Pandemic turns Eid sour as millions stay home to curb virus in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: This year Eid Al-Fitr celebrations around the world have been subdued due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The holy month of Ramadan and the Eid of 2020 will be remembered as a time when traditions had to be broken to fight the spread of the virus.

The first day of Eid went by without morning congregations in mosques. Due to social distancing, parties and other family events, which are usually a hallmark of the Eid festivities, did not take place.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, air travel has been suspended globally. This has affected expatriates living in Saudi Arabia who usually travel back to their home countries to celebrate this important occasion with their loved ones.

Rafiul Akhtar, a finance professional working with Advanced Electronics Co. Ltd. (AEC) in Riyadh, said: “Eid Al-Fitr follows weeks of fasting and marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It came amid a lockdown period due to the pandemic, which is indeed very painful.”

“For an expat like me, celebrating Eid away from my family is a heartbreaking experience,” he said.

Akhtar said that he had never imagined celebrating Eid without family and friends and away from his home country.

Left with limited options due to a 24-hour curfew, like many others Akhtar found cooking the best way to spend his time.

“I tried making it a little festive by testing my culinary skills by preparing seviyan or vermicelli (a traditional Indian sweet) and biryani, a rice dish with meat and rich Indian spices.”

Akhtar said that to get a feel of Eid he tried to change the mood by decorating his place.

“I spent most of my time chatting to my family and friends using videocalling apps,” he said.

“God willing, this tough time will also pass. The Saudi government has taken many steps to overcome this pandemic. These steps are important to contain the spread of the virus,” Akhtar said.

Sharing his experience of spending Eid during the pandemic, Abrar Hussain, a senior corporate account manager at global IT company Citrix Inc., said: “This year Eid Al-Fitr’s celebrations have been overshadowed by the fear of the pandemic.”

“Eid is a festival of greeting and meeting, get-togethers and lavish feasts with families and friends,” he said.

“But this year we offered Eid prayers at home and celebrating the festival at home with family, enjoying the traditional Eid delicacies, greeting near and dear ones remotely and virtually. The virus fears have dampened the spirit of the celebration,” he said.

Zeenat Enam, a homemaker, said: “This is unprecedented and will go down in history as a unique year when people prayed at home as against usual Eid congregations and stayed indoors without meeting and greeting families and friends.”