The Holy month of Ramadan [1] culminated with Eid-ul-Fitr [2] celebrations throughout the Muslim world. Here's what bloggers are saying about the occasion in the last of a three-part series. Today's tour takes us to Iraq, Libya, Jordan, Iran and Palestine.
Iraq:
Our first stop is in Iraq, where Yasmine takes us [3] on a trip down memory lane, to a happy pre-war Baghdad, where her mother and sisters gathered to prepare Eid desserts in their hot kitchen.
The day of Klecha (a dessert) was a special day.. though I now remember it with nostalgia, I used to see it as a day of work, work and more work back then in Baghdadna,..
Of course, she would announce the Day of Klecha about a week earlier, as we approach the last week of Ramadan, or the last week before Eid el Adha, and though we all looked forward to taste the delicious specialty of Happy events, we (me and my sisters) all had on our minds the loooong hours of working in the hot kitchen, checking the oven and checking on the Sewanee (trays), I don’t know why I cant forget the stifling heat of the kitchen..
On Klecha day, my mom would be up early (as always), we come down from our rooms to find her already into the Ajeen (dough) process..
Yasmine, who has left Iraq with her family, adds:
Its strange, mom now never makes Klecha.. the Eid feels different..its not about missing Klecha, its about missing a whole era.. another time , another life.. mom now Does buy Jahez men el Sough (ready-made from the shops).. any kind of cake or pastry would do.. to serve when Khottar (visitors) visit (if any ever shows up) ..i myself never was interested in making Klecha.. but its just a reminder of Eid in Baghdad.. a Must..
But Klecha in Baghdad is till made, as my friend ‘s text tells.. perhaps I should take this a s a sign , maybe one day the good days Will return, and I Would make Klecha in Bghadad..
just for the sake of Eid, lets be optimistic for once..
Ayyamkom Saeeda..(May your days be happy)
Libya:
In Libya, Soad El-Rgaig, also travels [4] to her childhood, giving us a day-by-day breakdown of how Eid was celebrated when she was growing up.
When I was a little girl growing up in Cyrenaica, Berqa, Eid was Magical. The preparations for the special days would start from the 24th or 25th of Ramadan. For around three or four nights my mum and some of her close neighbours would gather in our house after Iftar and the feverish marathon of Libyan sweets making would commence. K’ak, Ghreiba, Maqroud, Imsammana, etc. The gatherings are marked with the occasional outbursts of singing, hand clapping, and Sherqawi Bedouin dance, known as tahjeel :). We the girls would be helping with small and easy chores: washing dishes, handing stuff, tying scarves, bringing water, while the boys would be responsible for taking the huge trays of freshly made K’ak, Ghreiba, etc, to the local bakery, El-Kosha and bring them when they are done without major damages.
Jordan:
Meanwhile, Jordanian blogger Naseem Al Tarawnah wasn't amused with visitors who knocked on their door during Eid, where families visit each other to exchange greetings.
I have these relatives who love to talk about themselves. They’re not wealthy; probably as middle as middle class can get in Jordan. Nevertheless they enjoy nothing more than to speak of their accomplishments. Their kids are tremendous. They’re not big achievers or anything, mediocre at best, but nonetheless, anything small they do is a huge thing. One of them went to Canada for about a year and his mother now talks about that as if he went to work for NASA or something.
Iran:
From Iran, Tribooneh Azad (means free tribune) says [5] [Fa] that a couple of political activists have been arrested while they wanted to celebrate Eid Al Fitr ceremony and perform prayers. The blogger says even before Islamic Revolution, such a thing did not happen. He says it is amazing that even prayer can be considered as a “way to overthrow the regime.”
Palestine:
Our last stop is in Palestine, where A Blogger from Gaza takes us [6] on a photography tour, showing us some of the tastes and sights of Eid. She also laments how Eid is marked on different days in different Muslim countries.
Today is the second day of Eid here in the Arab and Muslim countries.. most of them at least!! i really can't understand how some countries see the new month's crescent while other countries don't… don't we all have the same moon or what?!!
As i was saying, today is the second day of Eid, and we got the chance to get out. according to Arab and Islamic customs, going out in the first day is a little bit hard, because men have to get out and visit all the sisters, aunts, relatives… etc in the first day, which makes it more like a visiting day.. while in the second day you can go out, that's if you don't have a big family, because if you do, visits may extend to the next day ;)
Part One of the series is found here [7] and Part Two here [8].