Memories, Tradition and Treasured moments

I.

You remember days of old, when you spent your Ramadan days in the heat of the middle east – the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – and you feel a pang in your heart grab you unawares in the middle of your bus journey to your father’s homeland. 

This entire country is your homeland, but you never grew up here. For 9 months your mother carried you, leagues away from Bangladesh. She brought you here just for your birth, just for a technicality. 

You were reared here for a little less than a year, and then flown away back to the warm embrace of the birthplace of Islam, where life would treat you well for the next 20-or-so years. 

There you grew, spent your scorching summer days commuting between school and coaching, and your cool, fall nights reading Sparks and Hoover. 

Your Ramadan days were likewise spent in grandeur; there would be large spreads during iftar made up of the sweetest ripe dates; with wraps dipped with hummus and something made out of mustard (of which I always forget the name); coupled with the most artificially flavored jug of Tang to help the food down. And you would look at your whole family present – your father, mother, brother and sister. 

But today you travel by bus, to your father’s homeland, without your father. He, far away in the middle east, while the rest of his family, priming themselves to spend another Eid without him. You can’t help but blink away a tear.

Written by Sajal Hossain Dhaly

II.

When the word “Eid” crosses my mind, it triggers a rush of dopamine. I reminisce about my younger days, eagerly rushing to the veranda about the sound of someone announcing “Eid Mubarak, the moon has been sighted.” This announcement has been a tradition for two decades, delivered by the same person. The atmosphere at home during Eid is filled with joy; my mother busily prepares a plethora of dishes; while urging me and my siblings to decorate the home. Meanwhile, my father rushes to the local shop for some last minute purchases. Shopping on chand raat is what adds another layer of festivity to the entire process. I have always cherished applying henna on Chand raat; you would find me intricately designing until the early hours of the morning on most Eids. In my younger years, we were a joint family and the celebrations were undoubtedly more grand. The joy that Eid brings is unparalleled — the thrill of dressing up in new Eid clothes, reuniting with cousins and friends, indulging in different dishes, receiving Eidi and later counting it, brought unlimited bliss. Now as days go by, we grow into adults, our parents age—all these memories feel even closer to the heart. These remind us to savor every moment together during Eid, as life evolves, these cherished moments become our most treasured possessions. 

Written by Razin Sumyta Monsoor