Misha Euceph Takes Vogue Inside Her Eid al-Fitr Festivities
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This year’s Ramadan holiday came to a close on Wednesday. The holy month serves as a time when Muslims fast, pray, and reflect; at the end of it, they then come together as a community to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, otherwise known as the “festival of breaking the fast.” Eid is something that Pakastani American writer and podcaster Misha Euceph has celebrated for as long as she can remember. Growing up in Pakistan, Euceph recalls Eid festivities in her family continuing for several days. “They last three days traditionally,” Euceph tells Vogue. “The goal is to have a grand old time and to eat to your heart’s content. After having this spiritual, reflective, more solitary time, it’s a time to focus on community and to celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of the month.”
This year, Euceph—who is the creator and host of Tell Them, I Am, a podcast that is now in its second season and highlights stories and experiences from a variety of Muslim voices—wanted to mark Eid in a special way. After a year of isolation, she invited both Muslim and non-Muslim friends over to her home in Los Angeles to take part in the Chaand Raat celebrations, which are held on the eve of Eid. She also wanted to introduce them to the unique South Asian customs she brings to the festivities. “Eid is different from culture to culture,” she says. “Because there are so many Muslims from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds, there are specific little things that people do differently.”
With a professional henna artist for her guests, Euceph’s two-day affair also included traditional Eid dishes such as chicken tikka, “vegetarian dishes for my vegan friends,” potatoes and spinach, and desserts like gulab jamun. “My friends made desserts as well,” she says. Euceph was excited to introduce her non-Muslim friends to the different aspects of Eid, from the food to the clothing. “I was really excited to share this part of my culture and to throw a Chaand Raat party, which is something that I haven’t experienced in a decade. It’s just not common in the United States,” she says. “To be able to be a cultural ambassador in that way, and to put my own twist on it, feels really special—and to do it after coming out of isolation, it takes on a whole new meaning.”
Of course, she has two dazzling ensembles to go with the two parties. “[With Eid], you dress in really fancy clothes—like wedding-level fancy,” Euceph says. “The shalwar kameez is usually super decorated with a lot of beadwork, mirror work, or shiny, sparkly fabrics.” For her Chaand Raat soirée, Euceph wore a pink shalwar kameez by Junaid Jamshaid that she got in Artesia (the Little India of L.A.) and completed the look with traditional green bangles and golden harem pants. “They’re actually pants that my mom used to wear,” she says. Then for Eid itself, she changed into a black sari by Aanchal. “It’s actually my first time wearing a sari,” she says, adding that she got help from her aunt, Samina, getting into it. “They’re difficult to tie!”
Now that Euceph is finished with her Ramadan and Eid festivities, she says she will be getting back into the swing of her successful podcast, which is coming up on season three. “Season two was about showing that Muslims can be Muslim in more than one way,” she says. “Going into season three, I just want to bend the form a little bit more. I want to really play with sound; season two was really immersive, and next year, I want it to be even more immersive.”
Below, Euceph’s diary from Chaand Raat and Eid al-Fitr.
Photo: Wajiha Ibrahim1/13Henna artist Farwa Naqwi doing my mehndi, a classic Chaand Raat ritual.
Photo: Wajiha Ibrahim2/13The geometric, traditional patterns draw from Islamic art and mosque architecture, as a tribute to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
