Social media ends beloved Eid card custom, forsaking nostalgia for a slower, extra private celebration
The observe of sending out Eid playing cards to family members and buddies has diminished through the years. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
In Lahore, the acquainted clanging of the postman’s bicycle bell is gone. No voices are calling out to announce the arrival of Eid playing cards, nor are there stalls in markets or streets promoting the colorful playing cards. Trendy expertise and social media, it appears, have completely ended many cherished traditions.
One among these traditions was sending superbly designed, visually putting Eid playing cards adorned with heartfelt poetry to family members. This custom has now all however died out.
Throughout Lahore and the remainder of the nation, Eid card stalls are now not seen in markets, alleys, or retailers. Just a few years in the past, earlier than the social media period, Eid playing cards would flood the streets as quickly as Ramazan started. Stalls, each inside and out of doors retailers, would show playing cards that includes movie stars, cricketers, hockey and squash gamers, historic websites, and floral motifs.
Folks would purchase these playing cards for his or her family members in teams that included kids, the aged, and girls. Everybody hoped to obtain probably the most stunning card, and the enjoyment of sending and receiving them was a spectacle in itself. Eid playing cards have been typically displayed on tables, in home windows, or above televisions, attracting the eye of visiting friends. Guests would choose up the playing cards, learn the verses, and be aware down notably putting traces.
However social media platforms similar to Fb, Instagram, and YouTube have ended this custom, leaving it a reminiscence. Urdu Bazaar and Shalmi in Lahore was once central hubs for Eid playing cards. Bookings would start even earlier than Ramazan, and hundreds of playing cards have been despatched throughout Lahore and different cities in Punjab. Giant sellers would arrive early within the morning with hundreds of playing cards, arranging them neatly on tables for consumers.
“Even should you see a card in a store at the moment, it’s now not a real Eid card however an ‘Eidi card’,” mentioned Humayun, a shopkeeper in Urdu Bazaar. “There was a time once we would purchase and promote these playing cards ourselves. Playing cards adorned with stunning poetry have been in excessive demand for family and friends.”
Learn: Consumers rush to markets forward of Eid
Playing cards that includes well-known personalities—actors, actresses, and sports activities gamers, together with Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Majid Khan, Jansher Khan, Jahangir Khan, and hockey participant Samiullah—have been particularly common amongst younger individuals. When the postman arrived, the bell on his bicycle signalled pleasure all through the neighbourhood. Households would rush to the door to obtain the playing cards, which have been rigorously faraway from their envelopes, making a festive ambiance.
“The enjoyment of receiving an Eid card was unmatched,” mentioned Humayun. “Even postmen got Eidi as gratitude, and a few would come on Eid itself to gather playing cards.”
The Postmaster Normal for Punjab, Zia Ullah Ranjha, recalled: “There was a time when, as quickly as Ramazan started, the put up workplace was stuffed with luggage containing solely Eid playing cards. Within the closing 20 days of Ramazan, bulletins have been made urging individuals to put up their playing cards earlier than a sure date. Authorities and non-government organisations, banks, and companies would all ship Eid playing cards to family members.”
Nevertheless, the arrival of social media has modified every little thing. “The youthful technology doesn’t even know what an Eid card is. The sense of affection and emotion that got here with it has disappeared,” Ranjha mentioned.
As we speak, most individuals ship items as an alternative of playing cards—jewelry, superbly designed clothes, perfumes, and different gadgets, despatched each inside Pakistan and overseas in massive numbers. “The custom of sending Eid playing cards has ended, however the sending of Eid items has taken its place,” he added.
Even the postal division as soon as printed Eid playing cards for its personal employees and despatched them to varied recipients, however that observe has ceased. “Now, a easy WhatsApp message or Fb put up has changed the heartfelt gesture of an Eid card. Many messages are even deleted with out being learn,” Ranjha mentioned, reflecting on the lack of a once-celebrated custom.
