Eid Al Fitr: Henna, food and Eidiyya

By Nasreen Abdulla

Eid to me is means henna, new clothes, food and Eidiyya.

Henna - or mehndi as it is known in parts of the world - is a natural paste used to sketch intricate patterns on the palms of women and girls during festive occasions. Henna forms a core part of all Eid festivities. Surveying all the different kinds of henna cones in the supermarket, buying the right one, looking for good designs- it's so tedious yet so exciting.

One of my earliest memories is sitting on a sofa as a five-year-old with my little palm outstretched and trying to stay awake at 1 am as my mom poured over henna book after henna book to make the perfect design for me. The late night henna sessions are often fuelled by lots of tea, snacks, giggles and chatter.

Learn more about henna traditions and Eid

Eid morning begins with a dreaded early morning shower (I'm not a big fan of the ritual but Eid is not Eid until you take that early morning shower!). My brand new outfit is ironed and ready, still fresh with the smell of new clothes. We don our new clothes and head to the mosque for the Eid prayer (6am in the UAE). As you leave for the Eidgah, the sound of the takbir can be heard echoing from different mosques. We park almost a mile away and trek through the sand to get to the prayer area. I sit back and listen to the imam's sermon, feel the sunlight on my back, drying my clothes which are now slightly wet thanks to my freshly showered hair.

Once the prayers are over, we see hundreds of people- from different countries, backgrounds and economic status- all walking out of the Eidgah as equals. To me this scene embodies the spirit of Islam, of the 30 days of fasting, of Eid.

Eid desserts from around the world

Another important factor of Eid is the food. Smells of sweet and savoury snacks fill homes right after the very last iftar of Ramadan. There is rolling, patting, frying and baking as we prepare to receive friends and family during Eid. One of my family's rituals is making biryani. My mum and I go about doing the cutting, slicing and shredding, while my dad dons the cap of head chef and supervises the cackling pot on the stove. The end result? Succulent and moist pieces of meat hidden in flavourful rice that renders us immobile until later in the day.

And of course, the last integral part of the day is Eidiyya- a gift usually of money given to young children by the elders. When I was a child, the largest amount you got as Eidiyya was AED10, wich seemed like such a big amount that it makes me smile now. Today, as I prepare to give my three-year-old her first Eidiyya of AED5, I hope that someday she will cherish these memories with just as much fondness.

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