I can’t believe it’s September already. Time does fly indeed, (even when you’re not having fun). And this past week has ended pretty quickly too. Must be that public holiday we had earlier in the week. Not that I’m complaining. I like those holidays that fall on working days. You get a break and just as the relaxation is starting to wear off, it’s the weekend again. Life’s good, isn’t it?

 Perhaps the only issue many of us had with this Eid holiday is the fact that it didn’t come along at the best of times. The "dying days” of the month are never a good time to celebrate because let’s face it, what’s a celebration without money? And you know how traders take advantage and hike prices during such times because they know people have to spend anyway. I kind of worried for my Muslim "brothers” and "sisters”, especially those with families because people need "Fanta” and meat to mark the end of Ramadhan. It’s always about the food, isn’t it? But then again, there’s that common belief that Muslims are generally richer than the rest of us and don’t they (the men) marry up to four wives and provide a home for each wife and her children? Anyone who can afford to do that must be well off, right?

Being broke myself, I had to find a way to indulge and my only option was to get myself invited to a Muslim family for the festivities. Now back in Uganda, that was easy. Growing up, I had many Muslims friends and in fact we even had an arrangement where they would invite us for Eid and we would return the favour come Easter and Christmas. Things are different now and I have to say I had to look long and hard for a Muslim connection. In the end, it was a friend who has a friend who knows someone with Muslim cousins who saved the day. Donning my Islamic garb (don’t even ask where I got that), I headed for my destination. My favourite delicacy especially on this day is Pilau. I can eat platefuls of that spicy rice anytime and this time was no different. One thing that amuses me though about Eid is the uncertainty of when it should be.

You always hear of faithfuls who prepare only to be told that it is not the following day as they’d expected but the one after that. What I’ve always heard is that people must see the moon first and that in most cases, it has to rain the previous night. So in the event that you stocked up on perishables and don’t have the means to preserve them till the moon shows up, you feast in advance unless you can afford to shop again for the real thing.

The other muse has to be those who in the fervour of ending a month’s long fast indulge in booze. The irony! Reminds me of that Catholic Relief Service (CRS) car I find packed outside a popular nightclub almost every night. Many times, I’ve been tempted to hang around the club’s parking lot just so I can see who drives it. It would be interesting if some nuns or priests emerged from the club. Highly unlikely but then again, anything is possible. The men and women of God could be in there saving souls or delivering some much needed aid. They are a relief agency afterall. Oh wait, another thought just crossed my mind. They could just be using the car park. You know how many people don’t have parking space where they live?

To be continued…
 
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