The Eid Holiday and Feast

The Eid

Monday most of the Islamic world will celebrate The Eid. This is a feast that comes 70 days after Ramadan. It celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son out of loyality to his god. God intervened just in time and had Abraham slaughter a sheep instead. So, here in Cairo, for the last week sheep and cows have been brought in to various staging points around the city awaiting slaughter on Monday. The holiday is to be a reminder of each one's need to sacrifice in their lives and to share what they have.

Part of the ritual is to slaughter this animal and rub your hands in the blood then make handprints on things, like cars, and your apartment building etc. The animal is butchered and passed out to friends and family as well as given to the poor.

For many Westerners this sounds a bit barbaric, probably because the animals are so big, and the sheep have such a tender look to them. But there is high excitement here and everyone is looking forward to the Eid, including all the teachers and school children because it means an entire week off from school. I love school breaks, because I can travel. For this break I am off to Florence, Italy with two other teachers from the school. We return to school Sunday, December 14.