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Dubai comes to a festive mood

Prayers and fun marked the day of Eid Al Adha for the residents in Dubai as Muslims began the day with prayers and later embraced the festive mood full of fun.

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Filipino engineer, Hanifah Ampatua, outgoing president of Maranao Muslim Community, told Khaleej Times that she joined other Filipino Muslims for the sunrise prayer at the Musalla in Jumeirah to welcome Eid Al Adha.

“We then went and visited our relatives and friends in Dubai after our prayers. I met most of them at the musalla.” She said that all Maranao Muslims and their friends including Filipino Muslims and non-Muslims celebrated Eid in the get-together dinner at 
Ramada Hotel.

“It is an opportune time to celebrate Eid together with food, fun and surprises that the Filipino Muslim Maranao Community also decided to mark our 6^th anniversary at the same time.” Janice and Jonabel Marasigan told Khaleej Times that they spent the first day of Eid in a Desert Safari.

Students are the happiest people to celebrate Eid Al Adha. They consider the holidays as the most needed break from school assignments, examinations and tense-provoking lessons. Palestinian students Ahmed Jameel, Mohammed Amni, both 15, and Essa Ahemd, 17, were filled with joy to rush for computer games and cinema shows to the malls after the sunrise prayers with their families and visit to their relatives. “I love this holiday. Now, I can be with my friends to play games and then watch the cinema. It is very refreshing,” Ahmed said. For Mohammed, Eid Al Adha is a needed break from school home works and early wake-ups. Essa said he could watch several shows in the cinema without going home early to be able to catch up school hours the following day.

Sudanese Ibrahim said Eid Al Adha made him do things which he cannot do during school days. “I went to prayers this morning and joined my family members and friends for the sacrifice. Now, I am here in the mall to do what I want 
for myself.”

Sudanese couple Abdullah Almahi and Anna Mohammed, who have been residing in the UAE for 14 years, has gone around malls and parks with their four daughters. Abdullah, a teacher at Ajman University, said that he always made holiday a family affair. “I am taking my family to other emirates to shop and enjoy what is there for us.”

Emirati Ibrahi Al Ali spent the morning at the mosque for prayers and the traditional visits to relatives. “Now, I am here with my sister and other family members in the mall to shop and to watch the cinema. For other expatriates like Egyptian Ahmed Afifi, who has to be at the mall to work during Eid, they find time in the evening after work to go visit and dine with friends.

lily@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE