Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramazan. It is a three-day celebration and one of the most significant festivals in the Islamic calendar. Pakistanis have their own unique way of celebrating it every year. Families get together for lunches and dinners and devour lavish banquets in joyous celebration. The men of the family go to the mosques to pray the Eid namaz and return home to eager children waiting to get their Eidi.

Everyone dresses up in new clothes, and henna and bangles are crucial accessories for the girls.

However, this year, just like last year, the celebrations have been dampened by the ongoing pandemic. There’s a national lockdown in place. This means that all parks, markets, restaurants and businesses are closed. Intercity travel by public transport is restricted, and there were no Chand Raat bazaars this time too. Moreover, the military has been mobilised to monitor the imposed restrictions.

Eid is surely going to be different this year again. The Covid-19 scare is too close to home, given the horror stories coming from the neighbouring India. Our healthcare infrastructure is too weak to hold up against a similar storm. Moreover, only a tiny fraction of the country’s population has been vaccinated so far. We have a long way to go in fighting this deadly battle.

It is important that we all play our part in overcoming this virus which has taken millions of lives. It may be disappointing having to celebrate Eid with a national lockdown in place, but it is still better knowing that your loved ones are safe even if you can’t visit them yet.

It may not all be dark and gloomy. There are lots of things that we can do to enjoy the Eid holidays while sitting at home. Most of us have become accustomed to Zoom and WhatsApp video calls. There can be virtual lunches and get-togethers so that even if we are far away from one another, we can still have a sense of community and togetherness.

There are lots of fun shows on television and the web that have been prepared especially keeping the occasion of Eid in mind. Watching these shows as a family can be a good way to spend time together. Nowadays, even a nuclear family finds it difficult to have even a meal together. At least this way people living in the same house can bond over something fun.

Families can also play board games and have little competitions.

Broadly speaking, it’s all about what you make of it. We’ve had the pandemic for over a year now, a lot of us have spent much of our time sitting at home, we must have adjusted to what it is like to have birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and Eid in quarantine. We can make this Eid a little extra special by creating new traditions.

It is important that we all play our part in overcoming this virus which has taken millions of lives. It may be disappointing having to celebrate Eid with a national lockdown in place, but it is still good knowing that your loved ones are safe even if you can’t visit them yet.

The writer is a communications manager at a private company. She can be reached at saniyanasir3@gmail.com