There’s still semai, but soufflé too!
Traditions die hard. There used to be a fixed routine for Eid. Wake up early. The men would bathe and wear their kurta-pajamas. The women would serve the semai and maybe a few tikia so the men can have a quick nibble before going to the mosque to join the Eid prayer congregation. While they are in the mosque, the women would get the Eid breakfast ready - generally an elaborate spread, precursor to the even more elaborate lunch ahead. The rest of the day was spent in dressing up, entertaining guests, visiting friends and relatives. Children would be busy counting their Eidi - money given by the elders as an Eid gift. There was a general air of festivity all around.
Things have not changed.
Yes, there are many changes, but the basic premise of Eid celebrations are still very much the same. There is the same ritual of prayers, feasting after the long Ramadan month of fasting, families and friends meeting and greeting, new clothes and a general air of rejoicing.
But times change. Even Eid has taken on new proportions, and perhaps lost a little of the old rites and rituals along the way.
Let’s step back to a few days before Eid. Back in the day, there was a rush at the stationery shops to by Eid cards. People would send greeting cards to friends and relations around the globe on Eid, hand over cards to their dear and near ones, even make their own cards. There were the cards with inevitable images of a crescent moon, or minarets or bouquets of red roses. Then with the advent of the Internet and email, electronic cards were all the rage, with animated musical greetings popping up on the computer screen. Then as cell phones were found in everyone’s hands, SMS messages were sent with innovative Eid greetings and designs. All of that is quite the past and now during the Eid holidays, Eid greetings are sent by Viber, WhatsApp, Messenger and so on. During the Eid holidays, cell phones go crazy with notifications of Eid greetings - attractive greetings with meaningful message, often animated, often witty. The digitalised greetings surely are not lacking in warmth, but the personal touch of carefully chosen cards is missed.
Throughout Ramadan the malls and markets are buzzing with customers buying new outfits for Eid - saris, shalwar kameez sets, kurtas-pajamas, shirts, pants - whatever is the trend at the time. New clothes have always been an integral part of Eid celebrations and still are. What is the difference now? Naturally fashion and styles change, but the change is something more in the sense of quantity. Along with economic development and increased purchasing power, comes consumerism which has grasped society in its vice-like grip. Before, each family member would receive one new outfit for Eid. The extra outfits, if any, would come as gifts from close relations like aunts, uncles or grandparents. Demands have skyrocketed. Children receive three, four, five and more outfits at Eid. Adults too opt for several outfits, even if it means an extra strain on the wallet. But there is a marked lack of excitement over the new clothes. Back in the day, a little girl would be overjoyed with just one new dress, hiding it away so no one could see it before Eid, taking furtive peeks at it now and then. It was fun. Now that anticipation and excitement has plummeted.
Food is a part and parcel of our culture and during Eid it is the main element of our celebrations. The Eid ‘staples’ are semai (sweet vermicelli generally cooked in milk), pilau, all sorts of beef, chicken and mutton preparations, kebabs and such. All of that is still there, but the Bangladeshi palate has acquired new tastes and new non-traditional items find place on the dining table. Steaks, grilled fish and other more ‘westernised’ dishes have gained in popularity and the dessert table is laden with much more than the usual semai, zarda and firni. There are brownies, éclairs, coconut jelly and so much more. There is still semai, but there’s soufflé too!
The massive exodus from the cities during Eid is another thing that hasn’t changed. But the thing that has changed is previously this exeunt was to the hometown. People would want to spend Eid with their families in the villages. There was something so warm about that, all about family ties, the bond of blood. People still go home to the villages during Eid, but a significantly large number of people go on vacation outside the country. Bangkok, Bali and Kuala Lumpur are among the popular Eid destinations. Such holidays had been restricted to the very rich in the past, but given the special ‘packages’ and ‘deals’ offered by travel agents, as well the enhanced affluence of the middle class, many opt to get away from it all at Eid. The diminished joint family system and the emergence of nuclear families is also a factor behind such Eid getaways.
Religiously speaking, a certain ingrained ritual is also markedly on the wane. It was a hard and fast rule to ‘salaam’ elders on Eid day, showing respect by touching their feet. And the elders would touch their heads in blessing and offer Eidi to the younger ones. But with certain stricter strains of Islam gaining influence in society, many frown upon such a practice as a form of ‘worship’ and so rule it out. But the majority still adheres to the practice, maintaining it is a token of respect, not worship.
And Dhaka? The weary city takes a break during Eid, once again going to the past when the roads were not so crowded, the air not so polluted and the people not so pressed for time. And the city knows one thing will never change. The three-day holiday will invariably stretch out to a week or more. The reluctant return of residents to the city is never rushed.