Ai aab-e-rood-e-Ganga woh din hai yaad tujhko
Utra tere kinare jab kaarvan hamara
— Iqbal
The idea of going home for Id is a highly evocative one, especially for those who live in cities round the year. This year, as Id falls during a long weekend, I find myself celebrating it en famile in a small town in eastern Uttar Pradesh. All around me the sights, sounds and smells convey the excitement of the big day on Monday. Sewaiyan, a special dessert for Id, have been bought and cooked in vast quantities; this being the heart of the Gangetic plain, the syrupy version made out of an incredibly fine variety. Mountains of finely sliced onions have been fried to a nice crispy brown. Stacks of crockery and cutlery have been washed for the feasting tomorrow.
New clothes have been stitched for the young and old. The chooriwali has already made her round and sold dozens of glittering glass bangles. The mehndiwali has been instructed to show up by evening to apply intricate patterns on the palms of eagerly waiting young girls. And, of course, the goats have been bought and tethered in the compound.
Unlike the other Id — Id-ul-Fitr that is celebrated after the month-long fasting during Ramzan, this Id, or Id-uz-Zuha, also popularly known as Bakrid in India, is a solemn occasion. While the word “Id” literally means festival and both occasions are festive, Id-uz-Zuha is also a day of remembrance.
It reminds Muslims the world over of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice the thing that was dearest to him — his first-born child Ismail — to a command from Allah. It also marks the culmination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which is not merely farz (obligatory) and one of the five pillars of Islam but also a matter of great pride and joy for Muslims the world over.
If Id-ul-Fitr gives the occasion to celebrate and partake of the bounty that Allah has granted after a month of abstinence and introspection, this Id reminds Muslims of the importance of qurbani (sacrifice) as well as patience and constancy — the hallmarks of a true believer.
While peace and salutations are offered to Abraham everyday as part of the daily namaz, on this day his obedience and is commemo-rated by a token act of sacrificing an animal such as a goat or sheep.
The day begins with prayers in an Idgah; across South Asia women still do not go to the mosque to pray, preferring to offer their daily prayers as well as the special Id one at home. Whereas women in the Far East, West Asia and other Muslim-dominated areas do go to mosques where they offer prayers not alongside the men but in demarcated areas.
The Id namaz is followed by a special khutbah (sermon) and then, after the customary Id greeting of embracing three times, the men usually go to graveyards to offer fateha (special prayers) to their ancestors.
The family graveyard in Bhadohi, which is where I am to celebrate Id, is a charming spot located next to the Idgah; it is cathartic to remember the dead in this serene space with towering trees and flowering bushes.
The biryani at X dadi’s house is a cherished memory as are the kebab’s at Y chacha’s home, not to mention the akhra (ribs) cooked by his sister.
The new daughter-in-law of Z bhabhi, so one is told in tones of hushed awe, makes the most incredible paye (trotters).
And then, of course, the sheer (milky sewaiyan) made by Z bhabhi is the stuff that sweet dreams are made of.
The young get to stuff their pockets and purses with Idi money and the old fill their bellies to bursting point with layer upon layer of special dishes.
But for those who have come from distant places, Id is a time to reconnect and replenish family bonds.
The writer is a literary critic and translator.
Her most recent book is Liking Progress, Loving Change: A Literary History of the Progressive Writers’ Movement in Urdu
