Technically Eid here was yesterday, and there were the usual dressed-up families, all taking advantage of a rare Eid falling on a UK bank holiday. As usual I decided to keep it for the day it’s celebrated in Pakistan so had it today. Got a gift from the GF’s mother who was very sweet, but otherwise it was a fairly ordinary day, a working day and unnoticed or uncared for, usually both. And this year it fell on an anniversary, so it was also a rather sad day, and it was particularly discomfortable to have Eid fall on it when I am the only one who celebrates it and for others noticing it is doing me a favour, not because they feel anything.
In the afternoon I went to Pakistani restaurant for lunch by myself to at least have something. The food was nothing special, but at least the flavours were the right ones, not the usual Indian/ Bengali/ British flavours you usually get here.
So, that’s that. I don’t know why I hold on to Eid – it’s not been an enjoyable event since I was in my teens. A lot of it is sadness at feeling how completely uninterested others are in where I am from or its culture, history, art, way of thinking etc. My first real Eids away from home were at university and around 9/11 in America, maybe that’s part of it.