Food, friends, family and fun dominate Eid

KARACHI:

After a hiatus of two long years due to Covid-19 enforced lockdowns, the occasion of Eidul Fitr was finally about friends, family, food, fashion, and festivity.

With an end to social distancing, people happily hugged each other after Eid prayers, shook hands and greeted each. During the three days of Eid, feasts were arranged by the citizens at their homes. Traditional food and desserts were prepared in houses as people went to their relatives and friends' places to celebrate the festive occasion which arrives at the end of a month of fasting and prayer. Gifts were exchanged on the occasion of Eid.

Men, women, elders, boys and girls wore new clothes and looked their best to mark the occasion. The kids, who had perhaps been the most affected due to a lack of Eidi, were handed fresh notes by the elders of their family to spend on whatsoever they desired. Social activist Ahmed Raza says there are no restrictions on the occasion of Eid this year due to the curbed spread of the coronavirus epidemic.

"People celebrated Eid in full swing," he adds. During the three days of Eidul Fitr in Karachi, there was a rush at recreational and coastal areas of the city.

Women at the forefront

Women appeared to be the busiest on Eid. Khaleda Begum, a housewife, is glad that all the traditional fanfare has been restored on Eid.

During the three days of Eid, feasts were arranged at homes different types of dishes were prepared. There were few opportunities for rest. Famlies went on eid get togethers and as usual there was a tussel of fashion, makeup, mehndi and hairdo amog women.

Head to the picnic spots

When asked by The Express Tribune, locals such as Asif, Asim, Kashif point out that people gathered at the zoo, safari park, Hill Park and other recreational spots with their families.

In most of these facilities of Karachi, the youth went for walks in groups. In the coastal areas, people were seen dancing to different cultural songs. Clifton and other coastal areas were more crowded as the water and pleasant winds of the beaches provided a relief from the intense heat. People bathed in the sea and enjoyed themselves to the fullest.

Temporary stalls selling different snacks including pani puri, chana chat, and other food items were seen in large numbers at the entertainment venues. The children who celebrated Eidul Fitr were thoroughly entertained.

The establishment of temporary entertainment venues in different parts of the city doubled the joys of Eid for them. Abdul Majeed, in-charge of a makeshift business of swings and rides says children rode camels and horses in different areas.

They also enjoyed different types of swings. Tongas and chariots were also seen in many areas on which boys and girls sat and enjoyed themselves. Small trains with six to eight coaches were also run in many areas for which locals paid a nominal fare of Rs20 per person for a ride. Apart from this, the children put their Eidi to good use by buying ice cream, chana chaat and other food items from the stalls.

Food streets

Due to the lack of coronavirus restrictions, restaurants, barbecue joints and other food and beverage shops experienced a huge rush.

The city's food streets were crowded at night due to the hot weather during the daytime. According to Javed Ahmed, the owner of an eatery, locals consumed a variety of food and drink with their families at night in Clifton, Boat Basin, Kharadar, Burns Road, Bahadurabad, Hassan Square, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, Super Highway, Hussainabad, and other areas.

Migrant workers folorn for home

While most locals celebrated Eid with their families in full swing, others arrived in Karachi to earn a living due to financial difficulties and could not join the festivities.

However, due to limited sources of income, they could not return to their native areas. Ataullah Khan, a cobbler in Liaquatabad, says he has been in Karachi for two years. He sent home what he earned in Ramazan due to inflation and other expenses.

"I didn't have enough money to go back to my hometown. Hundreds of visitors, including me, celebrated Eid at their temporary residences," he adds. "We returned to our camp after offering Eid prayers. After resting for a while, went to the beach and after having fun, came back and slept."