EIDL KABIR 2023: THE FIRST EID CELEBRATION OUTSIDE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

 The World Health Organization marked May 2023 the end of the Coronavirus Disease-19 as a public health emergency (PHE), global citizens are now more familiar and less disturbed about the Coronavirus Disease -19. In countries like the global north in Nigeria, citizens have gradually continued their normal lives unlike when the first case was detected on 27th February, 2020. The muslim believers celebrate two eids in a year; the Eidl-Adha and Eidl-Fitr which is known to be colourful, full of joy and a source of pride to the muslims. According to the Pew Research Center, the muslim population in Nigeria is the fifth largest in the world, collating to at least 90 million citizens out of over 200 million people. This illustrates that almost half the population of Nigerians have celebrated at least 6 major religious celebrations in a pandemic,  this had socio-economic as well as psychological effects on the wellbeing of muslims. 

To begin with, the effect of a pandemic such as COVID-19 on Eid celebrations, festivities were minimized in terms of outings and gatherings which also directly affected the level of recreational activities for all ages across the nation. Also, families  who had a relative or friend who was seriously ill during the pandemic or died due to the virus , saw little or no reason to celebrate Eid.

Furthermore, the prices of goods and services which were already on the high side in the country was fueled more by the pandemic, which made it harder for some muslim faithfuls to exchange gifts and enjoy the Eid seasons to the fullest.

In addition, the noise pollution generated from Eid festivities via dubar events which are popular in the northern part of Nigeria as well as other events associated with Eid celebrations were minimized, this reduced the complications from noise pollution at individual and societal levels respectively.

 Moreover, some family gatherings which are done more during the Eid season were done virtually using various video meeting apps such as Zoom, Skype, Google meet and other commonly used social media apps which are used on a daily basis. Funny enough, I  believe those in the low socioeconomic stratum who were unable to attend paid events or shows and did not have new or well tailored outfits to wear for Eid delightfully enjoyed their solace at home behind closed doors, thereby, balancing the situation with those in higher socio-economic strata.

On the other side, the outcomes of celebrations such as Eid on the Pandemic leaves a mark on the morbidity and mortality rate of citizens. It is a known fact that outings were minimized but not erased completely and this put a lot of people at risk of infection with only 4,024,000 doses of Oxford and Astrazeneca Vaccine received by a population of over 200 million citizens who practiced little or no preventive measures of Coronavirus Disease-2019. Globally, the mental health of individuals have been affected negatively by the pandemic, which increased the workload for healthworkers. The pandemic left more positive than negative impact on muslim faithfuls, improving their overall health status and health seeking behaviors.

On a final note, Nigerians love celebrations in any capacity and season,  the harsh economy in recent years can not stop Nigerians from celebrating, spreading love , peace and unity. This is the most beautiful aspect of celebrations anywhere  in the world.

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