Sudanese in upbeat mood over Eid holidays

Sudanese people in the capital are in an upbeat mood with the onset of Eid Al-Fitr. Many of them will visit the celebrations at some of the 200 event locations set-up by the Riyadh Municipality to mark the festival.
“Many will visit relatives in places like Qassim, Jeddah and Dammam,” Muchtar Muhammad Ali told Arab News on Sunday. Muchtar works as a translator at the Cassidian Saudi Company.
Close to 500,000 Sudanese live in the Kingdom with the majority living in and around Riyadh.
“We have left Riyadh for the past two years to celebrate Eid in the Eastern Province,” said Adel Eishiger, a Sudanese project manager at the Riyadh Zoo.
This year he and his family stayed in Riyadh to celebrate. They stayed home on Sunday and played card games as a way of bonding and passing time together. They also visited with relatives.
“In the evening my wife Erma and four daughters attended a wedding reception and I wore my jalabaya and turban, our national dress,” he said.
Taha Mohammad Taha, a financial analyst at Taj Consulting Office, said many Sudanese visit old relatives who are unwell and extend their best wishes to them. Toward the end of the holiday relatives gather in one place and spend the night together.
“We bring food and make the occasion as festive as possible. We play cards and sing while the children play,” he said.
On these occasions we enjoy each other’s company and hope for good health so we can meet again the following year,” he added.