Nerissa Hosein is a stay at home wife and mother to two beautiful boys. Writing has always been a form of expression for her.

Eid signifies the end of the month of Ramadhan for us Muslims. It is a month where we fast from sun up to sun down in an effort to give thanks for all that we have been granted in this life. It is a time of reflection and perservenace and as Muslims we look forward to it. As the month of Ramadhan ends we celebrate the new month of Shawwal.

As a child growing up Eid was a particularly special event in my life. It was a day of gathering, of spending time with the people I love and making memories that would last my entire lifetime.  If I close my eyes I can still see the images of the night before, my grand father cooking roti and my parents preparing the house for the next day by changning curtains and last minute painting. I can still smell the scent of the kurma and hulwa being made. How I loved to watch the elders as they bustled around getting everything ready, leaving the burfi unattended so my cousins and I could steal a few pieces.

My young days are filled with memories of Eid mornings, the traditional sawine breakfast and the rush of getting dressed to go to mosque. How I loved getting ready with my entire family to go to mosque.  We would go together, pray together and then before we left, we would go over to the lines of the less fortunate and give charity. It is a day for giving and the more we gave, the better it felt to help. Then we would come home and spend the rest of the day as a family, being together and hosting our neighbours and friends with tasty food and deserts.  Thinking of those days spent by my grandparents’ house makes me smile.

Now in my thirties with two kids of my own I have passed on these special moments to my children. My family and I still come together ever year to make this day a traditional Eid. It is an important custom for me. My husband, coming from a Muslim home, also understads the importance of passing these beliefs on to our boys. My inlaws and my family are very close so to all of us Eid is an important day that we still hold very dear. Of course it is sometimes bitter sweet as my mother-in-law, father-in-law and grandfather have passed on. These elders were the ones that taught us the value of this day so every Eid comes with a moment of saddness as we miss them. But it gives us strenght in knowing that we are doing what they would have wanted.

To me, most imporantly, Eid is not only about religious practices and traditions, it is a day that is cemented by the bond of Family. It is a day to put aside all petty arguments, all the burdens of work and finiancial strain and give gratitude for the fact that we still have. We sit and talk to our children about the less fortunate and explain to them that there are many in this world, that even on a day like Eid, while our house is filled with food, are starving.

I hold Eid dear to my heart because I was taught the importance of family at an early age. It is a custom I will pass on to my children in hopes that 20 years from now I will be at their house, gathered with their family passing it on to another generation.

So as Eid approaches I say Eid Mubarak to the entire Muslim community. Let us all remember not only to give thanks on this glorious day but for it to serve as a reminder that we are lucky to be with our families and to have our basic needs met as so many in this world have not even that luxury in life.  Eid Mubabrak!