From Ka’ek to sheer khorma: How UAE expats keep homeland’s Eid traditions alive

As Eid Al Adha draws to a close, Muslims all over the world celebrated the occasion with lavish feasts, dressing up in cultural clothes, and using the holidays to reconnect with family. For UAE expats, the celebrations are a special mix of traditions back home combining with Eid rituals in the Emirates.

Sabiha A, a Dubai-based Indian expat, said in UAE, “everyone is united in the feeling of trying to find home.”

“Strangers become friends, and friends become family; we pray, cook food for each other, eat, and travel, and most of all we celebrate Eid together.”

After fajr, everyone “rushes to take showers, iron clothes, and match jewellery with traditional outfits,” she said, describing it as a situation with “chaotic fun.”

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

The lunch is the highlight of the day with “mutton biryani, chicken fry, complemented by sweets from gulab jamun to sheer korma,” she added.

A.M.P, (name withheld on request), converted to Islam in 2010, a year after moving to UAE. The Filipina expat said she observes a fast on the Day of Arafah.

Back in her hometown, the Muslim community comes together to contribute towards buying a cow for the Qurbani. In UAE, A.M.P and her husband spent this Eid hosting dinner for relatives and friends.

For Maria Raza, a Sharjah-based Pakistani expat from Karachi, no matter the place, Eid is “always about lots of good food, spending time with loved ones, and giving back to the community.”

However, while Eid in Pakistan is “much livelier—almost chaotic in the best way”, the celebrations in UAE is “much calmer; it feels more like a peaceful break from your day-to-day which also nice in its own way,” she added.

Maria’s family keeps the Pakistani customs alive even in UAE; the “night before Eid is all about preparation,” she added. Relatives gather as they prepare for Eid breakfast (nashta), apply henna (mehndi) and make meetha (sweet dishes) like suji ka halwa, siwaiyan, or sheer khorma, she said.

After the day starts with the Eid prayer, the Dubai-based resident dresses up in new clothes, applies attar (an essential oil), and greets family with Eid wishes.

“After that, the day slows down a bit—sometimes we take a nap before breakfast. Then we get ready again in the afternoon to either visit relatives and friends or host them at home” Maria added.

Some expats recalled the traditions they have seen in their homeland, unique to a particular area.

Suwarti B, a 43-year-old Indonesian expat remembered a ritual, called Manten Sapi, which she saw in her mother’s hometown, a 5-hour drive from Semarang.

The community “pays respect towards the animals that will be sacrificed. The cow is dressed as a bride and it’s wrapped in a seven-fold garland. Then it’s wrapped in a shroud, turban, and prayer mat,” she said.

“Once all the cows are dressed, they are brought to the local mosque and handed over to the sacrificial committee. Then the meat is handled and consumed together,” Suwarti added.

For Jana A, a Palestinian expat in Dubai, Eid this year was bleak, as the family found it impossible to go about celebrations after seeing images of death and destruction in their homeland.

“In our traditions, the house of a deceased person only serves black coffee without Ka’ek (shortbread biscuit filled with date paste) or sweets. The family also doesn’t leave their house, visit others or display any festivities. While, thankfully, we did not lose any of our direct family members in the war, we are mourning the loss of our beloved people,” she said.

However, the Dubai resident fondly remembered how the family, prior to the war, used to follow Palestinian traditions even in UAE, with the festivities starting the night before.

“The women in my family and some family friends gathered and prepared the Ka’ek. My mom would always be in charge of kneading the dough, I with preparing the date paste, my sister with managing the oven, and everyone else doing everything in between.”

After the meal prep was over, the family would rest before waking up for Eid prayer, led by her father at home, Jana said. The next day, the men in the family would “buy the Udhiya (probably a goat or a sheep), slaughter it and distribute the meat to the needy.”

However, some remains of the Udhiya can not be distributed, called “Al-Mo’laq” (the internal organs of the livestock). “My mom would fry it with some vegetables and chili and that would be our breakfast. We then spend the day visiting people or receiving people at our home,” she added.

While these celebrations aren’t too different from ones in Palestine, the “village tends to be more lively during Eid, with children playing outside and people walking over to each other’s houses,” she added.

Yasmin H, an Egyptian expat in Dubai, said she resorts to cooking Eid meals from Egypt to “get a sense of home.”

“In Egypt, people play Um Kalthoum’s famous song “Night of Eid” and women prepare for a long holiday of cooking, where they show off their skills.” To recreate memories of Eid in Egypt, Yasmin said she prepares Fattah, a famous dish made with rice, tomato paste, and meat.