Eid joy lost in artificiality

People of my age notice a stark contrast between the eid in the present days and in our childhood. Back then, sighting the eid moon was the main aspect of eid joy. Nowadays, that excitement has faded away. We'd eagerly gather on rooftops to spot the moon, sparking arguments among siblings about who saw it first.

Another great joy was wearing new clothes on eid day. During our time, ready-made clothes weren't common like today. Mothers would sew clothes at home. The excitement of wearing those was unparallel. After making those, they'd wash, iron, and neatly place them under our pillows, so we could wake up on the eid day and wear those right after our morning bath.

Talking a bit more about Eid clothes, in our time, ready-made clothes weren't popular. Instead, fabrics were bought and stitched at home by mothers and sisters, despite the availability of tailors. Every household had a sewing machine, either manual or electric. This activity brought joy among us, especially during Ramadan. Just as Ramadan had its own essence with fasting and iftar, preparations for eid began 15 days ahead, with homes adorned in a festive atmosphere. Nowadays, Eid is celebrated by listening to radio and watching television.

Another source of joy was new shoes. Naturally, our shoes for the whole year were bought at eid. Back then, Bata shoes were popular. Boys and girls couldn't even think of buying any other shoes besides Bata. Everyone believed that Bata shoes were durable.

Since childhood, we used to go to offer the eid prayers with our father. It was a family tradition to attend the prayers with him. We didn't always stay in Barishal. Due to his job, we moved around the country. So, we would go to the eidgah wherever we were. For instance, during my matriculation exams, we celebrated eid in Dhaka, residing on Mintu Road. The eid congregation was held at the present Kakrail Mosque in Ramna. It was a festive atmosphere there.

During our time, another eid trend was wearing 'Achkan'. We used to wear them in our childhood. Now, it's making a comeback as a fashion trend. Wearing 'Achkan' was quite popular then. We would visit the tailor to get them measured and made.

Although there have been various changes, some Eid foods remain the same. However, there have been some changes too. Nowadays, vermicelli ('semai') is often bought from outside, but in our time, it was homemade using a hand-operated machine. Eid was synonymous with vermicelli and 'firni' (sweet pudding). My mother excelled at making 'firni', which was a cherished part of eid for us. Nowadays, I hardly see this 'firni'.

When we grew up and each of us had our own separate families, every eid became a family reunion with all siblings, including those studying away. Later, after our father retired, it became a tradition to visit him during every eid, gathering all the siblings at his place. Even after his demise, our tradition still continues. Now we gather at one brother's or sister's house, uniting all siblings. We are eight brothers and five sisters. Our family is quite large.

Author: Senior politician and president of the Workers Party
Contributor: Rahat Minhaz