No lavish Eid feasts due to Covid-19 precautions
The festival calendar has been rendered dull this year, thanks to the Covid-19 crisis. Eid-ul-adha, which begins on July 31 this year, and culminates on August 1 in India as per moon sighting, will be a lowkey celebration for many. Author Sadia Dehlvi says, “We used to have nice lunches, but this year, it’ll be very quiet. My brother and his wife will come over and we’ll have dinner; that’s about it.” Meanwhile, author Rakhshanda Jalil, who makes elaborate meals on Eid, will be letting go of this tradition. “We usually have an open house, but this year, there will be no gathering,” she says.
It will be a quiet celebration for author Rana
Safvi, too, who shares, “We’ll be celebrating in spirit. My daughter, who lives in Delhi, won’t be able to visit as I live in Greater Noida and there are restrictions on movement.”
Visiting relatives and exchanging gifts is an intrinsic part of festivals, but with the current restrictions, this is also not feasible. “Our family has this rule: No meeting, no Eidi. So that’s sad,” says chef Sadaf Hussain, adding, “We would go to our mama’s (maternal uncle) house in Ghaziabad... For the first time in nine years, we won’t be visiting his house... At home, we will be making biryani and kebabs. Iss baar ek khaalipan toh hai, but we are getting used to this way of life now.”