Eid Mubarak! and some childhood memories

All my best wishes for Eid Al-Fitr!

This week-end Muslims around the world will visit their families to share food and gifts - show their solidarity, respect to their loved ones. It reminds of when I was kid: when my grand parents were still alive we would drive to Denmark every Christmas to celebrate with our family. We were living 2000km away and it was just the way it was. I loved it: packing the car, taking my pillow and getting settled in the back of the car. Before we were out of the village we usually had to drive back to the house to check if the iron was unplugged or because we had forgotten this or that. Then the whole drive through France, Germany, take the boat and arrive in a very cold Denmark, but full of Christmas spirit! We used to live with my grand parents in their apartment. Christmas Eve Day, my grand dad wanted me to come with him and I had to visit all the other "old" people in the building. It was very important for him that I went with him and even though it was boring and that I couldn't really see the point I still went, for him. Years later, after my grand-dad had passed away of course I could see the point - and as I was usually away from the family or my parents friends, for years I wrote Christmas cards and send my wishes: away for me to show my love and respect.

You might wonder why I talk about this: well first of all I believe that all "our religions" are not that different from each other - we might honour our God in different ways but when it comes to festive seasons all the traditions are the same and made for the same reasons: honour God and keep families close together. Then there is an article in the paper today about this Eid tradition of paying visits and the fact that the younger generation are less interested in the traditions, when they are "forced" visits. I think it's a shame that younger generations tend to forget traditions or can't be bothered with them. I don't know if it's education or just our society that changes so much. Maybe it's because we knew that we didn't have a choice and nowadays everything is just open for discussion. Whatever it is I hope that I will be able to transmit to Bibs the importance of traditions.

Well, well. Yesterday we went to do some shopping an apart from food outlets and supermarkets everything was closed to celebrate Eid. The streets were quiet. We saw people nicely dressed going to visit their families and big reunions on the terraces.

Once again, Eid Mubarak!