Realistic guide on how to spend Eid alone…
Our Prophet Ibrahim was also alone, but had his belief and was confident in Allah. Remember, Allah is always with us.
So if you are alone, new to Islam or don’t have anyone to celebrate then I hope you dress up and treat yourself to a special day. You deserve it, you are loved. He is always with you, blessing you and showing you in little ways.
There is no exactly a way to celebrate Eid, but we do have an obligation, and that is to perform Eid prayer. It is recommended but not mandatory for sisters to pray the Eid prayer in the mosque. You should still pray it at home.
Take the day off
It may be easier to hide our loneliness by burying ourselves at work, but this will hardly help our faith grow. Talk to your employer if you need a day off work well in advance and make sure Eid day is clear. It’s hard to celebrate when you have no one to celebrate with but the reality is that being thankful and mindful of Allah is enough.
2. Buy and wear new clothes
Part of the Eid fun is getting new clothes. Buy new ones if you can afford them. Make sure to purchase these online during Ramadan so that they come into time for Eid. If not, you must have at least one or two fancy outfits. Get them washed or dry cleaned and ironed for the big day. Wear your favourite perfume if you have one, if you don’t ask a perfume shop if they have any on sale.
3. Clean and decorate the house
Even if all you've got is a tiny apartment which doesn't really give you much space to work with, decorate it anyway. You can use balloons, banners, lights, streamers, the works. If you live at home but your parents are not muslim, then take yourself out. Why not indulge in some of your favourite food. From a special home-cooked meal to decadent desserts, you can even have it delivered if you don't feel like cooking.
4. Feed the hungry
Sharing food with the hungry is a hallmark of Eid-ul-Adha in particular. If you can't arrange to go to a farm to sacrifice your own share of meat to distribute with the needy, help out at a shelter for part of Eid day. Walk into town and buy the homeless a meal or two.
5. Carve out time to do small joyful activities – whatever these may be. For some, it may be watching a film, while for others it may be doing something therapeutic like painting.
6. Turn your bathroom into your very own spa and pamper yourself with face masks, an at-home mani-pedi or even just light a few candles and an extra long soak in the tub.
7. If you don’t have a bath and you're really looking to treat yourself, why not book into a hotel on Eid. You won't need to worry about lifting a finger.
8. Join an all sisters Eid party for those celebrating alone. (optional)
I attended an all sisters party last year but going to parties alone can be awkward; sometimes, you feel disconnected, the conversation can get repetitive, and after all, no one is really trying to connect at a party. Parties are for light conversations; you move from one group to another and chat. Or something like that. You may have made a possible friend at the end of the evening, but chances are you didn’t. And that is okay. In my experience all the sisters knew each other before hand and so it became a gossip show which of course defeated the purpose and because everyone had children you can guess what the conversation was about. So I suggest have no expectations. Also be warned you do have to give your phone to security to prevent others taking sisters photograph on the low, so take all your selfies at home :)
What not to do:
Avoid engaging in gossip, negative talk, or behavior that may disrupt the harmony of the celebration, this includes your family members questioning you which may trigger you so the best thing would to be polite and have the day planned so that you are too busy to engage with negative remarks. For anyone spending the day alone, seeing a social media feed jam-packed with Eid-themed photos and happy families probably won't be helpful. So, why not use the opportunity to take a digital detox? It's a simple act of self-care that could benefit your mental health this Eid.
Whatever positive things you do, remember, thank Allah جل جلاله for them this Eid, for surely that will put you in a good mood if not anything else.