Who can’t wait to welcome Eid? But don’t you know that Eid has a unique experience that happens every year? And in this episode of PC Mail we intend to welcome Eid by sharing couple of stories of Eid with Ghinaya Calista (@gnayalista) who will tell stories and the uniqueness of her version of Eid, in an article entitled “5 Odd Relatives You’ll (most likely) Encounter At Eid. Happy reading!

It’s the holy month of Ramadhan.

Ramadhan is more than just the practice of fasting. In its essence, Ramadhan is a month of worship and living by the strong values the month stands for. A month where Muslims all around the globe taps into their religious self, practice taqwa (righteousness), and races towards the better version of themselves. It is also advised for us to do a lot of taubah (the act of repentance to God) and self-reflection as a way of cleansing years’ worth of sins and prepare oneself to be reborn when Eid came.

I always liked Ramadhan;the groggy feeling whenever my mom wakes me up to eat suhoor, the slow days at work while me and the others are getting weary by the hours, watching the sun sets as the iconic “duk… duk duk duk duk” sound plays on the tv to signal the time of iftar (breaking the fast), the lumbago I develop due to prolonged sitting while hearing the tarawih lecture at the mosque, and nothing beats the joy of having q-time with your most loved (and the not-so-loved) ones during Eid after Ramadhan. Although in the past 2 years the experience was way different than the memories I remember.

It’s a beautiful day, my family and I just finished quenching our starving insides with homecooked cholesterol on a plate (it being the lontong sayur, opor ayam, ketupat, and – if you’re anything like me – the gulai and balados). After devouring at least 1 spoon shy away from getting a food coma, we exchange hugs and kisses to show our affection and gratitude towards each other. Then, it’s time for the main attraction: Eid family gathering. In the spirit of self-reflection, I came to realize that I always find myself repeating the same pattern of encountering fiddly meetings during Eid. As it turns out I’m not alone, based on a small research I conducted during the short amount of time: reading from various IG stories and Tweets from past years, and interviewing several friends from my group. I can describe 5 odd relativesyou’ll most likely meet at any big family gatherings.

#1 – The gossipy, self-centred, all around annoying auntie (the Karen)

The classic, the crème de la crème of obnoxious relative. She’s the only person who will notice your earlobe zit and whether your left eyebrows are short by 3 strands from your right. This model also includes these following comments: “Oh my god you are getting so skinny/fat”, “when I was your age I [insert an old-skool tradition that nobody ever does in this time of age again]”, and the top tier question –  “When are you gonna get married/have a significant other?”.

#2 – The “only talking to keep the vibe going” uncle

The opposite version of annoying auntie. He’s generally a nice person and probably doesn’t talk a lot. But when you were in the vicinity of him, he’ll start to ask you the most general questions human ever invented. Ranging from “How are you?” to “How was work/school?”. Then after hearing your answer he’ll reply with a concise “Oh okay”.

#3 – The not-so-siblings (also known as the acquaintance by blood)

You’ve heard their name somewhere, but never remembers their faces. Mom said you we’re vey close when you were babies, yet you can’t find any receipts in your brain ever engaging in a conversation with them, so you end up just exchanging awkward smiles and nods to each other. Bonus point if they’re really attractive – they develop to a new subcategory: The “I’d bang ‘em if we aren’t related”.

#4 – The golden child who got their shit together

Their very existence irks you in a setting like this. You love them still and although they don’t brag about their outstanding career, glowing smiles, a charming partner accompanied with their cute children, it still exists. You’re very happy of them but highkey tired of being a comparison from the older generation, especially if the golden child happens to be the children of annoying auntie. Then you can say au revoir to your sanity.

#5 – The baddie with strict parents

A natural born liar, a true con artist, you name it. They don’t show their true colours to their parents to abstain from the regular ass-whooping they had from earlier childhood. You know their secrets and have zero intentions to stir gossip from the mad respect you had for them. Well, you don’t wanna grow up to become your family’s Karen after all. (But don’t lie: the urge to blow the whistle for the sake of comedy is still there, somewhere).