Eid is a time for family reunions

ALKHOBAR: Eid celebrations in the Kingdom are generally characterized by joy, social solidarity and tolerance, and they are occasions for family reunions where people renew bonds with family and friends.
Saudi citizens working far from relatives in other cities or other Gulf countries are looking forward to returning to their homes to spend the Eid holiday with their families and friends.
Fatimah Al-Balawi, a researcher who deals with popular heritage, said: “There is a great difference between Eid celebrations in villages, small towns and cities. Villages are still distinguished by a simple life, and residents there maintain the customs and traditions away from the monotony and boredom of life in the cities.”
Eid celebrations in the villages are marked by people wearing traditional clothing and cooking traditional meals, in addition to organizing folk events and camel racing and other displays, said Al-Balawi.
On the keenness to spend Eid in one’s hometown, Sahar Rajab, a psychologist and family consultant, said: “This is a healthy phenomenon stressing the presence of a strong connection with hometown, family and friends. This has a great positive psychological impact on the individual’s mental health.”
Speaking about his experience, Saud Al-Taiwehr said that Eid was not the same without being back at home. “It is a valuable opportunity and I wait to return to my hometown where there is a spirit of harmony and love in all houses and between families.”
Saud Al-Sarhani, another citizen working far away from home, said: “No celebration can be complete without one’s parents and old friends. With the coming of Eid, I am looking forward to returning to my village where I spent my childhood.”
He said that Eid celebrations in the villages are marked by family gatherings, drinking homemade Arabic coffee and eating desserts after Eid prayer. Then, everyone goes to congratulate the people in the village who are elderly or sick.
Describing Eid celebrations in cities as being formal, Abdullah Al-Balawi said that Eid in a village is considered a valuable chance to instill the principles of love, familiarity and compassion to all people, adding that Eid’s joy is doubled with the return of the village’s sons and whole families gathering for the celebration.