How To Spend Your Eid Vacation

RAMADAN IS COMING to an end and the whole country is gearing up for the Eid Al-Fitr celebrations. For us Filipinos, this usually spells out at least three days of time off from work (woohoo!). But for those who practice Islam, Eid Al-Fitr is so much more than a mere break from the hustle and bustle of one’s worklife.

“Eid” as we usually call it, is celebrated on the first day of the month of Shawwal (Shawwal is the tenth month of the Hijra calendar, falling on the 20th of September) and it is considered as a national holiday for the entire nation. It is when the season of Ramadan has officially ended and Muslims from all over celebrate this holiday with elaborate festivities, visiting friends and relatives, and they tend to wear the best outfits that they can find in their closet. It’s basically their version of “Christmas”, so to speak.

So while they enjoy their blissful holidays, what do the rest of us expats do? Here's a rundown of what you can do with your time (and money) while the vacation button is ON.

1. Road Trip!

Eid is one of those few paid leaves that call for a family (or friends) get together out and about the country (or outside of it!). Top tourist destinations at this time are usually the Red Sand (for picnics), Al-Khobar, Dammam, Jeddah (all three are mostly visited for their beaches), Abha (Baguio-like) and Bahrain (for the more lax atmosphere *winks*).

Push the pedal to the metal..just don't be too fast, or too furious! :)

For trips like this, it’s best that you have them planned beforehand. Secure your assigned driver and his alternate. Make sure that you’d have a place to stay at because the Eid season is a PEAK season. Most hotels/villas are reserved ahead of time. Otherwise, be prepared to sleep in a tent! So, fasten your seatbelts, pack those lil’ travel pillows and make sure you don’t forget the camera! It’s a good way to spend some quality time and R&R with family and friends.

2. Join the festivities.

If you prefer to not join the exodus from the City Center, no worries! The city usually holds public celebrations especially at popular establishments. Last year, there was a fireworks display at the Kingdom Tower. The parks are filled with vendors and it’s gonna feel like a fiesta! The parks here will also feel like Luneta, except women are donned in black (but you’re used to it now, yes?). So feel free to loiter around and discover what the city has to offer this time of the year. Sure, there aren’t any parols. But the people are just as cheerful and generous. (Check our Out and About series for ideas on where to go within the city).

Visit the nearest park in your area and enjoy the bustling crowd.

3. Hunt for Hand-Me-Downs.

During Eid, Muslims usually get new clothes to dress up for the celebrations. Some of them would either throw out or give away their old stuff. Even if they’ve only been slightly used. Ergo, knowing how extravagant these people are…even though it’s Chanel, they’d let it go and buy another one. The ultimate place to look for second-hand stuff is Haraj, one of the largest junk souks in the world. Best time to go there is around 6:00am (or earlier), seriously. (Which reminds us that we’ve been promising to do a feature on Haraj… hah! We’ll go there next week. Riyadh peeps, see you there! ;)

4. Be a homebuddy.

Do you see this as an opportunity to have some “ME” time? Do you prefer being swallowed by the comforts of your bed, getting up only to pee? Well, you can do that too. We advise you though to stock up of food items or pick a book to read or have tons of movies to boot so that you won’t bore yourself to death. But don’t just be a couch potato. This is also the perfect time to do your house cleaning. C’mon, move it!

Homebuddy's Hobbies: MovieTrip, SoundTrip, FoodTrip and TulogTrip!

5. Visit your relatives and friends.

Stop being too busy. Relax and enjoy your afternoons and nights visiting the flats of your relatives and friends. Say hi personally instead of just simply texting or calling, especially when their flats/villas are accessible to you. It’s time to catch up on their desert lives and time for them to hear from you. Don’t forget to bring something to chow on so you can have impromptu parties. Just turn the volume of the videoke down a bit and your get-together will be oh-so-fine. (Avoid the song “Nobody” at all cost. We heard “Nobody” is the new “My Way.”)

The now-famous Wonder Girls. Have you practiced those dance moves yet? You have the whole of Eid vacation to perfect it! :P Photo credits from here.

The malls will probably be closed during the Eid week so no chance to do some shopping but count on the Pink Tarha Ladies to be up and about Riyadh. We’ll see you around!

We wish you a blessed celebration.

PS. Because of the Eid Holidays, the Pink Tarha Team will now have time to improve our blogsite (it's about time!). So, we'll be "tweaking" things up a bit, soon!