Happy New Year! So...

Let's party like it's 1431! Because it, you know, is.
What's with the no celebration of the new year thing? I've always wondered about that. The eidayn are great, really, but they lack the frivolity one needs to really have a good time. With the obligations, the recommended sunan, etc it's definitely more rite than party. And everyone needs a good party.

With the eidayn, one must rise and get all gussied up early in the morning. I don't know about you, but if I must be presentable before seven, I'm out cold by noon. Not exactly conducive to hitting the party circuit. And the whole eating sweets, making sure you've paid zakat-ul fitr, and mapping out different routes to and from the eidgah? I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but the only thing I want to map out for a party is the shortest route to the dance floor. And before you ask, Schenectady does dance with his mama.

Eid ul Adha can be even less party-conducive; it just seems more somber, and if your friends are on Hajj, what's a girl to do? It's an easier prayer to attend from the non-morning person's perspective, but it just doesn't make for the sort of day you'd want to top off with celebrating through the night. This is why I suggest Islamic New Year.

The celebrations can begin at sunset, which is work, school, and night owl friendly. And unlike the Gregorian New Year in temperate climes, the Islamic New Year floats around the solar calendar, meaning that while it's a great time for mulled cider and movies by the fire for the next few years, in just over a decade, it will be a good time for the last barbeque, then for the first barbeque, then mocktails in the garden, then it will fall in winter once again. A four-season holiday, no religious obligations, and an excuse for homemade shortbread. It doesn't get better than that.