Dubai: Broadcasting messages has become the new way of Eid greetings. Greetings have continuously evolved from hand-written Eid cards to brief words via social media.
As happens with most traditions and rituals, Eid celebrations have changed over the years. A vital discussion lies in the progression or lack thereof in greeting people during this special festivity.
Before technology, Eid signified the bringing of people together, physically meeting one another, visiting each other’s homes, offering tea and traditional Eid sweets or even going out for a meal.
Nowadays, fewer and fewer people visit houses during this special celebration. Rather, they are comforted by a couple of taps on a mobile phone, keying in a few words, ‘Eid Mubarak’, the sender’s name, and an emoji to tie everything up. Then, the message is broadcast to a list of contacts. The greeting is not even tailored to a specific contact anymore.
The essence of intimacy and spreading love — the foundation of Eid — is lost in this process.
Gulf News spoke to a cross-section of individuals and asked them how they celebrate and greet each other during Eid.
Dubai resident from Lebanon Jana Nassreddine, 21, believes that as the years pass by, Eid is losing its value. “Essentially, visiting each other lessened because people stopped showing interest in the holiday,” she said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Ramtin Sofian, 20, from Iran thinks that greetings in Eid have become “less personal and more technical”.
Despite critics, some believe that technology makes it easier to reach many people at once.
“I think every generation changes and adapts with time. WhatsApp makes it easier for me to greet more than one friend at once,” 20-year-old Egyptian Lama Mosallem said.
Mohammad Ghandour, 20, Palestinian, also believes in the power of technology to send Eid wishes. “Social media is a great way to send my regards and greetings because it’s easy and direct,” he said.
Others believe that despite the leeway technology provides to greet several people at once, they still abide by the traditional ways of bestowing Eid greetings.
“I greet my family in person, and for members who live abroad, I give them a call. I prefer celebrating with my friends and family because it gives me a sense of unity and joy,” said Samar Sharif, 20, Dubai resident from Palestine.
Despite changes in family structures and activities over the last decade, Mahmoud Al Assar, 20, Egyptian, believes the spirituality and joy of Eid remains untarnished.
“Although times have changed and people have been losing interest in Eid celebrations, I believe otherwise. The beauty of the occasion is having everyone come together and celebrate,” he said.
In an era of technological advances which have proved to decrease face-to-face interaction, all interviewees believe that Eid traditions should make a comeback because it is one of the festivities that should unite friends and families.
