The Id El Kabir celebration used to be one of my favorite season of the year when I was growing up apart from the Christmas and New year season. It is called Odun Ileya in Yorubaland where I spent a handful of my childhood. It is popular for the abundance of food and drinks. We anticipate this celebration so much that we are always happy when it's drawing closer. There was always a lot to drink and eat.
Photo by GR Stocks from ISTOCKPHOTO
Even though we are Christians, my father have a couple of close Muslim friends that we visit every year during this celebration. They also visit us during the Christmas celebration, so it is more like a special yearly event for us. We visit at least three different locations during the Sallah celebration to wine, dine and spend quality time with our family friends. We start the journey with the one who resides in a distant town. It takes about one hour and thirty minutes to arrive at the location. The short trip was always fun.
Then, we spend the remaining day with the people that stay in the same city with us. We make the short trip first so as to prevent us from traveling in the night for our safety. It could be risky driving your whole family late in the night. The two other locations are less than 10 minutes to our house which makes it less difficult to get home. The Id El Kabir is not only interesting because of the food and drinks but also for the fact that we go out as one family to spend time with other families. The parents are with themselves on a particular table catching up and sharing different stories that come to mind, while the children also form their own cliques and catch fun. The ones that will gist, the ones that will play video games (the boys, no doubt).
Things have been different in the past years since I have been away from home and whenever I look back to these days I miss childhood so much. So many things have changed and it can be linked to growth. I reside in a different City/State where I do not have the kind of relationship I had so many years ago. Most of the friends I have with whom I could have spent time with during the celebration will also have to travel down to their families to enjoy the two days Sallah break. Change of environment, age, and new preferences or habits that have been developed over time can make one unable to do what they usually do.
This is the reason some people are of the opinion that adulthood is a scam. As an adult there are things we wish we can do but because we're adults we can not do them. I may be judged to be a foodie or glutton if I pay friends a visit during special celebrations like this. Even though it may be one of the reasons, it is also a good time to socialize and have quality moments with people. Especially with the boring lifestyle some of us live these days. The only places we go to is work, church/mosque, markets, saloon and very few other places. We do not give room to socialize with family and friends like we used to do when we were younger.
In the spirit of celebration, I wish all my Muslim brothers and sisters a happy Id El Kabir.