IN THIS POST:
– Cleaning the House for Ramadan
– Shopping Online for Ramadan & Eid
– Cooking Food in Advance
Most households in Pakistan begin cleaning, cooking, and shopping for Ramadan in Sha’ban so they can welcome the blessed month with plenty of time to spare. However, if your busy schedule has kept you from taking care of the household chores in advance, here are three things that you can do to prepare your home for Ramadan in 2023.
The first of these is cleaning your home from top to bottom. The cleaning is not just done in honour of the blessed month, but also for the upcoming festivities of Eid. Next up on your list should be stocking your pantry and your home for all the essentials that you will need during Ramadan so that you can focus most of your time on prayers and introspection. This includes shopping for Eid as well. Lastly, since you likely want to spend the maximum time reading Quran and praying, try to partially cook and freeze any edible items that have a longer prep time and freezer life.
Now, let’s take a look at each of these preparations in more detail below:
Decluttering the House for Ramadan
Call it decluttering, spring-cleaning, or pre-Eid cleaning, but the result is the same. A more organised, less cluttered, and cleaner living space. Some say that a cleaner environment helps you focus better on your prayers. While that may or may not be the case, it is a fact that organised surroundings do improve your concentration, be that on prayers or your work.
Decluttering the house over a weekend is easy, but when you’re already low on energy levels during Ramadan, this undone task will come back to haunt you. Here’s how to go about it and prepare your home for Ramadan:
General Cleaning
General day-to-day cleaning activities such as dusting, sweeping, mopping the floors, and doing the laundry are some things that can easily be taken care of a few days before Eid. What you need to pay special attention to right now are the hard-to-reach places, such as cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling, gaps between heavy furniture and the wall, where dirt accumulates over time, clearing out the space under your bed, cleaning all the indoor walls with a soapy rag and water, and wiping down all doors, windows, gates and other openings of the house. Don’t forget to clean the top of your ceiling fans, light fixtures, and ACs as well.
Cleaning Each Room
As you clean the walls of each room, tidy it up overall. Choose your bedsheets for Eid and decide whether your bathroom tiles need a thorough cleaning, whether your pantry needs to be re-stocked or organised, and whether your living room needs a new look for the upcoming festivities. Cover each room as you go and mark it ‘done’ on your mental checklist.
Now, you may wonder why you’re doing all of this for Eid when you might not get many guests. Although many of us are still following social distancing guidelines as well as other SOPs to prevent coronavirus, it is important to remember that Eid celebrations are about celebrating the day with the family and loved ones. Therefore, you need to keep the cheery spirits high by getting dressed up and decorating the home for the day, just like you do every year.
Making Immediate Repairs
It is usually difficult to get technicians to come over during Ramadan. So, what you can do instead is to assess all the urgent repairs that are required in your house during the clean-up. Once you know what needs fixing, figure out DIY repair options, such as DIY plumbing repairs to do on your own. Fix what you can, and make sure to call a professional as early as possible so your house can look perfect in time for Eid.
Shopping for Ramadan and Eid
Every year, shopping malls all over Pakistan get crowded right before Ramadan and remain that way until the night before Eid. Markets also stay open late into the night to cater to eager customers. Almost every store features products on sale, and the atmosphere is vibrant.
Nevertheless, if you don’t have the time or energy to scour the markets for that perfect dress and matching bangles, you may want to opt for shopping online as many brands and retail outlets tend to offer discounts, sales, as well as free delivery services.
If you’re preparing your home for Ramadan, it is best to complete the following shopping beforehand:
Stock Up Your Pantry
Stock up on all the essential grocery items and foods that you will be consuming in Ramadan. This includes non-perishable goods only. From oil, sugar, rice, and flour to packets of custard, jellies, vermicelli, and anything else needed during Ramadan; buy what you need in bulk before the month begins.
Most homes in Pakistan also consume flavoured drinks for iftar to compensate for the lack of water consumption during the day. They could be carbonated drinks, liquid flavourings, or powdered flavourings of various fruity flavours. Don’t forget to buy dates for iftar as well.
Shop for Eid
With Eid being just a month away, everyone wants to have new clothes to wear on the occasion. Aside from new clothes, children usually demand new shoes, bangles, and henna to celebrate the festival. If you are not able to visit the markets during Ramadan, shop online for what you can.
Preparing Foods in Advance
Once you have stocked up your pantry, now’s the time to make some of the more time-consuming food items in advance. You can prepare samosas, rolls, kababs, and other fried items in advance and freeze them well before the month begins. While eating healthy during Ramadan is recommended, we all love those fried goodies at iftaar, and even with a healthy diet plan, you can incorporate some of these foods on your cheat days.
You can easily prepare your home for Ramadan using these tips to lessen your workload during fasting and spend most of your time in prayers once the month begins, seeking forgiveness and nearness of the Almighty and praying for better times in the near future.
This brings us to the end of our guide on how to prepare your home for Ramadan in 2023. Stay connected to Zameen Blog to learn more about Ramadan and Eid celebrations in Pakistan. Also, feel free to share your comments and queries with us by dropping an email at blog@zameen.com.
Team Zameen wishes you a blessed month of Ramadan and a happy Eid!
