The Hausa language, originally from Northern Nigeria and Niger, is widely spoken among Muslims throughout West Africa. Their equivalent Eid greetings in Hausa is “Barka da Sallah,” which translates to “blessed Eid prayers.”
Barka da sallah to most Muslims is form of taking Eid Money and this is done yearly. So imagine there’s always prices paid down for cleansing, forgiving and giving to the needy.
Fireworks lit up the night sky on the occasion of Eid in Dubai’s Al Seef area on Tuesday. Kamal Kassim/Gulf Today
Saratu Abubakar, Staff Reporter
“Barka da sallah,” is most likely the phrase that woke you up today if you are in a Northern Nigerian household. It is the slogan of Eid. However, it does not always mean the same thing to everyone. What it means to a 40-year-old man who has a family is different from how a 5-year-old translates it.
Linguistically it carries the same weight in translation as “Eid Mubarak.” Personally it has different meanings. For some people it is just an Eid greeting that will be exchanged between them and their loved ones, for others it is the Eid gift they will be receiving, while for some it is the Eid food they will be eating.
As a form of felicitation Barka da sallah will be replacing all forms of greetings today. It is a special greeting that is part of Eid rituals. Today being Eid it is shared amongst family, friends and everyone one comes in contact with. The beauty of it is that it is not restricted to just fellow Muslims.
Expect Barka da sallah greeting from fellow country people, irrespective of their religion. A group of people that are enthusiastic about it as a form of greeting are the elderly.
Sadiya Alfa, a mother of four, said, “Getting to speak, receive or send across text messages of Barka da sallah to various people is part of what excites me about Eid.”
One of the things that a lot of people look forward to during Eid is having so much food in abundance. Also being blessed to have a lot promotes the spirit of sharing. A major part of today’s agenda will be sharing the Eid delicacies with neighbours.
Children in colourful outfits will be filling up the streets after Eid prayers, delivering food in colourful warmers to various houses. That act of sharing is extended to everyone irrespective of their relations with the family or their religious background. Just be rest assured that if you live in a place with a Muslim family, your meal on the day of Eid will be taken care of by them.
