Having significant importance in every Muslim society the festivity of Eid continues to get boost in its cultural value as the enthusiasm of those celebrating Eid never fades away.
In history, many known and popular festivals lost their cultural value with the passage of time, but this major festival of Muslims has its own unique value that varies from society to society but constantly improving; even non Muslims join their friends in this festivity, said Khalid Javaid, eminent folklorist and former Chief Executive Lok Virsa.
Whether it is the class of poor, needy or the community of rich, the spirit of preparations show that there is no barrier of class to celebrate this festival, as every one observing fasts feels enthusiastic at the time of last sunset of Ramazan and waits for the first sighting of the crescent moon of the Islamic month of Shawal that is followed by the festival of Eid ul Fitr on the next day.
For Muslims, both the festivals of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are the occasions for showing gratitude to Allah Almighty and remembering Him, and besides their religious rituals, the cultural aspects of the event make it a part of their entertainment too, he said while talking to APP.
The festival which is celebrated for three days in almost all the societies is marked by three day holidays in Muslim states while after the Eid prayers, visiting graveyards, family and friends, forgiving each other and wearing the new or clean dress is considered as following the teachings of Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Besides the Islamic traditions, the most continuing trend of the Eid ul Fitr is to prepare sumptuous meals and present them to visiting family and friends all day on the first day of Eid while people also distribute food and clothes among the needy and poor on this day.
With the advent of mass media and advanced technologies, the cultural value got a big boost as launch of special Eid apparel collections, decorating the interior of homes, holding charity shows for poor and needy and arranging family and friend trips is reflective of the more interest of the coming generations in the celebrations of Eid.
Eid greetings, Eid Mubarak and greetings to have a Blessed Eid echo in every house of Muslims on the day who wear traditional attires in soothing or vibrant colours while women adorn themselves with patterns of Henna on their hands and feet and wear bangles and other jewellery items matching to their dress.
"After the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting, the Eid day has a unique value, it has excitement, feeling of fun, peace and patience all together as for the Month of Ramazan, we practice to stay away from worldly desires and to focus entirely on collecting the blessings of Ramazan and thank Allah Almighty for His blessings. It is a rejuvenation of the religion and it creates a stronger bond between the human and his creator," he said.
When the joy is in the air and greetings are all around, it is the time to get rid of depression and anxieties and share your happiness with every one.
"The purely religious event is a greatest strength to our cultural values as people forget about the family disputes and replace them with peace, brotherhood and care for others that are ultimately making our family bindings strong. There is no need to arrange awareness campaigns or organise lectures to maintain the value of family binding like West as the Eid festival is the major contributor to our society in this regard," he opined.
It was the time, when women used to apply Henna on palms of their hands within the houses, but today, there are Henna experts sitting in almost every market and beauty salons offering a unique variety of designs which shows the traditions connected to Eid are continuing in their true form and the coming generations have never stopped liking them.
Kids mainly enjoy the Eid, as they get money in cash called 'Eidi' as gift from their family members' and relatives and then they stay busy for all three days in spending their 'Eidi' in fun and recreational activities. This tradition of 'Eidi' brings them near to their relatives as they are attached to their parents but they know about the value of other elders of the family on this day, he added.
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