The Holidays!

We all celebrate our holidays in a very different, beautiful, and extraordinary way. And since I have Muslim, Christian, and Jewish family members, I feel that I am so lucky that I can eat delicious food three times a year! Haha…

My aunt from California (my uncle’s wife) is half Jewish and half Christian, and I have another aunt in France who is Christian as well, and we exchange a lot of peace, joy and love.

Today, it is Eid El Fitr (a festival marking the end of Ramadan). We took the day off work and school to celebrate and spend the day with family and friends. However, holiday celebrations now are so diverse from years or decades ago. When I reflect on my childhood, I still remember how fun our holidays used to be. You can hear Eid festivities on speakers coming out of houses and surrounding mosques. After Salat (prayers), people smile and greet each other, kids run around, and neighbors out the street wish each other a happy Eid (Holiday).

In the afternoon, we used to gather at my grandmother’s house for a delicious couscous. It is our traditional plate for special occasions (I have the recipe in a previous article). That smell of the couscous and other traditional homemade cookies! Just thinking of all these memories makes me feel homesick.

Unfortunately, being abroad for an extended period of time, or maybe forever, means you will not get to be home for the holidays. Being away from our family, friends, and traditions during the most festive season of the year can sometimes be a bit of a downer.

In addition, our kids will not have the same opportunity to spend holidays the way we spent them in our childhood. They will not have the same experience. However, we as parents can create a new holiday tradition away from home. The world is full of fun and interesting ways to celebrate. And it can be rewarding to celebrate our Eid in a new way, or different ways.

I always take my kids to the Mosque (Masjid) the morning of Eid:

The best thing about Eid in the US is that all Muslims gather at the masjid for salat el Eid (prayers). Men, women, and kids. It is the best opportunity for our kids to learn about Eid and meet other traditions through all the different people we meet from around the world. Eid in the US is very international, and I love it! You get to know a lot of other people, traditions, and food.

I believe that our kids are lucky to be so international. In fact, they learn a lot about different cultures.

Kids sharing tradition with other kids:

I missed doing it this Eid, but I will do it and get my kids involved next Eid Insha’Allah since we are ambassadors for our home countries. The holidays can be a fun time to share our own traditions with new friends.

My kids and I will start buying small gifts that represent our Algerian culture and give them to other friends. Another idea is to draw Algerian flags and let my kids color them and write underneath *Eid Mubarak from Algeria* and give them to other kids in our community. This will help kids learn about other countries, their flags, and traditions.

Stay in touch with family:

Teaching our kids to stay in touch with family is part of our religion and tradition. It is important to ask our kids to always call, or even send a letter, to their grandparents, uncles, and cousins. Moreover, with technology we can even see them and chat with them through the screen.

I made it a new tradition to call all family members back home and ask my son to talk to them and tell them Eid Mubarak. I just want him to get used to it and stick to it.

Another idea is to send flowers or gifts before the holiday starts. Therefore, they can receive them on Eid day. Let’s make grandparents feel very special on Eid day.

Eid will not last forever. It is just one day, so let’s make that one day memorable with our kids and family.