The Narratives – Mohamed Miah

When it comes to inventing new holidays, I’m usually the first to say, “Enough is enough!” And truth be told, I believe we’ve already been given the holidays that matter most. The celebrations ordained by Allah—like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha—bring meaning and purpose, connecting us back to our faith, community, and values. So, why try to add more?

But let’s take a different angle for a moment. When people talk about wanting new holidays, what they’re often really asking for is time—time to rest, disconnect, and spend moments with family without the usual pressures. And I get it. Our lives have become so entangled with work and ambition that we hardly get a chance to take a proper breath, let alone a proper break.

Imagine a holiday that isn’t just about getting a day off but about reclaiming the freedom to live life on our own terms. A time each year for families to step out of the rat race together, whether it’s travelling to new places, learning about different cultures, or simply staying home and creating memories without the daily grind. For dads like me, yes, I’ll still be the one hustling to get everyone from A to B, probably still playing tour guide and accountant, making sure everyone’s happy—but that’s part of the joy, isn’t it?

In our busy world, “taking a holiday” often means “taking time to go somewhere new.” But we don’t always need an exotic destination to make a holiday meaningful. We need time to truly disconnect from work, social media, and the relentless push to “become something.” We’ve been sold this dream of constant productivity, of success defined by career milestones and social status. But maybe the real dream is something much simpler: spending our time as we choose, with the people who matter most.

The industrial revolution may have ended physical slavery, but it set up a new kind—binding us to work, bills, and consumerism. Our modern world keeps us on the clock, striving to keep up, to make more, to own more, all at the cost of our peace and presence. Maybe it’s time we reinvented what it means to celebrate, not by adding another holiday, but by reclaiming the time we already have.

This might have started as a light-hearted question, but it’s taken me down a deeper path. Perhaps the best “new holiday” isn’t about adding another date to the calendar but about redefining how we use the days we’ve got—finding moments to rest, reset, and remember what matters, without waiting for the world to give us permission.