It's Eid

It’s Eid. ...No, not Eid Al Fitr (Eed Al Fitter); that’s at the end of Ramadan…

This week is Eid Al Adha (Eed Al Ad-da) that marks the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Eid Lights

Both Eids are celebrations and hold a lot in common. Everyone buys new clothes, and children in small, tight-knit communities still go door-to-door asking for money; (modern city kids just get a cheque from their Aunt or their Granddad). Mostly, it’s a grand feast after fasting; a time for family, overeating, TV specials and sales at the big stores. Multi-coloured lights fill the streets and malls.

Hajj lasts several days and is the time once a year when more than 3 million Muslims descend on Mecca to conduct the ritual.

New Clothes can hurt!

One of the Five Pillars of Islam, performing this pilgrimage to Mecca is mandatory for all who are able, once in their lifetime. The Hajj follows a prescribed path over several days within the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, following the trials of Hagar, Abraham’s second wife and their son, Ishmael, and ends with Mount Arafat Day, a day of fasting. The rituals of Hajj culminate with Abraham’s ultimate act of obedience to God when he obeys the order to sacrifice Ishmael. At the last moment, God produces a lamb as a substitute.

So, unlike Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha commences with a ceremonial sacrifice.

The head of all Muslim families, whether attending Hajj or not, sacrifices an animal, usually a lamb or a goat, sometimes even a camel. This is then eaten at their Eid Al Adha feast, a meal held with their family, but at least a third is given to charity, either to feed the local poor or sent to other struggling communities, refugee camps, etc., in countries across the region. 

Amman, Jordan - Sheep Pen on Eid morning

In UAE, people purchase their sacrificial lamb a few days before Eid and, if they have room, tether it in their yard. On the morning of Eid, a butcher comes over and slaughters the animal. If they don’t have room, they go to the slaughterhouse (by all accounts, slaughterhouses are bedlam during the day of Eid), to find an animal and have it prepared.

We were in Jordan, a more traditional society, and we drove out of Amman, the capital, and into the countryside early on Eid morning. Street corners all along the way had small temporary pens of sheep or goats. Guys were all jostling around to choose their animal – it was just like they were picking out their Christmas Tree. To one side, a butcher waited to slaughter, bleed, skin and prepare the animal, on the spot.

Coincidentally this year, Eid Al Adha occurred the day after Canadian Thanksgiving, where families also got together to eat too much, play silly games and upset each other, over a sacrificial turkey...

Eid Mubarak! (That’s Happy Eid)

For more information on the traditions of Hajj & Eid Al Adha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj

Grand Mosque at night