The Diary Game: 14/05/2021 - Spending Eid In Ukraine.

blind-spot (70)in Steem-BRU (BY-RU-UA) • 3 years ago

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Eid, Eid Mubarak. Unlike back at home, Eid is very different in a different country. Nonetheless, it becomes a mission to enjoy it just as much or even more.

What can I say? Eid in UAE is something totally different. It is a Muslim country with a lot of resources to make all and every holiday extravagantly special. All my friends from childhood and family are in the UAE. It obviously would be different here.

Still, I have grown pretty accustomed to celebrating Eid in Ukraine. Been doing it for 7 years now, and I am sure I will soon blur the lines between Eid in Ukraine and Eid in UAE.

The first day of Eid, yesterday, was the usual. Morning Eid prayer, followed by hugging and wishing everyone around and tonnes of selfies. Then spending almost an hour or two on the internet wishing all my friends and family on the other side of the world. After coming home, it is feast time. So prepared some traditional foods and the biggest challenge was not to stain the special Eid outfit.

But, I want to talk about today. The second day of Eid. Over the years, I have adapted to celebrating the first day of Eid at home and the second day outdoors. Luckily, the weather today was incredibly welcoming. It has been some time since Kharkiv has had nice weather. We decided to go to the Strilka square.

Across the square is a beautiful Pizzera, the Marinella. It was the first pizzeria I dined in when I came to Kharkiv. In "throwback" fashion we decided to have lunch over there, above the waters while watching the ducks wait for bread and people row boats down the water.

It was a wonderful meal. Often I believe the food is only as good as the experience. I felt like it was Eid! A nice meal with your favorite person, in a place that you enjoy. It reminded me of celebrating Eid at home.

One thing is for sure, Eid is always a little better in Ukraine because of the weather. I often say UAE has two climates: Summer, and cold Summer. But in Ukraine I get to celebrate Eid in a weather that I don't get at home: Spring!

It was an easy decision to spend our time, especially on Eid day, in the wonderful weather. I think the locals appreciate this weather just as much as I do. After taking a stroll around the square, we sat on the grass. I watched teenagers make TikTok, couples taking pictures with the blossoming flowers, some reading books on the benches. The funny part was that a guy sat nearby us on the grass, and he was trading on Binance. Turns out, it was fate. I made a new friend, today.

I don't remember the last time I sat on the grass. In UAE I never found the chance to relax as I do in Ukraine. I hardly ever saw nature. I was always busy with work. Here, on Eid, I got to lay my butt on the grass with flower petals. Is that the closest to heaven?

Soon enough I got jealous of the people hogging onto the beautiful tree with the pink flowers. Also, I wanted to take a nice Eid picture for memory. So here it is, my Eid selfie. I sent it to my friends back in UAE. It may not be special to many people. But for those who know UAE, you know that it isn't easy to come across beautiful nature on the streets like you do in Ukraine.