is almost
no better time than Eid.
Make Eid evening family entertainment night
If 16-year-old Jameel knows how to play the Duff, while his sister
Amira, 14, can write and sing well, let them prepare a few songs for
Eid night family entertainment. Also, have 12-year-old Ridwan recite
some of his best poetry. Make one of the teens in charge of this
event. Help them establish a criteria of acceptable and unacceptable
Halaal entertainment.
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