Away from families, UAE workers look to celebrate Eid Al Adha indoors

With the Covid-19 pandemic still around, Eid Al Adha celebrations won't be the same this year. As the authorities have issued fresh warnings against holding Eid gatherings, most families are looking to huddle together to mark the festival.
However, the blue collar community - who are thousands of kilometres away from their families - is looking to each other to celebrate the occasion.
Working for a cleaning company in Dubai, Nargish Aktar, 32, had to think very hard when asked about the last time she celebrated Eid with her family. "I think it was 2013 when I last celebrated Eid with my parents and my son in Bangladesh. But I have no regrets as I know my being here is contributing to my family's happiness back home, and I feel I am lucky to be here in the UAE."
Aktar said that although she misses her family back home, she makes sure that she enjoys the occasion with her roommates and colleagues whom she calls her 'surrogate family' in Dubai.

"We are four women staying together in our accommodation and we make sure that we enjoy the two Eids to the hilt. Since it is the greater Eid, we buy mutton and beef in advance and cook good food. Apart from catching up on our sleep, we also sing and dance together as the word 'Eid' itself means happiness so why not be happy and thank God for whatever he has given us."
For 28-year-old Abdullah Al Noman, who works as a salesman at a grocery store, Eid Al Adha is a 'bittersweet' time of the year as he misses his family sorely during the festival. "I have been in the UAE for the last 10 years and have managed to celebrate Eid just thrice with my family based in Dhaka. I miss my mother's cooking, going to the mosque with my father and siblings and meeting my childhood friends back home. I was all set to go this year but then Covid-19 struck and I couldn't make it. I mostly work during Eid as we have a rush of customers who will be shopping for Eid," he said.
Abdullah said he is now looking forward to connect with his family over a video call on Eid. "Although I speak to them over the phone often, on Eid I make sure that I see them through a video call. It is the motivation and happiness my family gives me that keeps me optimistic about things because whenever I call home."
Dubai resident for eight years, Parvez Alam, 38, who has been working for a maintenance company, is looking forward to his Eid holidays. "The last time I celebrated Eid with my family in Jharkhand, India, was five years ago. We usually celebrate Eid Al Adha in a big way back home with the sacrifice of goats, and my wife and mom make Eid delicacies. In keeping with the tradition, I will do the same here in Dubai for my friends, who are my only family here," Alam said.
Eid gifts for workers
Coming forward to cheer up workers on the festive occasion, some organisations are offering their specialties as Eid gifts in these tough times.


Eid gifts for workers: Several blue collar workers in Dubai were offered free food and also given free hand sanitizers on the occasion of Eid Al Adha.
Dubai-based Eurofragance FZ LLC distributed around 4,000 sanitisers among the blue-collar community across Dubai to encourage workers to celebrate a safe and happy Eid Al Adha.
Specialising in the design and production of fragrances for perfumery, cosmetics, personal care and home care products, the company partnered with an NGO and especially manufactured and distributed 250ml bottles of hand sanitizers with over 70 per cent alcohol content, among low-income workers across the emirate.

Looking to bring smiles on the faces of the hardworking blue collar heroes, a Dubai based restaurant Bhaijaans Biryani offered workers biryani and Karachi street-style bun kababs free of cost.

"In these trying times, it is important for us as residents of the UAE, to stand together and spread positivity, happiness and hope in the community," said restaurant owner Omar Farooq.
saman@khaleejtimes.com