Eid-ul-Fitr in lockdown: alone, yet sadness kept at bay by social forums

When the moon to commemorate Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in SA wasn’t sighted on Saturday evening, the fact that fasting was mandatory for one more day ushered in a wave of mixed emotions for me.

It was an extra day of praise and worship but also a day that delayed celebrations that I had been eagerly looking forward to - no matter how unorthodox this year’s celebrations will be.

The national lockdown has taken away the chance for me to spend this day with friends and family, feasting over a variety of meals that have been prepared with love in celebration of Eid.

I do not have the option to visit family, to invite anyone over or to even congregate for Eid salaah (the Eid-ul-Fitr prayer). I am spending Eid alone, something that I have never ever done before.

Be that as it may, I am looking forward to all the social media posts that I have chosen to vicariously live through. The mini photoshoots of people in their carefully chosen outfits standing next to family and loved ones and, of course, the pictures of all the food. The hashtags created for this day will ensure that I don’t miss out on anything.

There are also the scheduled video calls that I planned for the day. I want to see what my family is doing and how they are spending Eid not only without me, but also indoors with no option to celebrate it outside.

I considered cooking the traditional meals that my sister and I cook every year but was deterred by the thought of having to eat them all alone.

The last thing I need is to feel any more sadness today. I'll be sticking to a bowl of pasta bolognese and a slice of my favourite Woolies cake.

The one thing I have decided to do is to get dressed up, do my make-up and contribute to the array of social media posts that have already started trending.

At least that’s one aspect of Eid that I’ll have on lockdown.