This Eid I only want Santa Claus!

I am sure you are all enjoying today: eating delicious food, wearing beautiful new clothes, visiting family and friends and obviously waiting anxiously for your Eid Gift Pakistan. What fun. After all, this is what Eid is about.

Unfortunately, not all of us are going to celebrate Eid in the traditional way.

There was a time, a few years ago, when the stores in Chaand Raat were filled with men and women frantically making their last errands for Eid at the last moment. All the stores had a bigger and brighter sign that said it offered a better discount than its counterparts, and even Thelay Waley cut its already low prices as a gesture to welcome the pious party we would all celebrate together.

We settled and committed to make sure everyone had the opportunity to celebrate, in whatever way they could manage.

A few days ago, I left my room and saw the maid sewing a slightly torn shirt. I had asked my mother to give her buttons that my mother was not going to use anymore so she could sew them on the upper part of her hand. I asked her what she was doing and she replied:

Ignorant of the fact that she was arranging a torn shirt, I continued to ask the obvious.

I regretted saying this as soon as the words came out of my mouth. A little embarrassed, she began timidly explaining how her pregnant daughter would leave her clothes behind anyway and things were too expensive to buy her an outfit this time.

As many of us already know, the word "sale" in Pakistan does not really mean sale. I am sure that all women who read this blog would agree, it is a deception in which our brains fall every time we see a banner that invites us to waste. The concept of a sale here is to increase the already extravagant price of a product by 20% and then put a 20% sale tag on it. Now, although I think that, in some dark corner of my business-oriented mind, that this was a really smart way to reduce losses, my conscience can not reconcile me with the concept of cheating someone when, obviously, I'm making a profit from everyone. modes. Especially on occasions like Eid!

As I mentioned in my previous blogs, my grandmother is a Czech citizen who converted to the Islam of Christianity by marrying my grandfather. However, we celebrate Christmas at home with as much enthusiasm as we do with Eid and, in recent times, to my great disappointment, I believe that celebrating Christmas is much more fun.

My conclusion here really has nothing to do with religion. I respect Eid's premise and I would celebrate it anyway, but I think parties like these, especially religious ones, are for children to enjoy. When I was younger, my grandfather did not believe in giving us money as a form of Eidi. All the children in the house, including myself, received sheets of paper with several clues, and those clues led us to our Eid gifts! Yes, we used to have a treasure hunt and that was a tradition until my grandfather died. This did not mean we received extravagant gifts, these gifts consisted mainly of candy, a sign and a board game, but the thrill of looking for those gifts was unparalleled! At that time in my life, Eid won. Hands down!

However, recently, the trend has changed and it has become so important that from the moment that Eid is anticipated to end on the third day, children are seen running for adults stalking them for money they can add to their already full wallets. of people who hide The remote corners resigned themselves to the financial pressures of the festivity.

Clothing must be purchased and food must be served, so the prices increase automatically. Eidi has to be managed so that you see small palms sticking out everywhere, but is this really what Eid is about?

Having been exposed to other worldly festivals, I can not help comparing the fact that at Christmas the world is filled with emotion because suddenly things are much more affordable. The prices are reduced to the absolute minimum possible and the spirit of the occasion takes over the radio waves weeks before. Enthusiastic buyers go far in advance, but those with less money wait until a little closer to the holidays to get better deals, but everything becomes what you want. The children are enthusiastic about the gifts that fill under the tree and the lights and decorations capture the streets. The gifts are not flashy shows of affection, but simple gestures wrapped in lights, decoration, a tree and an imaginary Santa Claus. It is exciting.