By Wajma Basharyar
January-March 2000
Lemar-Aftaab
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The Afghan Student Association (ASA) of the Greater Washington DC
Metropolitan Area hosted its first annual Children's Eid Festival on
January 8, 2000, at the Mustafa Center, a Mosque and learning facility in
Northern Virginia. The purpose of the event was to entertain and educate Afghan
children about the importance of Eid-el-Fitr, an Islamic holiday
following the holy month of Ramazan. |
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The Festival comprised of games, Islamic trivia, a puppet video
show, face painting, craft activities, special party favors, as well as
plenty of delicious treats, including cotton candy and ice cream.
Moreover, the highlight of the program was the "Clown and Magic
Show". The show consisted of various activities, including card tricks,
a "bunny-in-the-hat" illusion, and prizes. The children thoroughly
enjoyed themselves.
In addition, each child donated one dollar in his or her name to be
sent as an Eid gift, or "eidee," for a child in Afghanistan. One member
noted that, "for the first time, the children of our community felt
they too could participate in a season of giving." At the end of the
Festival, each child received an Eid present individually wrapped by an ASA member.
Although many were preoccupied with familial Eid programs, the Festival proved to be very successful. ASA's Director of Charity,
Alina Atash Mourtaza, who spent countless hours preparing, commented:
"when I saw the smiles on those little kids' faces, I realized we made a real difference and at the end it was all worth it."
In a culture influenced primarily by Jewish and Christian values, Muslim children tend to shy away from the holiday
season. One of ASA's principal objectives is to help younger generation Afghans better
assimilate as well as to reinforce their customs in order to maintain a valued cultural status in a Judeo-Christian society.
One parent expressed his enthusiasm for the event: "This is the first time we have ever held an event solely for the purpose of
teaching our children about our religious and cultural holidays. We need to continue such programs so our kids don't forget about their heritage."
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