Forgiveness

So, last night was Big Night also known as Lailatul Mi'raj in Cape Town.
Now, this is the time people phone family and friends and ask forgiveness for anything you have said or done in the year that has passed.
For me this is all so fake, because every year you go through this same ritual in asking forgiveness to the same people and the next day the shit starts again, back to the Fitna, back stabbing, back biting for the rest of the year till Mi'raj is on our doorsteps again and then we perform the ritual of hugging our so called loved ones and asking forgiveness again, what a vicious circle.
So there I was feeling a little awkward last night just saying "maaf"(asking for forgiveness) in passing without really knowing why I am saying it.
I then phoned my mother in CT and asked "maaf" and she asked why?, I said for anything I might have said or done to hurt her in the past year and she just said you did not do anything so there is no need to ask for forgiveness.
Why when this time of year comes around, people start looking for their cd's with surah Yaseen on it or some or other thikr?
While listening to some thikr yesterday, and I must say I enjoyed it, but not because it is the time when this is what we need to listen to it, I just enjoyed it and it filled my heart with gladness because I knew some of the verses and not because it was Big night but just because I knew some verses.
I might come about as insensitive and not give a damn, which I mostly do not, but there are sometimes where I feel there is a GOD and yesterday while listening to a cd and reading Yaseen that I really felt close to GOD.
Just went of track to my original train of thought, why do people ask for forgiveness knowing that it is just some sort of fad that happens every year? Same with the month of Fasting, we become Ramadaan Muslims seeing that it is the holiest month on the Islamic calendar, we wear our toppies(fez; head gear) or Hijaab to work and once the Athaan for Eidul Adhaa goes we have the fanciest clothes on.
Another thing, people fast during the day, between sunrise and sunset, that is the time of ibaadah, after sunset we are permitted to eat and go about or normal things. I just think it is screwed up that people watch TV during the day while fasting and then put the tv's off after sunset, don't see the logic in that, maybe somebody can explain that to me.

But before I go, I just ask for your Dua's(prayers) that one day I do wonder on the right path and the path to righteousness, but for the time being I am just gonna be me and ask the questions that do not make sense to me.

I apologise to the literaries out there for incorrect use of grammar in my posts, language was not one of my strong points in school :)