Daily Times

With the Eid just around the corner, I ponder how Eid used to be back in the day when we were kids. Thinking about the childhood Eids is pleasantly evocative. There are a lot of memories to cherish and I doubt if our next generation would ever be able to experience those wonderful things.

Eid cards with ‘touchy’ poetry:

Eid back then was not only a single day festivity but the celebrations and greetings used to start from the start of the Holy month of Ramazan. With the start of the month, colorful and delightful Eid card stalls were in almost every street of the city.

Specifically, after the 15th of Ramazan, the rush on the stalls used to be remarkable. However, choosing the best card for your friend used to be a challenge. Exchanging colourfull Eid cards with Eid greetings on them was very satisfying at that time, and we never knew that from ‘To My Dear Friend’ to ‘From Your Friend’ we all would grow up and our generation would never sight the joyous moment of being at the Eid card’s stall or feel the happiness of exchanging Eid cards.

Not only Eid cards but the poetry on them was also ao adorable. As I recollect Eid card memories, ‘Dabbay Main Dabba’ poetry is rhyming in my mind.

Eidi Packs:

After selecting the Eid card, the next step was collecting Eidi for your friend. Eidi packs include mandatory bangles, Mehndi, and hairpins.

Eid stalls with special accessories are still arranged in markets but they do not relate to ‘Eidi’ packs specifically.

Moments from old Eid days:

Dressing up and going to friend’s place was mandatory. However, walking through streets was a challenge at that time, as plastic pellet fighting used to be lit in the streets. As soon as boys got Eidi, they used to buy a plastic pellet gun toy and the ‘fight’ begun in the streets.

There used to be special rides arranged in parks and visiting those rides with friends was compulsory.

After this, way back home, buying special ‘anday wala burger’ was essential.

Collecting Eidi and counting it repeatedly was also a highlight of the day.

In this era of digitalization, Eid cards are replaced by social media posts and food stalls are replaced by branded food outlets, which is fine as every era has its own colors and delights but sometimes it is great to cherish old memories.