Navqi-mohamed on the joyful Celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr

Ramadan’s lessons will stay with me in the months ahead

Colourful bangles, intricate patterns of henna stained on my hands, matching nail polish and pretty new clothes — that’s how I remember Eid as a child. Eid-ul-Fitr, which this year falls on Friday June 15, is the celebration following 30 days of fasting by Muslims the world over for Ramadan. It is one of two Eids in the calendar year. The second comes approximately two months and 10 days after the first and coincides with the pilgrimage of Hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The second half of Ramadan would be spent cleaning, dusting, shopping for our brightly coloured Eid outfits and preparing to invite over friends and family. We’d make our way to the mosque for early morning prayers where we’d see the entire community. Anyone and everyone would be at Eid prayers dressed in their best clothes. As soon as prayers were over, my cousins, friends and I used to run to each other and compare henna designs, proudly showing off the bright orange and deep brown natural stains. I’d wait all morning for that moment and beam with pride at the patterns my mom would have drawn on my hands the night before using a toothpick.

Kids would receive goodies following the Eid prayer; they would sometimes consist of goodie bags, other times vouchers for the landmark ice cream shop across the street from the mosque where I grew up. Sometimes a family friend would give out a $20 bill; a large sum of money for a little girl. I distinctly remember waving that $20 in the air and shouting something

As a parent, I am always looking for new and creative ways to celebrate Eid ...

about being a millionaire.

While many things have changed since those days, others have not. I love to dress my kids up in beautiful new outfits that have been picked out with care, continuing the tradition. I make sure my daughter and I have our henna done (although my son does love a good batman or superman symbol out of henna too)! Our clothes are ironed and laid out the night before. A traditional vermicelli pudding (savaiyaan) floating in a bath of warm, sweet milk is topped with crushed pistachios, saffron and sliced dates must be ready for the special breakfast dessert. (You know it’s a special day when you get dessert after breakfast!) It’s Eid day, the day to feast. While we grew up receiving Eidi (monetary gifts), my siblings and I prefer to give gifts to friends and family to celebrate a month of 17-hour fasts each day. I wrap and label gifts in the nights leading up to Eid, choosing each present with love and care.

As a parent, I am always looking for new and creative ways to celebrate Eid and impart its joy and excitement to my children. Our Ramadan lights convert into Eid lights; we hang up a special banner a friend made for us years ago with our children’s names on it wishing them an Eid Mubarak (Happy Eid).

I have fasted since I was a little girl. Doing so is about more than just not eating or drinking, but it’s about conditioning ourselves spiritually for the entire year.

When you go without food or water, it enhances your self-awareness, it increases your sense of selflessness, it humbles you, and you become more inclined to empathize with those who are less fortunate. While the month of fasting has come to an end, the lessons of humility, compassion, selflessness and peaceful coexistence carry forth.

This year, as I celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, I am reflecting on the many friends new and old with whom I have shared the past month of Ramadan.

Whether we were breaking our fast in a church, a synagogue, a restaurant or a mosque, the spirit of peaceful harmony, love and compassion filled our hearts and will stay with us for the months to come. Eid Mubarak.

Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed is the founder and editor in chief of CanadianMomEh.com, a lifestyle blog. twitter.com/canadianmomeh