Members of Taranaki’s Pakistani community welcome friends to Eid celebrations

Kainaat Riaz, 3, was all smiles at the Pakistan Association of New Plymouth's Eid Gala 2024. Photo / Ilona Hanne

More than 250 people from throughout Taranaki enjoyed a belated Eid celebration in New Plymouth on June 29.

The La Mer Lounge at New Plymouth Raceway was packed as people joined to celebrate the Muslim festival, Amna Haroon said.

On the day there was a range of food stalls, as well as live performances, fashion shows, face and henna painting, and plenty of child-friendly events to ensure families of all ages were kept entertained.

Haroon, a member of Taranaki’s Pakistani community, said the Eid Gala event was organised by the Pakistan Association of New Plymouth.

“Muslims throughout the world celebrate two Eids. Eid-ul-Fitr comes right after Ramadan and Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated after pilgrimage. Performing hajj (pilgrimage) is a religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out once in their lifetime.”

Haroon said Eid-ul-Adha fell on June 18 this year, and members of the Muslim community in Taranaki gathered for morning prayer and breakfast on the day.

The gala was held the following weekend, she said, to ensure as many people as possible could attend and share in the celebrations.

It was a way, she said, to share the festival with more people.

“The idea was to invite our wider communities, businesses, work colleagues and friends to celebrate Eid with us, while also allowing our children and families to stay connected with our religion and culture.”

When people lived far way from home, festivals like Eid could come with a sense of homesickness, she said.

“Usually on such events, families miss the festivities back home, so this was a way of getting together and celebrating the way it is done in our home country.”

Haroon said the Eid Gala was one of several events planned each year by the Pakistan Association of New Plymouth.

“Another important event coming up is Pakistan’s independence day on August 14.”

Among the many people enjoying the Eid festivities were 3-year-old Kainaat Riaz and her mother, Sana Awan.

Awan, who is from Auckland but now lives in New Plymouth, said it was good to be able to celebrate Eid with friends and family.

Awan’s husband, Adil Riaz, was busy at the gala serving up fresh Pakistani food to a steady stream of hungry guests. Riaz recently opened a Pakistani restaurant, Shan Takeaway, in Tukapa St, Westown.

Riaz said he was enjoying introducing Taranaki people to the wide range of flavours Pakistani cuisine consists of.

Haroon said events such as the Eid Gala brought a taste of home to people and they were an important way to keep a sense of belonging and community when living far away from Pakistan. Sharing the celebration with colleagues, friends and neighbours was an important part of it for her.

“For me personally, it is like welcoming guests into your home. You make them feel respected, show them compassion and kindness, and you definitely don’t let them go home with an empty tummy. You are lucky if your house is full of guests, it is a special honour given by God.”