Hello everyone! So Eid is just around the corner and the month of blessings is almost over. Ever since I have understood and embraced the concept of fasting, I make sure that I must reward myself with nice and beautiful dresses for this occasion. After all, Eid is all about celebrations and festivity. So now that the Eid is here, I’m going to reminiscent about my beautiful past and introduce you to my current Eid style and how I usually celebrate it!

My family, my parents’ family actually, is extremely laid back when it comes to preparing for anything, and by anything I mean anything. I clearly recall that we would go for Eid shopping (clothes, shoes, accessories) on the last day of Ramazan and that too only when the Moulana would break the news on TV. It really depended on the news as if we never knew that Eid is happening. So if the news broke at 10 PM, that’s when we would head out for shopping and if the moon is sighted at 7 PM, that is when we would start getting the panic attacks. You can now send us slow claps for being this lazy…but honestly, my whole family was like this!

I have no idea why we would never do any preparation before Chand Raat – and then what a thrilling Chand Raat it used to be. I recall how my father used to get angry for dragging him out at the last minute but we never paid any heed 🙂

PS: This circle Mehndi design is my all-time favorite. May be because this one is super easy to make and requires no help 🙂

When I got married – the new household was 180 degree opposite to my childhood norms. My mother-in-law prepares everything at least six month earlier for the upcoming event. Then she would further prepare the whole family after tossing all possible events that could happen. I silently embraced this tradition and this helped me a lot in many ways. I’m now more organized and at peace about such big occasions.

You all must be aware of the lawn frenzy in Pakistan. All the designer lawns start coming in by February/March and they all go out of stock before hitting the actual marketplace where they are supposed to come. So this is when I buy my Eid clothes. Due to immense heat in this country, all the females in the family have boycotted chiffons and silks for these festivities for quite some years now. Thanks to the urgency which is being created at home, I usually buy something this early and then keep it until Eid. This makes my Eid prep really smooth and chill.

I believe that Silk dupattas and embroidered shirts are just the right attire for this occasion as I cannot handle anything beyond this heavy under such high temperatures. I used to wear heavy/formal clothes (embellished with dabka and stone work on silk or banaras)  when I was a newly wed – but then the weather used to be a bit cooler and the expectations for wearing something gaudy were high as well.

PS: This shirt front was embellished with stone work – couldn’t find any front picture so please bear with this. It was perhaps the first Eid-ul-Fitr after my wedding – 2012 

Eid and birthday are those occasions which, if not celebrated, bring a lot of  sadness. At least, I think of these two days this way. So either we get invited somewhere or we invite someone over – this is how I believe Eid should be spent.

I always try to meet my old friends on Eid especially if we haven’t seen each other since ages. Beyond the food and dress preparation, Eid is actually about sharing love and happiness with the ones who are close to your heart. We normally have a lot many GTs lined up within the family and this makes it really fun.

I miss exchanging Eid cards now, which were once the super essentials of Eid-ul-Fitr. I remember having a corner at home where all the Eid cards were decorated. And they used to be filled with funny poems and verses – remember everyone the “dabbay pay dabba” kind of verses that would make us smile??? Now the cards have been replaced with an SMS. Very boring and dull medium for saying exciting things- no ?? Sometimes I do miss the old-fashioned customs we had!

I’m excited about Eid and look forward to meeting my family and friends. This whole concept is enriched with values. Calling up all our long lost relatives and saying a little wish can sometimes do wonders. This Eid journey also matures with age. From being the youngest in the family and asking for Eidi to being a mom of two and giving Eidi to all the kids in the family – I have come a long way so far and trust me, every phase is beautiful.

I wish you all a very happy Eid  in advance 🙂