Aid Moubarak my brothers and sisters! I hope you all had a fantastic few days and enjoyed the celebrations.
As a convert, and a quite recent one, celebrating Aid feels a bit alien to me. Not that I don't enjoy it and look forward to it, but my childhood memories of celebrations involve christmas trees, sharing a big meal and exchanging gifts with family, and to be honest, celebrating Aid in the UK, without my closest ones, with my husband who misses his country more at than any other time, is something that I felt slightly apprehensive about. Where do we do Qurbani? What sort of sweets I am supposed to cook? What sort of gifts should I buy? What should I wear? Although I fully embrace Islam, and feel at ease with its concepts, I'm still a European at heart, and at times of Aid I realize that there are simply experiences that I might never have. I might never celebrate muslim festivals with my family. I don't have memories of waking up on Aid day with excitement, feeling the magic. Will I be able to make this day special for my children, as Christmas was to me?
Aid day didn't start very well for me this year: it was a weekday, I had a lot to do, didn't know what to prepare, and had to rush to get to the masjid in time to catch the prayer. However, praying with sisters from all countries, all wearing their best clothes, children running around happily, really made my day. Hamdoulillah, I had a glimpse of what Aid is all about: take a break from the mundane life to give thanks and celebrate life, get back in touch with friends, take time to reflect and to relax. And Insha Allah next year I'll celebrate Aid in a muslim country!
That was just my little thought of the day, thanks for reading!