Looking Back on Eid-Ul-Fitr 2018

 

Eid has come and gone, and just over a week later it seems like we’re getting sucked back into the humdrum of our daily  routine – a burden made slightly easier by the fact that the kids have rounded up their school term, and the daily too and fro carting is at a bare minimum. I feel extremely grateful for this little lull in transmission as it’s given me a chance to fully process, absorb and envelope myself in the quiet shifts and changes made during the month that we have just bid farewell to. It’s been a good transition for me, but not one that has come without an internal war!

What I love about Ramadan and Eid in Cape Town, is that it’s rich in culture and tradition. There’s an eclectic energy surrounding this time that centres strongly around unity – within our family and community – that is truly magical…but which I also feel is slowly starting to die down. It’s and issue I’ve been wrestling with the entire month as I’ve had to grapple with the notion that the time has come for us to take over the lead roles  from our parents and keep the beacon of tradition and culture burning brightly. To dress up or not to dress up….to Eid lunch or not to Eid lunch…to brave the rain and go greeting or rather stay at home. The decisions lay squarely in our hands and the consequences dire if we mess this whole thing up. The continuity of the extended family unit hangs heavy in the balance…

At the same time though, I’m not willing to spend my day slaving in the kitchen. It’s not the way I want my kids to remember Eid. Nor is it the beacon of continuity that I want to pass on – the one where the women slogs in the kitchen while everyone else has a fabulous time. I want to be a participant in these memories too. And so I’m left grappling with all these changes to the “system” so to speak. But you know the saying – Be The Change – and all of that. This year I think we’ve managed to make a start in a new direction. One where we’re taking over the reigns, changing up a few things and still maintaining the strong sense of family unity that we’ve always had!

For starters, I managed to colour my hair this Eid! It’s a big deal for me because I always suck at time management with regards to these kinds of things. And then of course I was up at dawns crack (with a little prep the day before) to make sure that all the food stuff was in order so that I could be dressed and ready and enjoying breakfast with the family when the guys returned from mosque instead of wrestling with time. We dressed up, went greeting, took pictures despite the downpour, ate, laughed, rested….and then did it all again in the evening with my family – except this year, we took the festivities to Moon’s house to offer my mom some relief after a rough couple of months with her health.

All in all, a great Eid was had! There’s a  shift and change that’s been needed for a long time now, and finally it’s been put into motion. I’m just grateful that my kids still get to experience the vibrance of Eid the way it has been intended 🙂

It’s impossible to post all of our Eid pictures here, but these are a few of my favourites of the day.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Peace,

 

NAMU 🙂

 

 

 

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