Remembering the deceased: Tradition of visiting graves of loved ones remains intact

People still go to graveyards on Eid day in various parts of K-P

PESHAWAR: It may have become a bygone practice, but even to date people in some parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa visit the graves of their loved ones during Eid.

In Lower Dir, both men and women visit graveyards to pay respect to their deceased relatives.

Elders in Lower Dir say they have been visiting the graves of their relatives since time immemorial. They do so with the intention of “meeting the deceased” on Eid.

“We visit graveyards to meet our relatives who have died,” 70-year-old Sher Zamin Khan, a resident of the district, told The Express Tribune, while he was sitting next to his wife’s grave.

He recalled the time when food stalls and swings would be arranged at graveyards in parts of the province on Eid day.

“Such festivals were all inclusive, where men, women and children used to partake in Eid celebrations,” he said.

Sher Zamin added see-saw, merry-go-round and food stalls would be set up in such festivals that would go on for three days for Eid. But, he did not know why such festivals were held on at graveyards.

However, festivals have become a thing of the past – children no longer accompany their elders to visit graveyards.

However, Malak Alamgir, 45, believes the festivals had nothing to do with people visiting the graveyards. He said the festivals were held on the premises as there are usually many trees in graveyards which were used to fasten ropes for merry-go-rounds.

“The graves would be visited after Fajr prayers – by that time the festivals were not started,” he said.

Maulana Faizul Ghafoor believes visiting graveyards on Eid day has less to do with religion. He said it is more of a cultural practice.

Shared ritual

It is not just in K-P that people visit the graves of their loved ones on Eid – the practice takes place outside Pakistan as well.

In China, after Eid prayers, Muslims gather at the tomb of Sayyid Ajjal, founder of Zhongjing Cheng city of China. This was mentioned on the website of Eid, that is run my various organisations from Detroit.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2016.