Siku kuu for me and you. (Eid Mubarak!)

My family and I on the first day of Eid. Me, Saeed and Naila. 

Wow, what an amazing, interesting and intense experience Eid has been here in Zanzibar. For those of you that may be unaware, Eid (Siku kuu in Swahili) is a Muslim holiday that celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Most of the heavily populated cities/towns of Islam followers in Africa and the Middle East usually only allow one day for the celebration of Eid. However, Zanzibar is different. Most businesses/organizations allow two days off work, if not four. Celebratory activities go on for more than four days though, even lasting up to 8 sometimes!

Naifeen adding her personal cooking touch. She is the niece of Naila and Saeed.

The days leading up to Eid included much preparation. Luckily I was able to help out a bit!

Celebrations are similar to that of Christmas in America, with some differences. During the morning of the first day, families wake up early, get dressed up, and eat a meal complete with special pastries with the family. Children also go door to door and are given money or candy from adults in the neighborhood, kind of like Halloween. 

The morning meal that my family ate together. Delicious pastries (aka carbs) galore!

Before and after breakfast, we took time to take pictures of us all dressed up. In Zanzibar, everyone  dresses up in their ‘Sunday Best’ as American standards would call it. Women go and buy new clothes before Eid begins and delicately pick out a stylish, matching outfit for each day. After learning this, I asked my host mom, Naila, if she could take me to get a new dress. It was totally last minute, but luckily Naila's sister owns a store with some really great clothes. She took me around 10 PM and I picked out a new dress and scarf. All the stores in the area were open and swarming with crowds, as people are doing their last minute shopping. Naila, who runs a clothing business traveling between Dubai and Zanzibar, had already bought all her clothes for Eid on her trip last month in the fashion-forward city. She looked drop dead gorgeous in each outfit (she often wore as many as four outfits in one day!).

Outfit #1

Outfit #2

Outfit #3

Close up of Naila and I before we went to explore evening festivities in Zanzibar. Naila bought all her beautiful clothes in Dubai! She looked flawless in every outfit.

Naila and Saeed

Babu Kassim (Saeed's father) and I. Doesn't he look spiffy?!

The whole fam.

Nadiya and I posing. She looked SO great in that outfit.

Nadiya loves posing for pictures. I probably took close to ten takes of her siting on this couch. But I can't complain, she is such a beauty!

Not only do Zanzibaris go all out with their wardrobe, many families also re-decorate their houses! During the week leading up to Eid, I would come home from work to Naila, Nadiya and Saeed repainting rooms/walls around their place. Additionally, the night before Eid, I came upstairs to find a newly furnished living room area! They bought a new rug, couch, pillow set, curtains, and a few other decorative items. It looked amazing. My mom would've loved how clean and organized it all looked as well - there wasn't a speck of dust to be found.

In Zanzibar and other places around the world, it is custom for people to visit many family members during Eid, so after the morning meal together we started the trek. We went to around four or five different houses to visit family. It was great to visit people that I hadn't met before. Everyone welcomed me with open arms, I felt like a part of the family. 

Wafaa and I amidst visiting family members.

Saeed and his cousin.

Naila's stylish sister.

People continue to visit family members following the first day. The second day of Eid, we went out to Saeed's uncles' house for lunch. It was like a big family reunion!
Zanzibaris also frequent popular areas during the day and mostly in the evening, including beach areas and Forodhani Gardens, where fisherman set up their catches of the day. It felt like a heavily populated concert; people were shoulder to shoulder! Everyone looks so stylish as well. I often felt far too underdressed, especially standing next to Naila!

Lunch at Babu's brothers' house.

Naila and I on day two of Eid. She looks like a queen, right?!

I can't get over those shoes.

Posing for the camera (and wearing the same dress as the day before, oh well!)

Wafaa (Naila's niece) na mimi.

Naifeen, mimi na Wafaa. 

Henna hands.

These girls, like Nadiya, love posing for the camera!

Caki ya Eid

I feel SO lucky to have been able to be here for the festivities, as I have never really experienced such a huge holiday in a different cultural setting (having Christmas on family reunions in resort areas does not count). Being here for Eid in this culture meant experiencing family traditions, food delicacies, vibrant clothing and pure happiness around the island. Additionally, it put into perspective the potential of what a celebration should look like in America. I really loved the emphasis of visiting as many family members as possible and spending the entire day with each other celebrating. The main point was not about gifts. Rather, it was about being with loved ones and expressing happiness for what people already have.

Looking out to Michanzani village in Zanzibar.

Until next time! Thanks for reading!