Families get creative to keep up the festive spirit
Families are getting creative by designating prayer corners and children are busy in DIY activities. Malaysian expat Adeelatul and her family are not organising their annual “open house” this year. They usually organise a feast for 80 guests with home delicacies. This year the menu has been tweaked and they’ve decided to keep it simple.
“Our Eid table will not have traditional Malaysian biryani this year. Instead, I will prepare lemongrass rice with chicken curry. We have also prepared some Eid gift bags for a few of our friends and neighbours. We will hang it on their doors. Our Eid lights are already up. My daughter is excited about putting up streamers and Eid Mubarak banners on the main door. Our children will wear new clothes that I had bought earlier from Malaysia. All in all, we are trying to keep the tempo going as much as possible.”
Syrian expat Majd Al Khatib said an online meeting is on the cards though she will miss meeting her sister’s family in person.
“My sister’s family visits us every year which will not happen this time. It is indeed one of the most awaited events among us after a whole month of fasting. It is a day of spreading and sharing joy and happiness but this year has helped us to look inwards instead. I have spent more time with my children this year compared to any previous year. I am grateful for the quality time I spent with my family as I am a working mother,” she said. “Contrary to other years, we will be ordering food from outside this time as we cooked quite a lot this Ramadan since all of us were home.”