Feeling nostalgic: Egyptian's older generation remember 'the blessed, old days' of their Eid al-Fitr traditions

Seventy-seven-year-old Waheeda Zidan is a retiree living in Cairo. As she gets ready to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with her children and grandchildren, she nostalgically recalls past Eid traditions, which she describes as “ the blessed, old days.”

Eid al-Fitr occurs on the day that follows the last day of Ramadan, which usually lasts for either 29 or 30 days based on the observation of the moon's crescent marking the end of the previous lunar cycle.

While Egypt will celebrate the first day of Eid al-Adha on Friday, other countries are expected to witness the first day of the holy feast on Saturday.

The Arabic word “eid” means “feast” and “al-fitr” means breaking one’s fast. It is a celebration of breaking the Muslim fast of the holy month of Ramadan.

But according to Waheeda, Eid is "no longer the same.”

“Our times are totally different,” she said. “The young generations did not catch up with the welfare of the prosperous days of the past,” she told The New Arab with a sigh.

"Eid is no longer the same in this era. People are frustrated and overburdened by economic hardships. They don’t seem happy with the advent of Eid like before"

Gatherings matter

Egyptians and Muslims across the globe in general celebrate the first hours of Eid by performing Eid prayers at mosques. The prayers are usually held in large gatherings.

In Egypt, worshipers prefer famous mosques located in squares and go as early as they can with their children to find free spots. The prayers are followed by a short speech by the imam.

People mostly stay awake till the prayers start depending on the time zone of each city (at 5.57 AM Cairo local time this year). Then they take a long nap and wake up in the afternoon to start their day.

Whether a family is poor or rich, almost all Egyptian households celebrate the first day of Eid al-Fitr with a breakfast of “kahk” and other delightful types of cookies with tea and milk – a heartwarming long-lived tradition.

“The tradition of baking cookies has been common in Egyptian households. But most families no longer do that. They buy readymade kahk from pastry shops and bakers,” Waheeda explained.

Family and friendly gatherings have always been a common tradition in Eid. Adults in the family offer children money gifts that are called “Eidiya,” which they rejoice and save for buying toys or use for fun activities.

Upper-middle and higher classes, on the other hand, mostly spend the Eid vacation at sea resorts and hotels that are always fully booked during this time. Price rates during Eid are higher than usual which average citizens cannot afford.

Time for salted fish

A tradition that has lasted for centuries now is eating different types of fresh fish and salted fish, favourite dishes for Egyptians during Sham El-Nessim (spring feast), Easter and Eid al-Fitr

This year, Sham El-Nessim coincided with Ramadan, making Muslim Egyptians reluctant to celebrate it by eating salted fish, a ritual dating back to the Pharaonic times, so as not to get thirsty during fasting hours.

The most popular dish of salted fish is “fesekh” which is cut into pieces, dipped in lemon and cooking oil and eaten with flatbread.

Others, who cannot afford the high prices of “feseekh,” eat smoked herring (called renga in Egypt) or pickled sardines. But in a nutshell, most Egyptians try to keep the tradition going.

A kilo of feseekh is sold for 300 EGP (about $US 9.7) while a kilo of renga costs around 120 EGP ($ US 3.88).

While picked sardines can be made at home, many Egyptians buy them readymade for an average of 130 EGP ($US 4.2).

“Prices are rising tremendously. It’s a shame that a low-income family can no longer afford a salted fish meal these days,” Waheeda, sadly, said.

Old spirit no more

Hoda Sayed, Waheeda’s best friend, recalls the old days when the two spent time together during their childhood and teenage years.

“I remember the tidy, colourful dresses we used to wear, the shiny shoes, the elegant purses where we put the eidiya and our times when hanged out and played around the corner. We were so young,” Hoda recalled, smiling.

“These were happy days,” she told The New Arab.

“But the youth and teenagers now try to evade family visits and go to shopping malls during Eid with their friends by eating fast food and hanging out at coffee shops,” she added.

Waheeda agrees with her friend.

“When we were their age, the only means of entertainment for us was the cinema, public gardens and family visits,” she recalled, adding that “there is something wrong with the spirit of Eid nowadays.”

“Eid is no longer the same in this era. People are frustrated and overburdened by economic hardships. They don’t seem happy with the advent of Eid like before. For them, it’s a burden to buy their children new clothes, to give them eidiya, to buy cookies, etc,” Waheeda, gloomily, added.

Price hikes vs expenses

The economic in Egypt crisis has taken a toll on Egyptians' ability to celebrate Eid.

While the Egyptian government imposed controversial economic measures over the past months, prices of basic commodities have witnessed unprecedented hikes, sparking a state of unease among low-income and average-income households in the country.

In October last year, the central bank of Egypt imposed an exchange rate flexibility, allowing the value of the Egyptian pound to be regulated by market forces in a bid to save an already ailing economy in a country dependent on imports rather than local production. 

As a result, the Egyptian pound has been struggling against the US dollar, leading prices to soar.

Egypt's economy has been undergoing a shortage of US dollars in recent months. One US dollar jumped to about 30.95 EGP at the time of publishing.

On the other hand, the Egyptian economy has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian-Russian war, events that also disrupted global markets worldwide.

“I have had my share of the good times. But I pity my children and grandchildren. They are surviving really difficult times,” Waheeda concluded.     

Thaer Mansour is a journalist based in Cairo, reporting for The New Arab on politics, culture and social affairs from the Egyptian capital