RIYADH, 25 November 2004 — The short Eid holiday is over, and everybody is back to the usual business. Shops and restaurants close early, and streets are less crowded. Our biological clocks reset to the non-Ramadan schedule, and all aspects of the long, sleepless nights of Ramadan disappear until next year. I enter my office happily, greeting my colleagues and thanking Allah that I can once again enjoy my morning coffee before turning on the computer.

During the coffee break, one topic seems to prevail: How everyone spent his or her Eid. Celebrating Eid is the norm; we all are supposed to welcome it with joy and excitement, but sadly, that is not what we actually see. It starts with people complaining about their overspending on food and goods or the disruption of their sleeping hours. Some choose to stay awake for sunrise prayer and then sleep all day while others miss the prayer by going to bed just before dawn. Then comes the ritual of greeting the family and friends, which some find awfully boring and redundant. It’s ironic to know that even at this time of the year some are too lazy to be bothered greeting others.

Perhaps, SMS messages are a revolutionary solution to this routine. People are able to send messages to all the entries in their phone books and salute others in minutes if not seconds.

Every year, new text messages are introduced, with funny ones for those with a sense of humor along with ones that speak of the boredom and dullness people may experience the first day and how Eid has lost all its merriness. Don’t forget the picture messages that add a new highlight.

After all the greeting is done comes the question of where to go next. This year, Eid was one of the few holidays I had to spend in Riyadh. My observation, though, has given me some inspiration.

For the past few years the authorities have been making an effort to foster a pleasant holiday. We all appreciate the fireworks that heighten the sense of celebration. As we read the advertisements about various activities held in different parts of the city they give us the impression that the city is filled with joy, laughter, music and dancing for all three days of Eid.

But it is so disappointing being unable to realize our expectations. It all starts by categorizing the activities for men, women and families. And the latter has a very few, limited options, most of which require segregating the two sexes upon arrival at the same venue. Among the new achievements this Eid was the introduction of 10 different plays to be presented in Riyadh.

Unfortunately, attending them only was possible for men and children — with absolute negligence shown to all the females. So the children are given two choices: Going with the mother or going with the father. Add to that what is inserted between two brackets, “Children under the age of 9.”

All this makes me wonder how a father, a mother and their children can enjoy those Eid preparations when all activities are sorted out according to gender? I wonder how children are able to sense the family value when a family is not able to enjoy a quality time together? If restaurants and malls are conceivably the only place to which a whole family can go, then what distinguishes the Eid from the rest of the days? Or on second thought, do children appreciate the Eid when grownups can’t be role models?

All I know for a fact is what our local newspapers have reported in regards to 120,000 cars crossing the bridge to Bahrain during the first three days of Eid. What is it that Bahrain can offer to families and children that we can’t present?