Expat families spend Eid visiting friends, relatives

The streets of Jeddah were in high spirits during the first day of the Eid-Al-Fitr festival.
While the Saudis were seen celebrating the festival at parks, malls and the Corniche, the expatriates say they prefer being in the company of friends and relatives during the festival.
Most of them are traveling to their home countries during the Eid holidays to spend with their families, while the others who have their relatives in the Kingdom stay back to celebrate Eid together.
Many expatriates say that gift-giving is part of tradition during the Eid-Al-Fitr festival in their countries, although giving cash is also a practice. Financial inability among some families tends to stop them from visiting friends and relatives to celebrate the festival.
“I think focusing on the tradition and sticking to it is what we must follow,” says Dina Saeed, a Lebanese mother. “It is wrong for one to avoid visiting his friends and relatives just because people are unable to buy any gifts or give them any cash to celebrate the festival. It is up to that person if someone wishes to give or ignore. It should never be thought as a ‘necessity’ for the festival.”
Saeed adds that according to her family tradition, the children are usually given all gifts, sweets and cash.
“The children usually receive little gifts and treats from everyone in the family. I personally prefer giving kids cash than gifts, so that they can buy what they like. Because if, one child gets a video game set and the other child in the same family gets a soft toy, it would be totally unfair. But yes, gifts are acceptable too and I welcome it.”
Ibrahim Shoukat, a Pakistani expatriate, said “We have never spent a single Eid festival alone. Starting from the night before Eid, all ladies in our family get together to color their hands with Mehendi and prepare varieties of special food together. On the morning of Eid, we all go together to perform the Eid prayer at the masjid and gather at one of our homes to enjoy breakfast, lunch, fun and dinner. On the second day of Eid, we plan trips with the family to other cities in Saudi Arabia to spend the festival. It has always been so much fun.”
Abdul Naser, an Indian expatriate, says that he doesn’t have any of his relatives living in the kingdom but always spends any special occasion in the company of his friends. “Eid this year is special too for us. I have invited all my friends and their families to spend Eid with us at home.”






Naser says that there is always some happiness in celebrating with family or friends, rather than going out alone and sightseeing.
“Me and my family prefer to stay back at home and enjoy together at all occasions,” he said.
“Being unable to give gifts or cash to children has never been an issue among us,” says Naser. “It depends on the person’s likes.”