This past Eid-al-Fitr, an Islamic holiday that is celebrated on the day after the end of Ramadan, I was given a special gift. Far more interesting than any other gift I have received in recent years, I was given a wonderful gift from my aunt all the way back in Bangladesh – something we Bengalis refer to as a panjabi. A panjabi is not like any other piece of clothing, and it certainly is not like the typical jeans-and-t-shirt type of attire we love to wear daily. Living in America, it is uncommon to see a person wearing a panjabi daily. Despite this, my family has kept traditional clothing alive in my life through various family occasions – namely the Islamic holiday Eid – and this attire is one of my many ties to my family's Bengali culture. Not a single Eid passes by where my little brother and I cannot be found wearing a panjabi, and it is one of the many reasons I look forward to Eid every year. Along with that, I know that any day I wear this garb will be a family-packed day. This entails visiting house after house, seeing family all day, and munching down on delicious traditional dishes – mishti (sweets, simply), curries, shingaras, and of course, samosas. And on top of it all, there is no family picture quite as colorful as those in which panjabis are being worn. Thus, wearing a panjabi is not like wearing any other article of clothing. Instead, it is a sign of great experiences to come.

– Wasie Karim

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