Eid gifting is more settled than most Indian festivals, and the settled part is worth stating before anything else.
Eidi — money, given to children and to younger relatives — is the convention, and it works. It is expected, it is enjoyed, and nothing on this page is an argument for replacing it. What follows is about what goes alongside it, and for whom.
The two Eids are not the same occasion
Worth separating, because gifting differs.
| Eid al-Fitr | Eid al-Adha | |
|---|---|---|
| Follows | A month of fasting | The Hajj period |
| Mood | Celebratory, new clothes, visiting | More solemn, focused on sacrifice and sharing |
| Gifting | Eidi, clothes, sweets, visiting | Distribution and charity are central |
| Best gift | Something for the celebration | Something given away, often |
At Eid al-Adha, the emphasis on distribution changes the register. A large personal gift can sit oddly against an occasion built around giving a share away. Smaller and quieter is the safer read unless you know the household well.
What goes alongside eidi
Clothes are conventional at Eid al-Fitr and remain the most reliable non-cash gift, especially for children.
Something for the household — dates, sweets, something for the table. Consumable, reciprocal, complete in itself.
Something kept, for close family. This is the gap, and it is the same gap every Indian festival has: the day is heavily photographed and nothing is ever done with the photographs.
| Format | What it suits | Ours |
|---|---|---|
| Print pack | 30 photographs from the year and the day | ₹270 |
| Photo magazine | A year, in order, with names and dates | ₹499 to ₹1,099 |
| Photo diary | A record plus pages they write in | ₹699 to ₹1,299 |
| Hardcover album | A milestone, meant to sit out | ₹1,299 to ₹2,299 |
About four photographs fill a page. Flat ₹70 delivery anywhere in India.
Eid is one of the few days the whole extended family is reliably in one place, dressed, and photographing itself. Printing that and giving it the following year is the habit almost nobody starts, and it is where the family archive comes from.
For grandparents in particular, who see almost none of what the family shares digitally, printed photographs are the version that actually reaches them.
The timing problem
⚠️ The date moves, and it is confirmed late. Both Eids follow the lunar calendar, and the exact day depends on a moon sighting — which in practice means the date can shift by a day and is only certain shortly before.
For anything made to order, that matters:
5 to 14 days from order to doorstep, 5 to 12 to Delhi NCR, flat ₹70 anywhere. Dispatch is weekly on Mondays, so a Friday order catches that week’s dispatch and a weekend order waits seven days. Add two to four days for design and your proof approval.
Order against the earliest possible date, not the expected one. Aim to have anything printed in hand a week before the earliest the festival could fall. Ramadan gives a month of notice, which is ample if you use the beginning of it rather than the end.
Sending to another city
Eid produces a lot of long-distance gifting, because families scatter and the day is one of the few everyone tries to reach.
Send to the person by name rather than the household, get the pin code rather than guessing, and allow for the delivery network being busy — planning a delivery across cities covers the failure modes, all of which apply.
When to keep to eidi and sweets
When you do not know the household well. Cash to the children and something for the table is complete and correct. Nobody has ever been thought badly of for the convention.
At Eid al-Adha. Smaller and quieter reads better against an occasion centred on distribution.
When you are giving to many households. Personalisation does not scale past a handful and should not try.
When there has been a bereavement. Many families observe quietly in the first year. Ask, and bring food.
Frequently asked
What is the traditional Eid gift? Eidi — money given to children and younger relatives. It is expected, it works, and nothing replaces it.
What can I give alongside eidi? Clothes, especially for children, something consumable for the household, and for close family a printed record of the year.
How do Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha differ for gifting? Al-Fitr is celebratory — clothes, visiting, eidi. Al-Adha centres on distribution and sharing, so a large personal gift can sit oddly.
When should I order something made to order? Against the earliest date the festival could fall, not the expected one. The lunar date is confirmed late and can shift by a day.
Part of our guide to personalised gifts by occasion. See also: the Indian festival gift calendar.
Shop: Personalised gifts for parents · Photo magazines from ₹499 · Polaroid prints from ₹270