The holiday season is off to a great start for all of us here at the Center for Language and Culture in Marrakesh. On Sunday, a Halloween party was organized by the NSLI-Y students for our Moroccan colleagues. I was right at home among the familiar games, foods and traditions of Halloween and had lots of fun sharing the holiday with Morocco. However, a much more exciting holiday has overshadowed the "Halloween buzz". Eid Kabir, the Muslim Thanksgiving, is next week. This three day feast marks a celebration for the pilgrimage returnees that includes the entire Islamic world. On Eid Kabir, each Muslim family buys a sheep (or many sheep) to sacrifice in remembrance of Abraham's actions in the Koran. The particular story that is remembered tells of the time when Abraham received a message from God, telling him to kill his only son, Issac. Abraham took Issac to the top of a mountain and prepared to do as the Lord told him. Upon seeing that Abraham obeyed him, God sent a ram to Abraham so he would not have to sacrifice his son. So, on Eid Kabir, Muslims sacrifice sheep to remember that obeying God is important. After the sheep sacrifice (which can be done by a butcher or the head of the family), people eat the entire sheep, starting with the insides on the first day and then with the meat for the following week. Each family keeps one third of the meat for themselves, give a third to their family and give a third to the poor.
Needless to say, my American counterparts and I are very anxious and excited for this foreign holiday. The Moroccan's enthusiasm is contagious and we have already heard many stories of sheep sacrifices and celebrations that last for days. We are all mentally preparing ourselves for the moment to witness a sacrifice and to eat parts of the sheep that we normally would not dream of tasting. In moments like these I am reminded of the value of an exchange program as opposed to an Arabic classroom. Never in a million years would I have imagined a holiday like Eid Kabir and am sure it will be a memorable addition to my 2011 holiday season.
Sheep for sale outside of Marjan! (The "Walmart" of Marrakesh).
Photo by Melanie Bahti
***The information I present in this blog are conclusions I drew from talking to Muslim colleagues. I recognize that Eid Kabir traditions may vary across the Islamic world and am by no means an expert on this holiday.
Needless to say, my American counterparts and I are very anxious and excited for this foreign holiday. The Moroccan's enthusiasm is contagious and we have already heard many stories of sheep sacrifices and celebrations that last for days. We are all mentally preparing ourselves for the moment to witness a sacrifice and to eat parts of the sheep that we normally would not dream of tasting. In moments like these I am reminded of the value of an exchange program as opposed to an Arabic classroom. Never in a million years would I have imagined a holiday like Eid Kabir and am sure it will be a memorable addition to my 2011 holiday season.
Sheep for sale outside of Marjan! (The "Walmart" of Marrakesh).
Photo by Melanie Bahti
***The information I present in this blog are conclusions I drew from talking to Muslim colleagues. I recognize that Eid Kabir traditions may vary across the Islamic world and am by no means an expert on this holiday.
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