Most Read

Celebrating Eid in the US

20 November 2003, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By K M Zubair Sadeque, Duquesne University, USA
20 November 2003, 18:00 PM
Remembering the Dhaka Eids
There are certain things in Dhaka that simply cannot be found anywhere else. As a person who was born in Dhaka and spent almost all his lifetime there, I think I can never find in any other place in the world the kind of enjoyment we used to have while celebrating Eid in Dhaka. The people living in US certainly get to enjoy a great many things that people in Bangladesh can only dream of. Security of life, peace of mind, no traffic jam in the streets, clean air, and a constant supply of electricity or water are some of the privileges that are taken for granted by Bangladeshis living in the US. In exchange, as I see it, things like Eid celebrations are the price they have to pay for choosing to live in the US. For most Bangladeshis working here, Eid day is almost like any other business day. There is no national holiday for Eid. Many of them cannot afford to take leave on Eid day. Parents go to work and children go to school. It is surely quite different from the nation-wide Eid celebrations in Bangladesh.

However, despite all the limitations, people here do make an effort to celebrate Eid in the best way they can. They drive long distances with their families to say Eid prayers at the mosques. Unlike in Bangladesh, women here go to the mosques to say prayers. The mood and festivities of hugging each other and exchanging Eid greetings after the Eid prayer is perhaps the same as in Bangladesh. They may have to go to work on Eid day, but the joy of Eid stays with them throughout the day. At some later time, during one of the weekends, the Bangladeshi Association will organise an Eid reunion, where all the Bangladeshi families living in the area will get together and enjoy being a Bangladeshi Muslim. Eid here may not be as colourful and festive as it would have been in Bangladesh, but the spirit of Eid is perhaps the same everywhere, no matter which country or colour you belong to. Being new here, I still miss the Eid celebrations in Dhaka, but people who have made this land their home, celebrate Eid with the same spirit and passion as Bangladeshis living in Bangladesh do.

Google News LinkFor all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.