I think this festival id-ul-fitr was also call bakr-id. atleast that is what I remember in the calendars. however we will stick with eid.
My family, when I was growing up, was never into looking at the calendars. Almost all my birthdays were missed, the star one never being observed, the calendar one forgotten due to non tearing of months. Or the days in the daily tear calendar. many many weeks later, mom would wonder, as to me a year older, and vowing to celebrate it the following year. only to be forgotten ofcourse !!
In my early teens, I remember one day, tearing a few months in the monthly calender, one morning just for feeling good, and suddenly discovering that particular day was id ul fitr. I told my mom that it was a holiday, and scooted off in my bike, to mount road, usis british council till lunch time, when hunger beckoned me homewards. before she could challenge me.
Passing gopalapuram high school, I thought it was strange that the boys playing in the grounds; further more all the pretty lasses of stella maris were out in one throng, exhibiting, yes, their pretty selves. made me wonder..
Went home and looked at the calendar again, and checked the date on the day’s hindu paper.
Sure enough, I had called eid one week early.
Those being innocent times, fortunately, I did not incite any riots, especially being a fakir, calling for islam’s holy days.
Even mom wasn’t annoyed to my surprise. She laughed it off, but from then on, whenever I announced a holiday, I noticed that she would furtively go to the calendar and verify that it indeed was a day off.
The real eid came a week later, and ofcourse i skipped school on that day also; and so yours truly, for one year, celebrated id ul fitr, with a day off, twice. For the same reason. Now tell me, I don’t think, anybody else in the world were so lucky. no?.
But then I got a big gripe. for no post is complete without a bitch!
Growing up in india, with its myriads of religion and languages, we used to have about 18 stat holidays. Which was fun, for every month, the weeks were broken with days off. some months it felt like we had more days off than school days. gandhi's birthday was a day off. nehru's birthday ditto...etc etc
In Canada, for a long time, we had only measly 8 statutory holidays; many a year, between new years and easter, sometimes there maybe 4 months gap without a day’s break, and thus triggering more february suicides.
Though only for the past two years, we have a day off in February. so now maybe we have nine, and there is always pressure to take one way. canadians could learn something from india here, i think.
Even in india, for entire groups of folks to go without a holiday for them to celebrate. it happens...
Take nara for instance. We need an atheist day so that he too can feel part of the bharat mahaan. Perhaps periyar’s birth day could be set aside as atheist day.
Then we will have Yamaka wondering about nature lovers or whatever group he considers the group that adheres. We can have a tree hugger day for the birth day of shirly maclaine or Raquel Welch (I prefer Raquel for two very good reasons!)..
I think, folks in the usa are lucky. They have about 11 stat holidays I think. Atleast it feels. Whenever I talk to my cousins south of the border, they appear to have the day off. maybe they lost their jobs, and not telling. you think?
My family, when I was growing up, was never into looking at the calendars. Almost all my birthdays were missed, the star one never being observed, the calendar one forgotten due to non tearing of months. Or the days in the daily tear calendar. many many weeks later, mom would wonder, as to me a year older, and vowing to celebrate it the following year. only to be forgotten ofcourse !!
In my early teens, I remember one day, tearing a few months in the monthly calender, one morning just for feeling good, and suddenly discovering that particular day was id ul fitr. I told my mom that it was a holiday, and scooted off in my bike, to mount road, usis british council till lunch time, when hunger beckoned me homewards. before she could challenge me.
Passing gopalapuram high school, I thought it was strange that the boys playing in the grounds; further more all the pretty lasses of stella maris were out in one throng, exhibiting, yes, their pretty selves. made me wonder..
Went home and looked at the calendar again, and checked the date on the day’s hindu paper.
Sure enough, I had called eid one week early.
Those being innocent times, fortunately, I did not incite any riots, especially being a fakir, calling for islam’s holy days.
Even mom wasn’t annoyed to my surprise. She laughed it off, but from then on, whenever I announced a holiday, I noticed that she would furtively go to the calendar and verify that it indeed was a day off.
The real eid came a week later, and ofcourse i skipped school on that day also; and so yours truly, for one year, celebrated id ul fitr, with a day off, twice. For the same reason. Now tell me, I don’t think, anybody else in the world were so lucky. no?
.But then I got a big gripe. for no post is complete without a bitch!
Growing up in india, with its myriads of religion and languages, we used to have about 18 stat holidays. Which was fun, for every month, the weeks were broken with days off. some months it felt like we had more days off than school days. gandhi's birthday was a day off. nehru's birthday ditto...etc etc
In Canada, for a long time, we had only measly 8 statutory holidays; many a year, between new years and easter, sometimes there maybe 4 months gap without a day’s break, and thus triggering more february suicides.
Though only for the past two years, we have a day off in February. so now maybe we have nine, and there is always pressure to take one way. canadians could learn something from india here, i think.
Even in india, for entire groups of folks to go without a holiday for them to celebrate. it happens...
Take nara for instance. We need an atheist day so that he too can feel part of the bharat mahaan. Perhaps periyar’s birth day could be set aside as atheist day.
Then we will have Yamaka wondering about nature lovers or whatever group he considers the group that adheres. We can have a tree hugger day for the birth day of shirly maclaine or Raquel Welch (I prefer Raquel for two very good reasons!)..
I think, folks in the usa are lucky. They have about 11 stat holidays I think. Atleast it feels. Whenever I talk to my cousins south of the border, they appear to have the day off. maybe they lost their jobs, and not telling. you think?
