The Eid outfits are ready, you have planned to take time off for Eid Namaz and there is a big dinner planned over the weekend. You are all set for Eid, but is that exciting and memorable for your kids? Emm…not really!
Eid is a time of anticipation, celebration and gatherings. I have amazing memories of Eid from my childhood and wish to pass on the same love of the festival to my children growing up as Canadian-Pakistanis in North America. I wrote a guest post about my thoughts on this topic last year. If you face a similar situation as us, with kids growing up away from family and the natural atmosphere of Eid we took so much for granted, here are some tips to make Eid exciting for your kids.
1. Eidi/Gifts
In my childhood Eidi (Eid gifts) was one of the biggest reason I looked forward to Eid. As parents we can gradually introduce the kids to the spirit of the celebration, but let’s face it, the kids want Eidi. Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day etc are huge and while celebrating any of these is a family’s personal decision, to make Eid stand out, Eidi is your best tool.
Eid gifts in our house are not expensive, but nicely wrapped. They are also what the kids want. In order to make Eid exciting for my kids, I have created a character called Chachi Eid who brings presents for the kids the night before Eid. The kids let me know what they want Chachi Eid to bring for them beforehand and we write her a letter (in urdu ofcourse!). Like Santa Claus, she also loves to eat, and we leave out some paratha for her, instead of milk and cookies.
