"E" for "Eid/ Eid-ul-fitr"

Eid month is auspicious for any Muslim. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar and the end of the month is celebrated as Eid-ul-fitr or Ramzan! "Zakat" is followed in this month where wheat , fruits , dates are given to the poor. The month just swiftly finishes .People observe fasting the whole month where they should not drink or eat from dawn to dusk. They offer prayers and attend sermons and recite Quran.

The significance is the revealation of holy Quran during this month. The month actually helps to improve patience, to do few good deeds which I personally feel should be done in any month any day! This month gives a chance for a good change every year. The month starts with a crescent moon  and ends with the crescent moon. The moon marks the start of "Ramadan" and the beginning of fasting. The meal early in the morning just after the 1st prayer(1st of all five in the day) which is called Fajr Namaaz is called "Suhoor" Or "Sahri". The meal which is taken by the end of the day to break fast just before the "Magrib Namaz" (Prayer of the evening) is called "Iftar" . This process through out the month needs lot of discipline and perseverance . Usually people meet in groups and make few delicacies as part of Iftar. In Hyderabad Iftars are huge affairs which are enjoyable and interesting as you actually meet people in person.

The crescent moon depicting on set of Ramadan month: Image source: Wiki

The whole month is a celebration as people go to each others homes for "Iftars". You must have seen in news papers where politicians attend Iftars. Of course they attend for votes but they always get a golden chance to taste the best food! I am not saying this as I belong to Hyderabad but this city is the best place for food specially when it comes to non-veg. People from any part of India feel comfortable in Hyderabad. Almost all know about Hyderabadi Biryani. One more delicacy of Hyderabad is "Haleem" . This is made in the month of Ramzan. It is heavenly and easily digestable. The process of making it is very tough and the outcome is mind blowing. The recipe we followed to make it at home is "here"  if interested! The below is the pic of Haleem made by Master chef of our home- "my husband" who is a great cook and extremely patient when it comes to cooking. Ya ya I keep hearing "You are so lucky afshaaaaaaan" quite often but I learnt cooking and manage pretty well too :) There are many outlets in Hyderabad but famous is Pista house  due to which traffic jams are bound to happen in the busiest centers in Ramzan month. They do national and international business too ! Sarvi is another famous outlet.  Not only Muslims but also Hindus , Christians and people from every caste and creed participate in celebrations by being part of Iftars and wishing their Muslim friends. There are real stories where I heard a Hindu also observed fast along with his Muslim friend to test his patience and to know how it feels!

It indeed feels heavenly when you break the fast. You understand the value of water, food and you realize how lucky you are that you don't have to starve for days like many people below the poverty line!

Haleem we made at home. It is Yummylicious!

Sheer khurma is one more delicacy of Eid day. I can just skip lunch and have it the whole day. I just close my eyes when I taste the first spoon of Sheer khurma/ Sevayya made by my mom. There are many more varieties in it . The one made with condensed milk , another which is actually not a sweet but its served hot along with minced mutton or kheema and the last one made at my home which is my favorite is dum ke sevayya ! The below is a snap shot of what I had last Eid

From left go clockwise- Chauba or topping which has scrapped coconut , pista , baadam , kismis and all kind of dry fruits and mothers unbounded love ;),  Kheema vaale seviyan (Hot) , Sheer khurma and Dum ke seviyan!

I can write much more about Ramzan and the happening Hyderabad , how the city glows even after midnight those 30 days but I decided to keep it simple with few glorious pics of Eid  which are clicked at my home every year! Here you go:

Shaami cutlet (cutlet with mutton+eggs) . MOUTH WATERING they are

I love mehndi and I applied this

All three kinds made at my place

Yeah Thats me ;)

Now I badly want to make sheer khurma but it never tastes like the one made by mom. I am sure  I tickled your taste buds ;) I would really love to have  a creative bunch at home tasting my mom's cuisines. I am sure you will remember the taste of Biryani made by my mom forever !!Hope you enjoyed the post . It feels like Ramzan is tomorrow to me now :)

Anyway after reading this "Eid ke chaand mat hojaana!!" It usually means don't disappear. Don't become the crescent moon of Eid. Usually used for people who are busy and never show up at any place or event.

Last and not the least is "Eidi" which is the best part of the Eid. You get money and goodies from sibblings , cousins , parents and elders. Can any kind of earning give more happiness than this :) ?
Happy "E" day folks. Blog mubaarak ho aap sab ko;) Thanks for feeding oops reading ! Now pass on "Eidis'" err I mean comments :)

This is my 5th post for  "A to Z blogging Challenge 2013" !