"Eid Said, Eid Mubarak" or "Happy Eid" whichever you prefer.
So the holy month of Ramadan has come to an end, and my local friends and colleagues are in a celebratory mood. And this year I feel brings all the more cause for celebration... not only has Ramadan occurred during one of the hottest months of the year, making the whole fasting process (especially the lack of drinking during the day), all the more difficult to maintain, but this year, the whole country has been absorbed in a process of change. Who knows what that change will bring, but at the end of the day, whatever results, at least this will be what the Egyptian people have chosen for themselves, and not what has been chosen for them by some aged dictator under the pretext of democracy. Once Eid is finished, the country will start its process of electing a new government... their own government for the first time in over three decades.
For the last month, most of my Egyptian friends have been fasting during daylight hours. With Egypt being a fairly liberal country, and fasting not being compulsory, even those who are not fully taking part, many will have abstained from something, as a nod towards their religion of birth. Having said that, the majority of my colleagues are fasting, so have been working in these incredible temperatures having eaten their last meal, and drunk their last drink and smoked their last cigarette long before dawn, before morning prayers in fact, which tend to be done and dusted whilst the sky is still well and truly black. They will have fasted until the call for evening prayers as the sun drops behind the curtain of mountains sitting on our horizon. Which as I said, with temperatures climbing up easily to forty degrees centigrade most afternoons, is no mean feat. I am sure despite the fact that Ramadan of course brings people closer to God and each other, Eid this year will have brought everyone huge relief.
So Eid Mubarak to all my friends here, who once more are able to slake their thirst during the day as and when they need, and who will be enjoying the biggest celebration of the year for the next three days.
