Eid ul Fitr

Last week we celebrated Eid. M took the day off.. the kids skipped school.. it was all well and good but it got me thinking about how we would have been celebrating if we were in Pakistan and of course pre covid. Something my kids will most likely never experience. 


A couple of nights before Eid the markets would be open past midnight.. a hustle and bustle.. most people buy new clothes to wear for the day of. Matching glass bangles.. oh I used to have so many glass bangles. Not a fan personally but most apply henna to their hands. The night before Eid is especially festive. 

The morning of Eid we wake up at the crack of dawn to pray and then the celebrating begins, which mainly includes a lot of eating. We generally celebrate for 3 days. It involves visiting the homes of all of our uncles and aunts, other close family members as well as friends. Usually it's a 20 minute stop at each home where they ply you with food and the elders gift the kids money known as an Eidi. Most create a basic schedule of sorts where they visit during the mornings and are available to entertain visitors during the evenings. With expanding family sizes some have started to also have Eid gatherings.. so that instead of having to visit every family member and and eat that many appetizers we reserve a restaurant or take turns hosting it at our homes so that everyone can meet and exchange Eidi's at the same time. 

There are two foods that are the most popular on Eid and they both share a primary ingredient. Dates. Dates are very important during Ramadan, when you break your fast the first thing you are supposed to eat is a date. For Eid the dates get a little fancy. The first must eat food is stuffed dates. I made them this year after many many years because my mother in law is usually living with us during Ramadan and she makes them. 


You start with a packet of dry dates. Everyone has there own version of making them. I make them like my mother does.. After washing them, I soak them overnight in milk to plump them up. Rose water is a common addition.. but I don't like it.


The next day I slit them in half and deseed them. Put them in a pot and pour in just enough milk to cover them. Then I cooked them till the milk was thick and the dates soft. 


Once cooled I removed the dates from the milk and scrapped off any excess residue off the dates and put it back in the pot. I added ground nuts, shredded coconut, cardamom powder and some condensed milk.  



The mixture is then stuffed back into the dates.


Then I wrap them individually in foil and keep them in the refrigerator. 


M and I are the only ones who will be eating these so I only made 12. People have different takes on them.. in fact my mom doesn't even make these anymore.. instead she now purees the dates and makes a date rolls instead. I haven't tried my hand at making them yet. 


The second must make is sheer khurma. I completely dropped the ball on taking process pictures for this one.. 


In a pot I heated a little oil and toasted vermicelli, once it started to slightly toast I added milk, condensed milk (my maternal grandmother loved condensed milk so all the recipes that have filter down from her to me have a can of condensed milk in them, after much trial I have finally found how much condensed milk I actually need to use.. which is most definitely not a whole can!) evaporated milk, dry dates cut into bite sized pieces, cardamom powder and saffron. If I have some of the above mixture I used to stuff dates left over that goes in too. Some like raisins.. I do not. And cook on medium heat till it bubbles. Then simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. And done. Most eat theirs warm. People vary on consistency also.. some like to drink theirs I like to eat mine with more of a porridge like consistency and prefer it straight from the refrigerator. Thankfully M likes it my way and I don't have to make two different types. 

On Eid day our friends had a small get together.. the kids got Eidis. And M has a cousin that lives nearby, they came over for dinner over the weekend. 


      
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Comments

  1. This is so interesting. I had no idea about this. Those stuffed dates look delicious!

    Jennifer
    Curated By Jennifer

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  2. This was so interesting and informative! I loved reading about Eid. Both of your recipes looked yummy. I love dates and I've only made stuffed dates once and I think they were stuffed with a pistachio-coconut mixture. That's a beautiful family photo!

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  3. Happy Eid! I like dates too, just raw.

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  4. Thanks for the interesting and educating post! I enjoy learning about others' religions and customs. The stuffed dates look delicious!

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  5. The date dish looks very good and interesting. Thank you for educating me on Eid.

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  6. Although we have neighbours celebrating Eid, I have to admit I only had basic information about how it is celebrated. Thank you for sharing this. The stuffed dates look quite delicious, and what a gorgeous photo of you and your family! xxx

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  7. Happy and Blessed Eid ul fitr! We consumed dry date during the Ramadan month. Your date dessert looks so delicious and new for us. Thank you for sharing.

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  8. Sounds like it was a lovely day.

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  9. Happy Eid! I didn't know about the tradition with the dates so thank you for sharing! it's nice you were still able to celebrate this year even if it was different to how you usually would with all your family and lots of visits! Hopefully you will get to do that next year :)

    Hope your week is off to a good start :)

    Away From The Blue

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  10. Belated Happy Eid! I loved reading about this tradition, I had never heard of it before. The recipes all sound so delicious and what a great photo of your beautiful family too!

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  11. What a festive holiday! I liked reading the inforgraphic. You all look fabulous. Your boys are heartbreakers.

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  12. Thank you for continuing my education. Those recipes sound delicious too.
    Love that photo of the three of you as well.

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  13. Oh this sounds like a wonderful holiday and all the food looks so good. I have had a date treat similar to this the nut candy looks super yummy! And LOVING the family portrait!! : )

    Allie of
    www.allienyc.com

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  14. I enjoyed hearing of you Eid traditions! Belated best wishes!

    Beautiful family.

    I will follow your blog,

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  15. I hope that your boys will have a chance someday to experience this holiday the way you have described it. I love that you use both your mother's and your grandmother's recipes. Cooking with old family recipes is one of my favorite parts about most of my family's holiday traditions. Those stuffed dates sound delicious too. I love the combination of flavors you use.

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  16. Happy belated Eid, enjoyed your post and delicious date recipes.

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  17. The stuffed dates look so good. It was interesting to read about the process and learn more about this... your family photo looks great!! Happy belated Eid!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  18. I'm so glad you shared about this and your traditions! Those dates look delicious!

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  19. Feliz ramadan . Gracias por compartir tus tradiciones me gusta el datil y hare la receta. Te mando un beso
    Enamorada de las letras

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  20. i knew nothing of this and never thought of your heritage before. (is heritage the right word?)! it is just wonderful that you teach these traditions to the kids and carry them on for your family!!

    those dates look pretty amazing!! and the kiddos look so cute but aren't they growing at warp speed???

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  21. Thank you for sharing this!
    I enjoyed it and learned so much.
    Your family photo is beautiful!!!
    I was at Madison's yesterday.
    She and Nicolas have the three prints of Copenhagen hanging right near their front door! Beautiful!

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  22. I just loved reading this Hena!!
    I would absolutely love that date recipe because we snack on dates all the time.
    XOOX
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  23. Such a beautiful family!
    Both stuffed dates and date roll are so yummy!

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  24. This year, celebrations are toned down because of the spike in covid-19 cases.

    Selamat Hari Raya, Hena! This is how we greet "Happy Eid!" over here.

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  25. I must say I have not heard of Eid. What does it celebrate or commemorate? When I was growing up, my family did make candy from dates, though.

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  26. I just did some research on Eid. It is the end of Ramadan and fasting! So now I have learned something.

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  27. Happy Eid-ul-Fitr to you and your family, Hena.
    The stuffed dates and the khurma roll look luxurious. Yum!

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  28. Thank you for sharing all that you do on this special holiday! I need to try these dates!

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  29. Thank you for sharing, Hena:) What a great post about Eid.

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  30. It was interesting to hear a little about the traditions and foods that you shared. The dates look good, and I've always loved dates. The date roll looks tasty too. It looks similar to our fruit cakes, which some people don't like, but I love. What a wonderful family photo. You are all dressed in your finest and look happy. : )

    ~Sheri

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  31. Thank you so much for sharing this holiday tradition with us- I loved reading and learning about it. (I'm also always down for a stuffed date!) :)

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

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  32. I hope your boys will one day be able to celebrate Eid how you describe it, it sounds like a wonderful celebration, full of joy, food and family gatherings. You all look very happy and handsome (the boys) and beautiful (you) on your family photo. So glad you got to celebrate with part of your family at least. I love dates, straight from the packet. I would love to taste date dishes like you and your mum prepare.

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  33. It's always so fun to learn about the holiday celebrations of other cultures as well as their traditions and food.

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  34. this is just the best post I've read in awhile. I had heard about Eid but I never really understood it, nor knew about the traditions. What a happy fest for your faith -- and a delicious one, too. Those dates look really wonderful, especially. I'm so glad to learn more about this and have a better understanding.

    And I have to add, you have the most beautiful family. Handsome men,beautiful you, lovely boys who will be as handsome as their dad in a year or two or three. Thank you so much for sharing this.

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  35. I loved learning about your holiday tradition! And those dates sound delicious!

    Jill - Doused in Pink

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  36. Happy Belated Eid! It was interesting to learn about your holidays tradition.

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  37. What a wonderful celebration! Your stuffed dates look amazing. I am so glad that you were able to enjoy this time with your family.

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  38. Alhamdulillah. Great article and Happy Eid

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  39. I usually eat the dates on its own. The dates roll looks good and yummy.

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  40. I always enjoy reading about eid. At my old job, we celebrated this and anyone who celebrated it brought in food and taught us more about the history and culture. I'd love to try the stuff dates!

    www.rdsobsessions.com

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  41. you guys are BEAUTIFUL! I am glad you celebrated but I'm sad that you missed Pakistan, I hope one day you can go back with the boys and be there. I haven't been to church in over a year (not going until I can go mask free) and I miss it, I watch youtube Mass but it isn't the same at all. Big hugs to you and enjoy those beautiful boys, they are growing like weeds.

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  42. Thank you so much for explaining this holiday. I saw it on my Apple calendar and had no idea what it was. I love learning about other people's cultures. What a beautiful family you have!

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  43. Thanks for sharing these amazing facts :-)
    Beauty and Fashion/Rampdiary/Glamansion

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  44. Oh so nice is to learn amazing things like this

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  45. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed learning. Beautiful family.

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