COVID-19: Nigerians find new ways to celebrate Eid il-fitr

With the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, families across Nigeria are finding creative ways to celebrate Eid-il-fitr.

Each year, Eid celebrations begin as soon as the moon is first sighted, marking the end of Ramadan and beginning of Shawwal, according to the Islamic Calendar.

And usually, the day before the sighting of the moon are busiest with lots of shopping at the markets, hair dressers, barber’s shops busy and tailors busy to meet up with deadlines.

“This coronavirus pandemic has really affected so many things.

READ: Buhari observes Eid-el-Fitr prayers at home

“Even when the lockdown ended, I was practically begging my customers to come and sew their sallah clothes but they refused.

“What I was getting was only people that wanted to mend their old clothes,” Mrs Collins, an Abuja-based tailor said.

She said Eid-il-fitr is usually the sallah where people sew clothes as the; “other Eid is for slaughtering ram, but I only sewed two new clothes this sallah.”

Binta Bello, a hairdresser in Kaduna, said she only made hair for people residing in her compound and did not make any money from her trade this Eid celebration.

Also Zainab Ilya, a henna designer, told our correspondent she usually; “make designs for children in preparation for henna in Abuja,” but this year’s celebration was different because most of her customers refused to invite her for her services.

“When I realized they weren’t calling, I called them to ask if I should go and make designs for them and they said I shouldn’t bother,” she lamented.

Shamsiyya Umar, a 19-year-old Ahmadu Bello University student, said normally she would go pick up her friends and attend Eid prayers, after which they visit more friends and have picnic together.

“But this year, I only sent food to them and made video calls,” she said.

Yusuf Aliyu, a resident of Kaduna, told our correspondent he missed the Eid prayers and also having lunch with his extended family members.

“Usually, we would exchange home visits or converge at our parents’ house with our children and our spouses since all our parents’ children are all married.
“But this year, we only had to call every family and wished them Eid Mubarak,” he said.

“We also took photos of ourselves and sent to our group chat since we could not take the extended family photos we use to take in the past,” he said.