The festivities of shopping and hanging out have been diminished this year too as the government has enforced strict guidelines for malls and bazars.
Ramadan is considered as the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. Muslims fast by not eating or drinking the whole day. They spend their quality time in prayers and make themselves high on spiritual belief.
The COVID-19 has affected the lives of the people around the world. The ways in which people manage their daily routines have changed.
Ramadan this year is no longer like past Ramdans. Due to this pandemic, COVIDfied celebrations people are confined to their homes due to the rising cases of coronavirus. People are practicing Taraveeh and Aetqaf by observing social distancing and strict SOPs countrywide. Even festivals, which have traditionally been a time of celebration and meeting with your loved ones, have become muted since the last year.
Just as last year, this year too government has imposed lockdown and restrictions to avoid large gatherings of the people to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the population. Slowly, but surely, people have become used to these guidelines. At the same time, many prefer to ignore these rules, putting the safety of many others at risk.
In the anticipation of Eid, the festivities of shopping and hanging out have also been diminished as the government has enforced strict guidelines for malls and bazars. Instead of shopping from malls and busy markets, people are now preferring to shop online as many stores are offering home deliveries of not only clothes, but also of jewelry, shoes, and all the things that make Eid exciting.
Salons and spas have introduced home services where they send their staff to the client’s home for styling their hair, applying beautiful mehndi designs and even getting their Eid makeup done.
Eid is usually a time of travel, family get-togethers and lavish feasts after weeks of dawn-to-dusk fasting. But like previous year, this year too, many people can only celebrate at home, with virus fears dampening the holiday spirit and strict restrictions in the country. Despite COVIDfied celebrations impact on the entire world, it is heartening to see that people are still carrying a festive spirit while taking precautions to avoid any major health crisis in the country.
Ramadan and Eid preparations are bit muted compared to past years, but people are optimistic and have faith that their prayers will be answered and they might be able to celebrate these festivals with greater joy in the coming years (Amin).
