After the end of Ramadan, we have the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, or “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” which consist of prayers, families’ gatherings, and community festivities. Eid begins at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon. However, the festival will be delayed to the next day if the moon is not sighted that evening, and can last for 3-4 days, depending on the country. For me, Eid also is about celebrating with family and friends, which was hard for me to imagine how I can celebrate it here alone without them. Despite that, I was a little bit excited to have this new Eid experience and create its own vibes.
As I used to have back in my home, The Eid night is full of a lot of preparation which starts first with decorating the whole house with Balloons, flowers, and cheerful lights.
With Om Kalthom singing the Eid popular songs in the background, I spent 4 hours making the Eid cookies “kahk”. It was an incredibly happy time. Having a video call with my family who were doing the same preparation in Egypt makes me feel happier and more excited. 
After finishing the food making process, I moved to my favorite part of Eid’s night, which is doing some self-care and preparing the new Eid clothes. One of Eid’s traditions is to have new clothes. When we were kids, we cared a lot about our new clothes and Eid outfit to the extent that we sometimes put the new clothes next to us on bed while sleeping. My Favorite start of Eid is when I drink the first cup of coffee in the first morning after Ramadan.
In my country, the morning of the Eid used to start with the sound of “Takbirat” from all the mosques around and people start wearing the new clothes and go to the mosques to do the Eid prayer. So, When I wake up in the Early, I put on the sound of Takbirat while putting on my new dress and prepare to go to the prayer which was organized by the Muslim community here in Linkoping.
It was amazing to see families celebrating, kids playing around with new clothes and all the people congratulating each other. This makes me feel home. The rest of the first day was perfectly spent visiting my Arabic friends and preparing delicious dishes together. The second day of Eid, I invited my international friends over and made a lot of Egyptian Eid foods. And we had a very wonderful time back there.
