Trading Turkey for Lamb (Eid Mubarak)
26 November 2009 at 11:32 moshawaf 7 comments
By Mohammed Al-Shawaf, KF9 Palestine
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- Ramallah’s bustling city center known as the “Manara”
On the day before the third Thursday in November, I attempted to reach my family while avoiding the heavy traffic of cars fleeing home and hurried, last-minute shoppers darting in and out of now-bustling stores.
Sound familiar?
Only I’m not heading to Pacific Grove, California on Thanksgiving eve to argue with my mom and sisters (on again, off again vegetarians) about the necessity of a large, respectable turkey at the centerpiece of the table.
This year, Thanksgiving in my sleepy hometown has given way (quite coincidentally–lunar calendars will do that sometimes) to Eid Al-Adha spent between my current home base in Ramallah and my grandmother’s house in Amman, Jordan.
Coming from a mostly secular, but still tradition-rich upbringing, I honestly couldn’t have told you that the second, “bigger” Eid (the first Eid of the year occurs after the month of fasting known as Ramadan) commemmorated Abraham’s willingness to sacrafice his son to Allah. And I could only vaguely recall that Eid Al-Adha also celebrated the completion of the “Hajj,” or Pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims from around the world take part in. Back in the States, the Eid meant that my sisters and I could expect a little more spending money by way of a holiday that always crept up on us.
But now, in my first time living in a Muslim country during the Eid, I can see the anticipation. There’s a palpable excitement in the air, especially around the busy shops of the Manara in Ramallah’s city center. Nearly all people, regardless of their income or work situation, are spending hard-earned shekels on gifts like clothes and sweets for the children in their families.
Because Ramallah is in many ways a city of transplants (Palestinians from all over the West Bank come here for work and because there is little opportunity in other cities and villages), almost all the people I’ve talked to this week have spoken about going back “home.” Whether that be Tulkarem or Nablus in the north, Hebron in the south, or across the river and through the border to Jordan, the Eid–above all else–is a time to spend with family, no matter how long the journey.
So although I’m preparing myself for my grandmother’s special dinner of slow-cooked lamb and rice and repeating the phrase “Eid Mubarak” to anyone and everyone I pass, it’s still a brisk Thursday in November spent with family around far too much food. And I’m thankful for that.
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Mohammed Al-Shawaf is serving as a Kiva Fellow with Ryada and FATEN, two new field partners based in Ramallah (West Bank).
Entry filed under: All, Palestine. Tags: Eid, KF9, Kiva, Kiva Fellows, Mohammed Al-Shawaf, Palestine.
1. nemhyptonee | 5 January 2010 at 08:02
Wrenteefoosse
afbd
2. Ilmari | 30 November 2009 at 04:40
Great post. In Senegal, Tabaski (Eid) is the most important holiday of the year. The city is flooded with goats, as every able man has to slaughter one.
I celebrated with a large family of Layne muslims – a pretty interesting Senegalese sect.
Copious amounts of grilled meat, football (soccer) and green tea – a tradition I could get used to…
3. robpacker | 29 November 2009 at 04:59
It’s interesting to see how the same festival is celebrated differently in different countries. Great insight into what happens in Palestine for Eid!
4. Ait mairik bolsun! (Eid Mubarak) « Kiva Stories from the Field | 28 November 2009 at 10:24
[...] another Kiva Fellow currently in a Muslim country (Palestine is far more obvious), wrote in an excellent post on the Fellows’ Blog earlier this week, Muslims all over the world are now celebrating Eid al-Adha, and around two million are on the Hajj [...]
5. Kimia | 27 November 2009 at 12:08
I love it!! Its the same idea, just a different name!
6. Judy | 26 November 2009 at 17:15
Thank you for an informative and touching account of your Thanksgiving/Eid celebration. In my ESL classes, I constantly bring together the varied cultures by sharing the traditions that have underlying character. The Kiva pages have been a great springboard for beginning English speakers to share their culture, generate discussion, and increase understanding and acceptance of one another.
This fall, I had students who were fasting during Ramadan, so I brought cheese/apple/cracker/nuts for snacks, and a discussion ensued whether fast ended at sundown or a specific time. It also gave me an opportunity to bring in a word study of breakfast that gave a wider understanding beyond the usual morning meal!
7. Danny Hile | 26 November 2009 at 14:37
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia but for me Christmas and the lead up to it is all about family and friends. I don’t think the food or the presents really matter that much -at least not to the adults. The only time of the year where someone in the family is not working on each day of the 7 day week… I am thankful too.