A Syrian refugee family describes their experience of Eid during lockdown

“Eid celebration is the most important celebration for many Muslims. It is a time where we all get together and celebrate. As a refugee this is also a particularly sad occasion because it means that I can’t celebrate it with my family. For the past few years I didn’t celebrate it because I was away and separated from my family because of the war in my country. In the UK I used to go to mosques on the Eid day and join others praying and celebrating. This year none of that happened. I had to stay at home and couldn’t take my kids to the Eid festivities. I decided to make a small decoration at home for my children. Also, on the day of Eid, we had an Iraqi family that live close by come and drop us a few presents. That was so nice and my kids were very happy with it. This little present on the Eid day has made a huge difference for me and it certainly felt that this was a special day despite the lockdown.”