I bet you thought your Muslim friends do nothing but kill and roast fat rams on Eid. But they do so much more. Especially if they’re Nigerian Muslims who live in this Nigeria. First, some Eid 101: Eid means “Feast” or “Festival” in Arabic, and there are two major Eids in a year: Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha — only the second involves rams, and the just concluded Eid was the first.
Now for what Eid is really like when you deep it:
Pray
Let’s start with the serious answers. On the morning of Eid, Muslims gather at the mosque or designated prayer grounds dressed in their best attire for a prayer they call Eid Sallah. The prayer marks a session of reflection, gratitude and unity among Muslim communities.
Sacrifice fat rams
Growing up, I enjoyed the sight of young men killing fat rams. From inflating the animals to subjecting them to a glorious fire bath so the young men can scrape off the fur to slicing the insides while avoiding the gallbladder believed to make the meat bitter. The meat is fried dry and distributed among families.
Apply henna
Where the Muslim girlies at? Henna, AKA Laali, is a reddish hue prepared from the dried and powdered leaves of the henna tree. During the Eid festivities, it’s applied as a paste with intricate designs on the hands and feet of women. A beautiful tradition in Islam that dates back to the sixth century with roots in North Africa, India and the Middle East, it’s believed to bring good luck and barakat (blessing), and it also looks really pretty.
New clothes
No better excuse to buy that new Abaya or Jalabiya. Most Muslims start planning their Eid outfits during Ramadan, the fasting period before Eid. Some even have mood boards for “outfits to kill it on Eid”. I may have made that one up.
Run errands
What’s Eid with family without running small and big errands? It’s either they send you to get some random item from Iya or Baba this or buy a last-minute ingredient for the family jollof rice.
Deal with impatient fathers
Every true Muslim knows that Muslim fathers are impatient on the day of Eid. They get dressed in under five seconds and threaten to leave everyone if they don’t finish preparing to go to the prayer ground within the next minute. Their get-ready time needs to be studied.
Visit families
They get to visit that aunt or uncle’s house to eat more food and catch up with cousins they didn’t know existed.
Explain to everyone that it’s not the ram killing Eid
It’s about time non-Muslims got their Eids straight. Stop harassing Muslims for meat on Eid Al-Fitr. From 2025, you just might get slapped.
Deal with that one relative who carries the preparation on her head
We all know that one aunty who controls how drinks and food are dispersed. It’s either she loses her voice screaming at the top of her lungs or packs a whole big polythene bag of food home. But she cannot be wrong; she’s always right.
