Eid, Christmas, and .........the Shopping Festival!!

Earlier on this blog we described the Muslim holiday of Eid (Eid-al-Fitr) that marks the end of Ramadan. Now it is time for "the other Eid," or "the Big Eid," more properly known as Eid-al-Adha. This second festival shares a figure with Christianity and Judiasm, as it commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for Allah.

Eid-al-Adha falls on the tenth day of the Hajj in Mecca, which I just learned begins about two months after the end of Ramadan. Because these holidays are tracked on a lunar calendar, they rotate through the different seasons on the Western calendar. This year, the Hajj and the Big Eid happen to coincide with the other major holidays in December (i.e. Christmas).

This Eid is a four day holiday, which is why it considered bigger than the three-day-Eid after Ramadan. As with the other, going to Eid prayers involves wearing your best duds, and sacrificing your best animals (modern translation: giving to charity). As was pointed out in an article I read, Ramadan and the two Eids fall on the same days every year according to the Muslim calendar. It's just our 365 day calendar that makes it appear to change.

But Eid is actually a bit invisible here in Dubai—especially to us non-Muslims. Sure, we all know we get three whole days off in the private sector! And we know there is a holiday because there are more tourists from the GCC than usual. (Plus the night before Eid started was declared a “dry” night so no booze was available in the bars.) However, lacking the decorative impact of Christmas, Eid seems a bit swallowed, apart from a few “Muslim” decorations in some of the malls.

Not so for Christmas! Christmas decorations are everywhere, although it is unlikely more than 3 percent of the population is Christian. All the malls have Christmas decorations. All the stores have Christmas stuff, including the grocery stores. We can get Italian Panetone, German Stollen, British Mice Pies, South African Christmas pudding, American cakes, and chocolates from everywhere just across the street. A few of our Indian friends even have Christmas trees.

Some of this is charming. Especially when interacting with a Muslim person at the bank, etc. and they wish us “Merry Christmas” followed by a shy little grin for getting it right (must have been part of the English lessons at school….). But some of it is actually disturbing. After all, this is a Muslim country. Has commercialized-Christmas really spread out so far as to take over the U.A.E. as well?

Here is the case in point: Dobby is becoming famous for its annual shopping festival. Supposedly people come from all over the world in December and January to shop, shop, shop till you drop in all the malls and souks. The gorgeous weather this month also attracts the tourists, as does a huge market with stalls from 150 countries that remains open for six straight weeks. Naturally, there are advertisements up everywhere for this festival. There are also lots of decorations on the major roads and landmarks.

And herein lies my concern. These decorations just happen to be green, red, white, and gold. Granted, green, red, and white are the colors of the U.A.E. flag. And National Day was only two weeks ago. But the shapes of the decorations are the source of my suspicion. While not openly Christmas symbols such as bells, branches, bows, etc. the decorations are ALMOST bells, bows, and branches, with nice curves and lines creating patterns that look kinda like bells and bows, etc.

When I brought this point up to some new friends, I was basically dismissed with a “those are for the shopping festival” (silly). But come on. This place is covered in Christmas symbols and decorations! Even the major flagpole (supposedly the largest in the world)! People just seem not to realize it…….