Selfie Season: Smartphones Redefine Eid Celebrations Across Bangladesh

Alongside clothing, smartphones and the internet are increasingly becoming integral to Eid celebrations. Together, they are enabling people from both rural and urban areas to share the joy of Eid on social media. After Eid prayers, as people embrace one another, they capture the moments in selfies. Eidgah grounds now resemble a sea of joy filled with greetings and snapshots. Every smile, every conversation, every photo—collectively creates memorable moments of Eid in digital Bangladesh.

Without any special initiatives, people simply take out their phones, look ahead, and capture countless moments of Eid joy with loved ones at the touch of a finger. When phone memory fills up, the images are stored in cloud drives. Many also curate these moments into albums on social media platforms. From the morning Eid prayers to afternoon gatherings, everything is now documented through smartphones.

As a result, the days of relying on DSLR cameramen are gradually fading. While new currency notes still hold appeal, the tradition of Eidi has largely shifted toward mobile wallets. Eidi now often arrives digitally through short messages—felt emotionally rather than physically in hand, unless cashed out. Similarly, by applying a few techniques, smartphone users can now capture photos comparable in quality to DSLR cameras. On Saturday, March 21, following the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers, scenes across Eidgahs and mosques showed devout Muslims exchanging greetings, embracing one another, and sharing their joy through selfies.

After prayers, Eidgah fields turned into vibrant festivals. Parents, siblings, friends, and relatives gathered together, capturing moments of happiness and togetherness. Children playing in laps, heartfelt conversations among elders, and the excitement of taking photos with family and friends created a unique and lively atmosphere. These scenes are shared either live or as snippets of memories across social media.

Many worshippers say that Eid is all about reunion and joy. After prayers, people exchange greetings, smile, and take pictures—this is the true beauty of the festival. Eid selfies amplify the joy of the occasion many times over.

Behind these cheerful selfies, however, lie countless untold emotions. Many expatriates, carrying silent hardships, share photos and selfies on social media in search of Eid happiness. One expatriate shared images from the Gungahlin Mosque premises in Canberra, Australia, noting that while expatriates do celebrate Eid together, their hearts remain with loved ones back home. “From here, we take Eid selfies to share the joy with our parents and relatives. This, too, has become a part of Eid celebrations. That is why, along with embraces, we take at least one selfie,” he said.