Few Arabic words are as luminous, reflective and warm as eid.
Its English translation to festival, feast or holiday, is a correct but fragmentary definition. The word resonates on familial, personal, religious and social levels. Eids are not just days to celebrate, but to commemorate, self reflect and mend.
There are two main Eids in the Muslim faith: collectively known as the Eidain.
Eid Al Fitr, which is projected to begin this Sunday evening, is the earlier of the two. The holiday marks the end of Ramadan and dawn-to-sunset fasting. As such, the name translates to Feast of Breaking the Fast. It begins at the sight of the new moon and marks the first day of the month of Shawwal.
The second Eid is Eid Al Adha. Translating to Feast of the Sacrifice, the holiday honours Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail as a show of obedience to Allah. Halal domestic animals, such as sheep, goats, cows or camels, are ritually slaughtered, with two thirds of the meat being distributed to the needy.
The holiday falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah and continues for four days.
While the Eidain are the primary holidays celebrated in Islam, there are several other religious and secular Eids that make the word a good way to branch out into other common terms.
Eid milad is birthday.
Eid Mawlid El Nabawi is the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed, celebrated on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.
Eid El Nayrouz is the Feast of Nayrouz, a holiday of the Coptic Orthodox Church to commemorate martyrs and confessors. It is celebrated on September 11, which also marks the start of the Coptic New Year.
Eid Al Istiqlal is independence day. Eid Al Ummal is Labour Day. Eid Al Umm is Mother’s Day. Eid Al Ab, Father’s Day.
Eid zawaj is a wedding anniversary. Eid zahabi is a golden 50th jubilee, whereas eid al fuddi marks the silver, the 25th anniversary.
Finally, if you want to wish your friends a happy Eid, you could say Eid Mubarak or Eid Saeed. It won’t hurt if you get them a gift, or an eidiyeh, as well.
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
