Another one of those Muslim Feasts….

Yet again, I got to experience another one of the bizarre yet wonderful Muslim Feasts. Last time I was exposed to Ramadan, the fasting, the breakfast at 5pm, the continuous shopping and the sweets in the so called 'Small Eid'

This time I got an understanding of the other Eid, or the so called the 'Big Eid' or as the Muslims call it Eid Al Adha. There is not much festivity or celebration or fasting during this feast, some people usually fast 10 days before the feast and others just do the last day, as that is compulsory, there are no celebrations in the Ramadan style during those 10 days!!!

Never the less there are still preparations, farmers get their cows and sheep ready. Families decorate their house and start saving up for that cow or sheep they are going to buy!!

Sheep waiting to get slaughtered in a little alley in Islamic Cairo

Why may you ask, cows and sheep??? Well this Eid commemorates the ransom for a child by slaughtering a sheep. This can be seen in 2 episodes in the Bible; the one which is greatly celebrated is the story of Profit Abraham, who was about to follow God's orders and kill his own son, but in the last minute, God gave him a sheep to slaughter instead. The other episode is the Passover, where God killed the first born of the Egyptians so as to let his people free. Nevertheless, the later is not celebrated for obvious reasons.

Thus the wealthy Egyptians or those who could afford it slaughter a lamb (for one family) or a cow (between families) on the occasion. 1/3 of the animal is kept for the family, 1/3 for the relatives, and 1/3 for the poor. It is usually the butcher who does the slaughtering though many families like keeping it a family tradition and do it themselves.

Unfortunately I did not get to see the whole slaughtering and the blood on the streets and the actual festivities as I was traveling to Bahriyya Oasis. Never the less Purvi and I managed to get the last bit of a cow being slaughtered. We were randomly walking in the street when we noticed there was blood all over the floor, so in our touristy excitement we wanted to know what was happening, so we rushed to a near by street and saw the last part of the cow being slaughtered. It was not as disgusting as I though it would be. The cow's neck was cut, until it bled to death, then a pipe was put in between the skin and meat for the butcher to blow and thus separate the skin and mean, we thus got a first hand experience of the cow being skinned, which I though was a big gross, especially when the butcher jumped on to the cow to pose for us!!! There were good vibes around as everyone was happy and was celebrating; I guess that is where there was not so much disgust!!! I am glad I got to experience my first beast being killed!!!!!