Eid 2020: Sawaiyyan, family and Eidi

Pakistani celebs share what makes their religious holiday oh-so-special

KARACHI: Muslims around the world are celebrating the three-day Eidul Fitr festival, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The timing of Eidul-Fitr, or "the festival of breaking the fast", begins with the first sighting of the new moon, and it often varies from country to country.

Celebrations begin with a special early morning prayer in mosques and open-air spaces and later move on to feasts and festivals. However, the celebrations this year might not seem as festive as they usually do. With the coronavirus pandemic luring over everyone and the recent tragic incident of PIA's Karachi bound flight, the Eid spirit has been lost.
But on the lighter note, we sat down with some local celebs and asked them their usual Eid routine and what are their must-haves on the festive season.



“My Eid is all about family, friends, lots of food and paying salam and respect to elders,” actor Faysal Qureshi told The Express Tribune.

“Eidi is obviously a must for the youngsters, then there’s sheer kurma and of course Eid prayer." Talking about the family tradition, the Muqaddar star revealed, "There’s also an annual family dinner, but unfortunately this year it will be online via zoom, with our own one dish in front of us."

Rockstar Umair Jaswal told The Express Tribune that his Eid isn't Eid without his mum’s homemade Sawaiyyan post-Eid namaz. But his family tradition isn't just an annual Eid dinner.



It's dinner with a twist! "A family tradition that has been going on for decades is Dad making beef Haleem every Eid. Takes him two days to make it but it's worth it."



Naveen Waqar's Eid isn't Eid without her family together." The Humsafar actor added, "It's a tradition for my entire family to eat Eid lunch together on the first day, especially share meetha after."



Angeline Malik shared how this Eid is going to be without many things that are part of her Eid every year. "Our Eid isn’t Eid without Sawaiyyan but I don’t think I’ll be tasting any Sawaiyyan this time because I don’t have the heart to cook it."



Khalid Malik responded that his Eid isn't Eid without "a kiss and a hug from my kids and those voices that shout out Eid Mubarak!" Speaking about his family traditions, Malik divulged, "It's been a thing for us where we have something sweet before leaving for our Eid prayers at the mosque. That still continues today."



Sara Loren's Eid is all about meetha and bangles. "It’s a tradition and must be carried on," the actor shared. "My mom gives Eidi to everyone especially now that she’s also a grandmother. She also cooks for us every Eid. We enjoy having mama’s home-cooked meals as opposed to those made by the chef. So every Eid her cooking is a staple."



Like many others, Abdullah Qureshi Eid isn't Eid without his family. His family Eid traditions comprise of "the whole family gathering at my uncle’s place for lunch, there are about 70 people and that means lots of Eidi."