In Pictures: The Lost Art of Eid Greeting Cards
The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has immensely changed our lives, with people locked in at home, practicing social distancing. This Ramadan was very different; we had to spend it away from our family, friends, and loved ones due to the pandemic, and this Eid might be just the same. However, as we’re spending Eid in the lockdown, we decided to revisit one of the most special traditions that used to take place a long time ago, before the digital age changed our lifestyles, the Eid greeting card.
It was routine for most families to spend time selecting, purchasing, writing, and posting Eid greetings cards to friends and family before this tradition faded and was replaced by text message greetings.
According to Dawn.com, the tradition of sending greeting cards on Eid started in the late 19th century, in the Indian subcontinent. Although many well-off Muslim families were, for centuries, accustomed to sending calligraphic and artistically embellished greeting messages during Eid, the mass availability of Eid cards and access to postal services only became the case in late decades of 19th century.
With the expansion of the railway and people living further and further from home, coupled with an improvement in printing and postal services, the Eid greeting cards made perfect sense. But with the busy lifestyles and availability of text messages and calls, the artistic tradition faded as time passed!
