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Eid vs Christmas

Good Essays

Christmas Vs Eid

In the building with the blue windows and the diamond shaped roof tops, children dressed in red and green with rosy cheeks, were gaily singing:

“Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one more hoppin’ slay!
Hey! ...
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

In the building across the street, with the pink windows and the mosque behind it, families were visiting each other in their newly bought clothes and shining shoes, wishing each other:

“Eid Mubarak, Dear Brother, Dear Sister
May Allah’s blessings be bestowed upon you and your family! ”

The year 2008 is host to Christmas and Eid al Adha during the same month, only a few days apart. One would notice that …show more content…

True, Jesus’ (As) birth is a belief amongst Muslims, but so is the sacrificial symbol of the Adha a belief amongst the Christians and other religions in the world. Why can’t all cultures adopt the Islamic tradition of gifting children with new clothes and taking them out to restaurants and amusement parks? The government does not encourage Eid as much as it allows public places to be enveloped in Christmas decorations. In France, the Arab communities hold visitations and share in Islamic customs within their brotherhood, whilst around them Christmas carols are sung and the city is embellished in tinsel and goblins, awaiting the arrival of “Santa Claus”, or in their terms “Pere Noel.” In Dubai, much like Abu Dhabi, hotels and restaurants have special Christmas luncheons. Shops and Malls give away special offers during the ‘Festive Season’. There is yet to be established an Eid theme blanketing the cities where Islam is the religion of base, like that of Christmas. What is even more upsetting is that Christmas is in itself less religious and more commercial than it was 500 years ago. Christmas has a face, a figure one can imagine when thinking of the Holiday: a jolly man, with a red suit and a white beard. He did not always look like this. “Santa Claus” acquired his red suit and the big belly through a Coca Cola advertisement in 1931. His image changed, distorted almost, into what we know now as “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!”

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