Eid Mubarak

Eid Mubarak to my family and friends around the world. For those of you not in the Middle East, I will inform you that Eid al-Fitr is the feast of breaking the fast, where Muslims around the world fast from dawn until sunset for the holy month of Ramadan. The traditional greeting is Eid Mubarak (eed mu Bar eck) with means blessed Eid.

It’s a hard thing to fast all day, every day, for 29 or 30 days, from the sighting of the new moon until the sighting of the next new moon.  That means no food, no water, no tobacco, nothing. There are exceptions for travelers, illness, etc., but this is a time of physical and spiritual purification. It’s like an extreme Lent, except harder and all practicing Muslims actually practice it.

In addition, Ramadan is a time of giving and generosity, and that is a tough test. You know how hard it is to be nice and patient and kind when you’re tired and hungry, right? OK, do that for a month!  But I have never heard cross words or raised voices.  It is a religious obligation that Muslims truly believe in and faithfully practice. I honor their commitment.

At sunset families and friends gather for iftar meal, which may last for hours.  There may be another meal around midnight.  Unless they get up before sunrise, it’s a long time til the next iftar.

The Emirati’s pretty much live at the mall during the summer months. There are good reasons for this, including the fact that it is blazing hot and massively humid outside.  Because of this shopping and food are clustered and enclosed in bigger buildings. There are no isolated, standalone restaurants or grocery stores here.  There is at least a cluster of them in a few places.  If you feel like eating at Red Lobster you go to the al Fatwa Mall in Abu Dhabi.  

If you want Popeye’s Fried Chicken you go to Deerfields Mall, Marina Mall, or a dozen gas stations that also often contain food courts. BTW, Popeye’s is a favorite here! Based on my own impartial, highly scientific research I have observed that in any food court with a Popeye’s branch, it will have the longest lines and serve more people than any other offering. Just sayin’ – it has nothing to do with that being one of my personal favorites because it’s one of the few US brands here that is just like home!

One of the biggest malls in Abu Dhabi is the Yas Mall, which is 10 minutes from my hotel. This year, to celebrate the Eid, they are running a 24-hour sale and celebration, from 10 a.m. today until 10 a.m. tomorrow!  Big party, performances, live music, specials everywhere, etc.  Ferrari World, the top attraction in the Mideast, is attached to Yas Mall, and will also be open 24 hours. I really didn’t think much of it. I’ve seen late night promotions in the USA fail horribly, when a few dozen people showed up and stores lost money paying staff for foot traffic that never showed up.

Today, though, I had to check out and check back into my hotel. One of the managers saw me (they all know me – I’ve been here over a year!) and asked if I would be going to the mall today.  I said I might, thinking of a few things I needed at the grocery, a French hypermarket called Geant.  He smiled and handed me a big red printed card – a coupon for 100 dirhams (about $27 US).  He said it was good at anyplace in the mall during the sale!

So this evening I thought now would be the perfect time to go, and actually had something in mind I could use it for.  Of course, as soon as I started the car I remembered that it needed gas, and soon!  So I thought I could pop into the mall, do my shopping, and then run up the road to the nearest gas station, and be back to the hotel in time for a family Skype date. Pretty good plan.

Except, no. Halfway to the mall I ran into the traffic to the mall. The right 2 lanes of 5 were already backed up.  I bypassed that way and headed toward another artery leading to the mall, and found it was jammed solid with cars!  In fact, every way leading into the mall was jammed solid at 8 p.m.  Apparently, the party was just about to get started! Happily I abandoned the mall idea and went to get gas.

On my way back to the hotel took what I thought would be the longer way to avoid mall traffic flow, but got caught up in it anyway. It was now backed up as far as the hotel plaza, and I’m happy I changed my plans. If I’d gotten into the mall parking areas somehow, I might not have made it out again until tomorrow!  So now I’m wondering about trying to go in the morning before 10. There may not be anything left, but it might be interesting to see.

 #EidMubarak  #YasMall  #UAE