eid memories
I grew up in a brown muslim family. Last few years since I've moved far from home I have been spending eid alone or with friends, sometimes visiting my cousin who lives close by. While on one such trip to see her yesterday I found myself thinking and reminiscing of eid when I was a child.
We would visit my grandmother's house, where my father grew up and I briefly lived for the first few years of my life. Everyone would come together twice a year for eid; us, my dad's siblings and their kids. We would arrive a few days early and since it was one of the two times a year us cousins would get together we would stay up late at night playing games, dancing to music or watching a movie. The girls would put on henna and my younger cousin brother would always gag at the smell of it. We always kept the henna on all night so that the color could be as dark as possible by morning.
Mornings started early, usually most of the guys and some girls who wanted to would go to the mosque to pray. The one who stayed home, which I preferred, would be up by 7 am to shower and get ready. Of course you had to look pretty on eid day, you picked out your nicest outfit and took off the dried henna which had hopefully turned a deep red by now. Moms would be busy making sure breakfast was ready by the time everyone got back. Once everyone got back home from their prayers you'd pay respect to your elders and that's when the most exciting part for us kids came about; getting our eid money. Everyone had a little pocket or purse they put their earnings for the day in and at night we'd count how much we all made and plan on ways to spend it.
You got your eid money from all your elders but we also lived in a close knit neighborhood so we'd visit our neighbors who would also give us money. It wasn't anything crazy but to kids money to buy some snacks or games meant everything. My cousin brother and I would pool our money together to buy video games (we were the only ones in the family that played them). Older cousins would sometimes pool their money together and take us all out to eat; kids only.
Through out the day people would come to our house, to say hello, have a little chat and eat some food. Seeing everyone so happy and excited, looking and feeling their best is what makes me smile fondly now. I miss eid back home, a part of me hurts and hopes I get to experience it soon. I see pictures my parents post with my aunt and uncle, all their kids have flown out of the nest and I feel so lonely.
I really hope I get to spend eid with my family again.
note: decided I'm going to use this blog like a diary, it will make me more likely to write if I don't have to worry about grammar, story telling, etc. Just writing what I feel when I feel it.