Prayers, feasting mark Eid celebrations

On Eid day Rawalpindi wore a festive look with markets in various areas of the city decked up and people dressed in all their finery. While men mostly sported light colours, women revealed an array of vibrant garments, embellished with sequins and gold jewellery.
“Our colourful outfits are an outward expression of our inward, spiritual happiness of having maintained the fast for the entire month,” said Zainab Hayat, who works for a women welfare trust.
“On the morning of Eid, after having bath, I got ready wearing special dress ‘kurta-shalwar’, used perfume and went to the mosque for offering Namaze Eid with my family members. After the prayer, we beamed wide smiles as we hugged each other saying Eid Mubarak. We then visited the graves of our close relatives, especially parents, to pray for them,” said Sajid Naqvi, a banker.
“When I got home from mosque, I exchanged Eid Mubarak with the ladies of the family, who stayed at home to clean and decorate the house, to set the table and to prepare luscious traditional sweets and cuisines to celebrate Eid. I also said Eid Mubarak to my neighbours,” said Hamid Reza from Satellite Town.
“All the family members then savoured lip-smacking special sweet dishes i.e. ‘kheer’, ‘sheer khorma’, special sweet made of vermicelli, milk and dry fruits and also tea for morning-take, and ‘murgh pulao’, kebabs with ‘naans’ for lunch,” added Hamid.
“Everyone wants to celebrate Eid with family and relatives, no matter how far that place. For me, Eid is a family affair. The first few hours were reserved for the family and after that, friends hung out together at the cool spot around town for outdoor lunch. In the evening, we headed to grandparents’ for an extended-family reunion at dinner, where we had a nice meal,” said Mahjabeen Qazalbash from Asghar Mall.
“I got Eidi from the elders of my family. My parents, uncles and aunties gave to my brothers and sisters and me as well new currency notes as Eidi, which they had collected from bank for the occasion. For us the kids, collecting Eidi is a major part of Eid pleasure,” said Mohsin Reza, a 7th class student.
“It was a great day. It was a fun-filled day as all my cousins had come over for the Eid get-together. I celebrate Eid with much fervour. While the festive spirit is more marked in the lanes and by-lanes of the city, I like to remain indoors making the most of Eid holidays,” said Ajmal Hussain, a student of engineering college.
“For working class guy like me Eid is an occasion to take time off from daily hectic mundane routine,” said Anwarul Hasan, a labourer working with a construction company.
“Some of my fondest memories from past holidays stem from being together with my wife and seven kids. I would usually go stuffed in two cars, one driven by my wife and one by me, to my in-laws as well as my parents. It is great that during this special time, relatives far and near come together to celebrate,” said Haider and his begum Sakeena from Gulrez.
The huge assemblies at the mosques meant most shops remained shut till late in the morning. ‘Halwapuri Wallas’, however, did brisk business selling their delicious items much to the delight of the kids, the young and the old. With other shops opening soon after, the festivities continued throughout the day.