Celebrating Eid

Sheikh Iraj

Eid ul-Fitr is knocking at the door. Normally, most schools, colleges, and universities go on vacation 15 days ahead of the official Eid holidays, though some educational institutions carry on holding exams and extra classes till the last week of Ramadan.
Regardless of one’s age, gender or background, everyone in our country enjoys the Eid holidays, especially the young. A lot of preparation goes into celebrating the festival. Many youths prefer to travel to their home towns or villages to visit family members, while some choose to stay in town and spend the time with friends and relatives. Then there are a few who like to roam around the less crowded city and visit different tourist attractions.
This week, Y&I spoke with some young people about their plans for this Eid, which is likely to be celebrated June 26-28.
In recent years, there has been a trend among the youth to celebrate Eid by visiting different tourist spots around the country, or travelling abroad. But many still prefer to spend the holidays with their near and dear ones.   
Shafiul Alam, 23, is a student of Public Administration at Dhaka University. His is from Panchagarh and he wants to celebrate this Eid at home with his parents. “I am planning to go to my hometown a few days before Eid. I don’t want to spend my Eid holidays without my parents. Many of my friends who live in Dhaka ask me to spend Eid with them, but I don’t listen to them. I plan to go by train up to Rajbari, and from there I will take a bus. I am even willing to travel on the roof of a train in case I don’t manage to get a ticket. To me, there is nothing more important than celebrating Eid with my parents,” Alam told Y&I.
Jasmin Ara, 24, who is newly married, said: “I am from Rajshahi, but I live in Dhaka with my in-laws. This Eid, I am preparation to visit my hometown and I am really excited about it. This is the first time I am going to spend Eid with my parents since I got married. During Eid, I would like to visit my close relatives. Rajshahi is renowned for mangoes and my cousins have assured me that I will be able to eat fresh mangoes when I visit them.”  
Kazi Samin Yasar, a 16-year-old school student, plans to spend his Eid holidays at his grandparents’ home in Khulna. “My mother is from Khulna and my father is from Dhaka. I celebrate Eid in both these cities. For example, on the first day of Eid, I may stay with my parents in Dhaka, go to the mosque and say my prayers. The next day, I hang out with my friends who stay in the city. After that, I usually go to visit my grandparents in Khulna. Now this year, I may do the opposite, because for I have not visited my grandparents for some time. The best part of celebrating Eid with my grandparents is they allow me to do anything I like. They also give me twice as much ‘eidi’ (gift money) than my parents,” Yasar said.   
Many a time, people’s careers decide how they get to spend their holidays.
Ruhul Robin Khan, 30, a film director and scriptwriter, is planning to spend Eid working on his latest script. “Like any other Eid, I will spend time with my friends and family. I would also like to work on my new script, ‘Tender to the Touch’. Recently, my movie, ‘Nameless’, was released in different film festivals, but many of my friends were not able to see it due to their busy schedules. We are planning to watch the movie together at my home during the Eid holidays. I am from Sirajganj, but most of my Eid holidays are spent in Dhaka. I got married one and half years ago, and I plan to take my wife on a rickshaw ride in the city during the holiday. We love to roam around Dhaka in a rickshaw when there is hardly any traffic during Eid,” Khan said.       
Hasan Rokib, 35, a private service holder, plans to surprise his relatives by returning home for Eid. “I am in India now on some business. Many of my family members and friends believe that I will stay in India during Eid. But I am planning to surprise them by coming home (to Dhaka) for Eid. Until five years ago, I used to get ‘eidi’ from my elders, but now I have to give it to my juniors instead. This year, I won’t give them any money, but I will present them with different kinds of chocolates,” Rokib told this correspondent over mobile phone.
Nazrul Islam, 27, a manager at a readymade garments company in Savar, plans to travel to his hometown of Saidpur for Eid. “Those of us who work in the garments sector do not get many holidays. That is why during Eid, I just want to give time to my family. During the holiday, I get to meet many old friends and relatives. We spend some time together, talk about old times. I am a foodie and during Eid, I eat whatever I like. Many a time it becomes difficult to buy bus tickets to go home. That is why I always book tickets in advance.”
On the other hand, those who remain in town during the holidays, many like to visit amusement parks, historical sites, scenic spots, cinema halls, restaurants, etc, with their family and friends.
“Being a movie buff, I will defiantly try to watch some movies at different cinema halls this holiday. I don’t know whether any good Bangla movie is coming out this time or not, but a few years back, my friends and I went to see one of Ananta Jalil’s films and we had a great time. I also have made a list of a few cult movies that I plan to watch during the break,” said Kazi Rakib Hassan, 22, a student at National Polytechnic Institute.
Then there are some youths who like to spend Eid sharing the joy of the festival with the less fortunate.  “For many, Eid is all about grand adventures, blissful merriment, crazy plans with friends, sumptuous meals with family members, etc, and I also think the same way. Nevertheless, my Eid starts a little bit earlier as my friends and I collect money to buy clothes for some underprivileged children. We normally distribute the clothes before Eid,” said M Musa Mahmud Rana, 23, who is studying Mechanical Engineering at Rajshahi University.
Fahim Faisal, 32, a singer, is another person who likes to spread some holiday cheer among street children during the festival. “I normally celebrate Eid in Dhaka. After coming back from the mosque, I hang out with my friends. We roam all over Dhaka and spend some time with the street children. We give them new clothes and if they want, we go and have lunch with them in a restaurant.”

Photos: Mithun Datta, File.