A subdued and quiet Eid celebrated this year in Oman

Muscat: Eid Al Fitr this year had been quiet and unusual for people in Oman as strict measures were taken by the authorities to prevent the spread of the ongoing pandemic, coronavirus (COVID-19), which required everyone to stay at home and avoid big gatherings.
Both citizens and residents across the Sultanate adhered to the instructions and celebrated Eid at home among the family members. However, they felt the spark of Eid was missing this time due to COVID-19 which you get while visiting friends and families, hosting gatherings, shopping spree before Eid and so on.
“We have a big family of five sisters with their husbands and children as well as two brothers, their wives and children who live across Oman and some in the UAE. So, Eid at our house in Buraimi is like a big celebration where we all gather, offer Eid prayers together, eat halwa, distribute Eidya to the kids, prepare for lunch and feast together.
“Unfortunately, this time, we did not get to see each other nor the kids due to the restrictions and fear of spreading COVID-19. But we managed to keep the spirit alive by dressing up, preparing some desserts in our houses and talk to each other through video calls,” Mariam Abdullah Al Hajri said.
Ahmed Suliman, an Egyptian based and residing in Muscat with his family for the past 30 years said that this Eid was nothing like before.
“Every Eid my friends and family used to gather to go to the beach and BBQ, visit friends homes, shopping for new outfits and the excitement of celebrating Eid used to be something we all looked forward to after fasting throughout the Ramadan. This time everything was incredibly quiet as both Ramadan and Eid just came and went by quickly.
“We as the family tried to lift each other’s spirit and did some Egyptian desserts and biscuits while I did burgers,” Suliman added.
Another expat living in Sohar said that this Eid had been different for their family too as they would drive to Muscat every year to spend it with friends.
“Because Eid holidays are usually for about a week, we would drive to Muscat and spend them with friends, shopping at the malls, eating out at the restaurants, taking our daughter for the indoor activities and letting her pick gifts for herself,” Dola Algady said.
She added that: “this year, we didn’t do any of it. We just stayed at home and celebrated Eid through video calls with our friends and family. We are just hoping and praying for this virus to end soon so that everything can come back to being normal and we could celebrate Eid Al Adha the way we used to do.”