Eid al Adha has just passed, Eid Mubarak and a Happy Eid to my Muslim brethren!
It’s so awesome that Ms. Marvel shows us an Eid celebration! But I think there is some confusion about which Eid they’re celebrating. Take a look at this scene from the show (which can be watched in the video posted below).
In the scene, Bruno asks, “is it Eid again?”
This is because the 2 Eids are about 2 months apart! So I could see why a person who isn’t Muslim would say, “wait, Eid just happened but there’s another Eid?”
Kamala explains, it’s the lesser Eid–which is what Pakistanis call it. (It’s translated from the Urdu “Choti Eid.”) But this Eid happens after Ramadan!
I can definitively argue that this is not Eid Al Fitr because Aamir is shown eating during daylight hours in Episode 1. If he’s the “religious one” there’s no way he woulnd’t be fasting a day of Ramadan. And Kamala also eats lunch at school. Fine, she might be on her period and be excused from fasting–but still! In the broader context of the show, if the first episode and a half was during Ramadan they couldn’t have ignored it! With so many Muslims involved in making the show, someone would have pointed out that Ramadan was neglected and corrected it because of its importance.
In short, I have made this conclusion: the person who wrote this line in the show was simply confused about what Eid al Adha is called in Urdu.
Information on the 2 Eid’s according to Pakistanis
I know a bunch of ABCD’s like me wrote the show, and I know it’s confusing! Big Eid, Small Eid? Eid al Fitr seems like a way huger deal to me! Bakra Eid–bakra means sheep in Urdu but baqarah (from which it was derived) means cow in Arabic.
So I decided to clear up the misunderstanding and find out the difference bytown the 2 Eids, according to Pakistanis. I can use this valuable info myself! I interviewed my AWESOME MOM–she’s a real Pakistani expert, you know.
Here’s a summarized transcription and translation of the interview. My mom slides in and out of Urdu and I honestly never pick up on it because I’m so used to it!
BTR: What is this Eid called? Big Eid or Small Eid?
Mom: Big Eid (Bardi Eid).
BTR: Why?
Mom: Maybe it’s a longer period of time with Hajj involved. There’s 10 days of Dhul Hijj ah and 5 days for Hajj.
Or maybe because with Eid Al Adha there’s qurbani (sacrificing an animal) involved. It’s more sacrificial…
BTR: intensive.
Is it also Big Eid because it’s 3 days long?
Mom: You can do qurbani for 3 days. Big Eid has more substance w/ the qurbani and bakra (sheep). Choti Eid (Small Eid) is after Ramadan after 30 days of fasting.
BTR: But with Eid Al Fitr, the focus is more on Ramadan and fasting.
Mom: I don’t know why it’s called Bardi Eid, but you can Google it.
Yeah. My mom just told me to use Google LOL. My husband Google’d it and Pakistanis aren’t the only ones who refer to Eid al Adha as the “big” Eid.
BTR: Chaand Raat (night of the crescent moon) only happens after Eid Al Fitr, right? Because there’s no moon with Bardi Eid.
For further context, Chaand Raat is a term also used to call a party where a bunch of women/girls gather together to get their mehndi (henna) done. There tends to be music and dancing, too. For Muslims who follow the lunar calendar in observing Islamic dates/holidays, the new day technically starts at sunset. So the Chaand Raat party technically happens on the night of Eid. Imagine if Christmas Eve was actually part of Christmas Day.
Mom: Yes, Eid Al Adha is celebrated 10 days after the crescent. Chaand Raat is a big deal because we see the crescent. It’s the Eid after fasting 30 days.
BTR: When do you eat the big halva puri breakfast?
Mom: It’s for Choti Eid, but people do eat it on both Eids. It depends on the cultural festivities, but usually on Bakra Eid, people start cooking meat. This is because there’s freshly cut meat.
But Choti Eid has more of a focus on sweets. It’s called “meethi” (sweet) Eid and also Savayyan (sweet milky noodle dish) waali Eid.
BTR:
That makes sense because you want to pig out after Ramadan is over. (Read as: reward yourself with dessert.)
What mithai (dessert) do people eat for Bardi Eid?
Mom: People make anything. It depends on what specific culture it is. (My mom is referring to the many ethnic groups within the subcontinent. Some of these groups have been jumbled up post-Partition.) Whenever there’s a celebration, there’s mithai in Desi culture. I think it’s this way in every culture, even in English culture there’s cake. Because people eat regular meals every day.
Brown Teacher Reads 