Eid traditions in Iraq.

We will celebrate Eid Al-Futur either on Saturday or Sunday, that depends on whether the moon will be seen on Friday or not.
Eid is the calibration of ending Ramadan. It lasts for three days. in this post I’m going to talk a bout the preparation before it and what we usually do in Eid.
Well, before it, we usually buy new clothes especially for children. Every parents start to buy new clothes, shoes, etc... for their children. So it is very busy in the markets now a days. Women start to prepare KULAIJA which is something every house in Iraq should have in Eid. KULAIJA is kind of dough filled with either dates or
nuts with sugar. it is very delicious and is usually served in Eid with tea or juice. Also women start to prepare other kinds of pastry to serve to the guests. Children await Eid Eagerly, because the parents usually give them presents and candies, also the close relatives usually gives money to children (we call it EIDIYA) so the children can do what ever they want with their money.
As for my daughter we took her to the markets and bought her some clothes and the accessories but we are still thinking what shall we buy her as a present. she have many toys and I’m still wondering what shall we buy her. We bought her many candies with toys inside them. The problem is that we bough the clothes two weeks ago thinking that the weather will be cold on Eid, but the weather is still hot!!
Now let’s get back to the EID itself. We usually spend the first day of Eid in my husbands family house were his brother and sisters gather with their families, It’s very crowdie because they are a big family and with so many children you will sure have a headache. At afternoon many relatives come to see my father in law because he is the oldest in the family (he is 83 years old). Usually the younger one come and visit the older of the same family and friends. In our traditions we should visit all our relatives and friends in Eid and whish them a happy Eid.
We usually spend the second day of Eid in my parents house and visit my uncles.
One the third day of Eid we either visit some friends or we welcome them in our house. We sometimes receive more than 30 people in the same day, so they are tiring days for us.

I will end this topic quicly because I want to tell you about a very Important subject that had been neglected in many news stations.
Mousle had been almost fallen in the hand of armed insurgents. there is NO presence for police or the national Guard, and not even the American army. My sister lives there. The police station near them has been taken and burned. She said that there are many fighters carrying RPG and other weapons in their street and no one could do anything. My sister in law lives in Mosul too. She said we see many armed fighters but no one there to stop them. there are battles from time to time but it seems that the fighters are handling the situation not the government.
The house of Mosul governor was also burned. Some lootings happened in some places there too.
My sister was terrified to death, she said the fighters are shooting some rockets near her house and she was afraid that the American will shoot them and her house and she did not know what to do.

I’m not feeling well and I was very depressed the last couple of days. I did not have the spirit of Eid which usually makes us feel happy and waiting for it to come. I hardly went to the markets, I just went there for the sake of my daughter.
The electricity is very bad since the last few days till now. We have two hours of electricity for every 10 hours break, We don’t know why, the consumption is very little because the weather is very good, but there is no one to tell us why. Our generator is not working, the inverter is not working too and finally our local generator is working but the owner could not operate it more than 3 or 4 consecutive hours and then give it a rest for few hours. There is a problem with the Fuel too, and I think It will be a problem for the local generator too. My husband took our generator to a service center and the inverter too, I hope we will have them soon.
We also did not have water yesterday for more than 12 hours. We now have a curfew starting at 10pm till 4am. I’m really afraid from the unknown, and this makes me really nervous and depressed in the same time, I even took some valume the last few days because I think I will have a nervous break down soon. I think we deserve to live a better life than this, but I don’t know how? I just want to live a day without hearing bombs or shots, without hearing some people being killed or kidnapped, without being afraid form the future of ours and my daughter’s, is that too much to ask?
sorry for being so depressed, but this is the only way for me to express my feelings, and you are the only persons that gives me hope for the future, and your words make me stand this.
HAPPY Eid to you all, and may peace come to all around the world.

PS the national TV announced that the first day of EID will be on Sunday.