Celebrating Eid at the Library

Three staff members pose in front of an "Eid Mubarak" backdrop at the Hightstown Branch, holding festive photo props. Two are wearing traditional South Asian clothing with hijabs.Four staff members pose together in front of the "Eid Mubarak" backdrop, holding photo props including suncatcher crafts made during the event.
Eid Mubarak! On Saturday, March 14th, we celebrated Eid al-Fitr at the Hightstown Branch with crafts, decorations, and snacks. This was our third year doing the program and the most successful one yet. It’s always wonderful to see everything come together after working so hard to create a program that will be enjoyable for both people who are familiar with the holiday, and those who are not.

Growing up in New Jersey with no close relatives and few families that my parents knew well, Eid was always hit or miss. We would go to prayer in the morning, my sister and I would put mehndi (henna art) on each other, and we would eat seviyan (a pudding made with thin pasta). The rest of the day was not spent doing much. Occasionally, we would be invited to lunch or dinner at someone’s house, which for kids was more boring than being home and watching TV. We did not really decorate the house, except for putting up Christmas lights outside when Ramadan started. However, my parents would sometimes take us to chand raat events when we were younger, where there would be crafts and face painting. This was always enjoyable and something I looked forward to, especially since it was a chance to get my mehndi done by someone so skilled. (The mehndi in the photo is not professional mehndi but rather my family and I trying our best.)

Three young girls in colorful traditional South Asian outfits — pink, yellow, and red — pose together at an Eid celebration.A circle of open hands displaying mehndi (henna) designs in various styles, from detailed floral patterns to simple dots and hearts, arranged over a patterned fabric.

A child works on a string art star craft at the "String Art Star" station during the Eid celebration at the library.While working on these Eid celebrations at the library has reminded me of that childhood experience, it has also reinvented the holiday for me in some ways. There is a lot of anticipation and preparation in getting ready for the event. Many of us come together to work on making decorations, crafts, and coordinating how the day will go. This year we painted suncatchers, did scratch arts, wove string art stars, and took selfies together. Seeing both children and parents being excited to learn about a holiday they were not previously aware of has been so wonderful to see; it has also been a challenge to think of how to present Eid in a way that is simple and accessible to children.

I think that Eid is much more interesting to me now that I’m a part of a different community, working at the library. Celebrating with my coworkers and getting to see both regular and new patrons has been very different from how I celebrated Eid before. I’ve realized that I do much more planning and work for the holiday at the library than I ever did at home and it’s so much fun for me as someone who loves making crafts and getting to tell others about my culture and religion.

Five staff members crouch together in front of the "Eid Mubarak" backdrop, playfully holding mustache and caption photo props.Three staff members sit on the floor in front of a handmade backdrop featuring a crescent moon, stars, and lanterns on blue fabric, framed by green mesh ribbon. A painted cardboard mosque is displayed to the right.

It has also been gratifying to see all the picture books and even middle grade books that now exist to explain the holiday and tell stories of the different ways we celebrate. I don’t think I ever had many books like this when I was a kid that were dedicated to Eid or Ramadan, and not just a list of holidays with a brief description. Many of the books I see now are also not just giving basic facts, but rather sharing stories of children that are much more relatable regardless of how or if you celebrate.

A display of children's books about Eid arranged on a table, decorated with pink flower string lights and green tulle. Titles include The Gift of Eid, My Very First Eid, Eid Fiesta, Looking for the Eid Moon, and A Golden Eid.

Amira’s Picture Day by Reem Faruqi is a picture book about a girl who does not want to take a day off school for Eid because it’s class picture day, but also does not want to miss celebrating with her family. This situation actually did happen to me in high school, and I ended up coming to school in my Eid outfit just for yearbook photos.

The Eidi Bag by Shazia Afzal is a story about a girl adapting to moving to a new country and realizing that the way that people celebrate doesn’t have to be the same as what she is used to for it to feel special. I think that this book could even be relatable for children that celebrate Christmas who realize that the holidays are not really about getting presents, but rather what we do to bring people together.

There are also books for older kids, such as the graphic novel Almost Sunset by Wahab Algarmi, which is about a boy trying to balance his connection with his family and religious community during Ramadan with his obligations at school and the fun he wants to have with friends. Once Upon an Eid by S. K. Ali depicts more complex stories about Ramadan and Eid from different cultures.

By Marwa K., Hightstown

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