Spending Eid with other Muslims

After some years of spending both Eids on my own, for the first time this year, I was invited to be able to spend it with a family.

I had in the past suggested doing Eid with my family, but it never amounted to anything. They celebrate Christmas as the country does, as consumerism encourages, they're not religious.

But this year a colleague invited me to his for Eid, and I was really pleased.

I felt the sense of community that I had been told about

He has always been good to me since we first spoke. So I really appreciated it when he invited me.

I had never actually been able to celebrate Eid any more than 'going for a nice walk' or similar. Whereas this was at a house with a family of Muslims, and food and chatting. I know that Eid is significant, and I know that it is a big day regardless of whether you are with people or alone, but being with people made it feel like the first Eid I 'actually experienced'.

I would expect that for them, it was just business as usual. Various family members had made much more food than could be eaten. Everyone gathered at a house to at least try. As I learnt there are usually 'shifts' where some people stay at their house and have people visit and some people visit various houses. Usually to get all of the family visited. Perhaps it would be the husbands family then the wife's family. Or perhaps different sides of the family, mum's side or dad's side.

I had brought some food bits too, most popular of which were a few platters of doughnuts.

I had been for Eid prayer early as I could, so that I was up and ready and headed over. I met a warm welcome and happy faces. People were smiling and joking. Even those who were clearly tired or not feeling well gave it their best shot. I got to speak with quite a few people as well as my colleague and his wife.

They were all really friendly and had a genuine interest in me and how I ended up where I am. It didn't feel put on, or synthetic in some way. The food was good and there was more than enough, even as a vegetarian.

For the first Eid of the year I was at one house and the next Eid at another. I was glad to have been invited back.

I rounded off each day with an afternoon or evening skate. They were positive days and I felt such acceptance.

I felt the sense of community that I had been told about, the kind of treatment that completely wipes away that loneliness feeling I mentioned in another post.

I hope one day I have a family that I can share the day with in the same way I was fortunate enough to have witnessed this year insha'Allah.