Life and Times of the Fireflies: Dressing up on Eid

When I was a child, there was a lot of fuss and excitement revolving around Eid, and dressing up on Eid day was something I always looked forward to. As I grew into my teens, and we listened out for any sightings of the moon; the first thing I'd do when I heard the takbeer, was smear my lips with my brightest lipstick while finishing up any last minute chores I had to do in the kitchen. Eid was a celebration, and dressing up in our finest was a big part of that celebration...but somewhere between then and now, the excitement to dress up has waned.

While most people worry about what to wear for Eid, I am always conflicted about whether I should dress up on Eid day at all! As a woman and a mom, so much effort goes into making Eid say special for everyone else, and I feel like so much time gets spent in the kitchen that it makes dressing up feel a little pointless. I'm no glamour mamma, and the idea of prancing around the kitchen in heels is not very appealing to me! Seriously...I can't be in the kitchen and look decent at the same time.

And then we have social media showing us images of these perfectly put together moms balancing their kids on their hips while also balancing on a fabulous pair of high heels...all while I'm running around like a headless chicken in either pyjamas, or a tights and hubby's oversized T-shirt (which, let's face it, also doubles up as pyjamas), dishevelled hair with the streaks of grey I never had a chance to cover up! Yeah, since becoming a mom, dressing up on Eid is not as exciting as it used to be.

But I have become determined to make Eid more exciting once again. I don't want to simplify a day that holds such great value in our faith; even if it means putting in a little extra effort to do so. I want to build a strong foundation of memories and traditions for our kids to hold on to and also pass on; and it all starts with what they see us do. I've also gotten a lot better at time management so that I am at least partially decent by the time the men get home from mosque and try and remain that way for a good portion of the day ;-)

For me it's more about holding onto tradition in a time where it's dying down in favour of pop culture. So as self-indulgent as an Eid outfit post may seem, added to that the narcissistic nature of social media; this is just here as a reminder in times when I feel conflicted, that days like these are meant to be celebrated...and dressing in our best is a big part of it.