Eid tradition marred by kids’ ‘begging’ on streets
Manama : Citizens are annoyed by the way an ancient Bahraini Eid tradition has been transformed into an “unwanted and bizarre” behaviour during the annual Eid festivities in the Kingdom.
Eidiya, a staple of Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha celebrations, is about giving an amount of money to children by their family to purchase sweets and toys.
Years before the discovery of oil in the region, children of each neighbourhood would wander the alleys and knock on doors asking for Eidiya, in a method similar to trick-or-treating in the western culture. Some would also receive them in mosques, once the Eid prayers are performed.
But nowadays children would stand at traffic signals, main junctions, malls parking lots and even fuel stations for Eidiya. They would approach each car and ask for Eidiya. Kids as young as four years are seen literally jumping on cars and asking their drivers for money.
In short, the custom has been degraded to a kind of ‘begging’ for money.
Such scenes have been rampant in areas like Muharraq, Riffa, Hoora and Manama during the past few years.
Mohammed, a 10-year-old boy, collected around BD7 in two hours by waiting at the intersection of Mahzorah and Umm Al Naasan Avenues near Khalifa Al Kubra Garden in Riffa.
When asked why he wouldn’t stand in a different spot, Mohammed said that “the older boys are collecting Eidiya there, and they will prevent boys of my age from standing with them.”
This matter created a huge debate on local social media. Many claimed that “these behaviours don’t relate to the Bahraini traditions, and they’re being carried out by the children of low income non-Bahraini families.”
Many others questioned about the parents of these children. “How would they expose their children to numerous threats such as traffic accidents, kidnapping and heat strokes?”
However, no official comments were available on this matter.
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