December 8, 2008 – 9:00 pm
With the “Big Eid” celebrations taking place tomorrow, Muslims all over the country (and throughout the Islamic world) are getting ready for the day.
Remember the story of Abraham, and how he was told by God to sacrifice his son? He was all set to obey the Word of the Lord, only to have an angel appear just as he was ready to strike. Regardless of one’s personal opinion of the wisdom of obeying such an command from a supposedly loving deity, this holiday commemorates that event. Traditionally, then, animals are ritually slaughtered and shared out with the less fortunate.
Our guards, drivers (that is Iqbal sitting behind Breck, the driver who worked for us last year), and the Muslim family that lives in our building are keeping up with the spirit of the holiday, and procured 6 goats to serve as the sacrifices. The animals have been living in the basement for the last week or so, and Breck and dad went down tonight to wish them farewell on their last earthly night.
We won’t be able to join in the festivities, as they take place in the morning after we’ve already left for school, and I’m guessing that things will be all cleaned up by the time we get back. Oh well – maybe next year!
December 21, 2007 – 11:36 pm
Tonight is the “big” Eid – the end of the pilgimage to Mecca. That means huge parties where animals are slaughtered – great fun for the whole family. We’ve seen people leading their goats all around town getting them ready for the feasting that will be going on. As I write this, a band is downstairs getting all warmed up, as our basement neighbors – the Khans – are hosting a party, complete with lights and all.
Of course, all us heathens will probably be up on the roof drinking beer, still recovering from the white elephant party last night. Susan got a fancy heavy crystal wedding picture frame and Dave got a metal candle holder plus Indian disco cd. Our best gifts, however, were some that were mysteriously left behind at our house by those who had won them – including various cakes, a wooden rooster, and some “Kama Sutra Body Spray” – yummy!!!
While there are no pictures from those festivities, we do have some new ‘catch up’ pages being posted: school pictures of the kids and parents, some shots from life around the apartment, and another “View of Life in India” page.
October 14, 2007 – 9:33 pm
Well the kids are in bed, but the fireworks are just starting to go off all over. It is Eid, the end of a month of fasting for Mulsims, and our neighbors downstairs are gearing up for a big party tonight. I wonder how that will compare with the Oktoberfest party we are planning for next Saturday? Many of the drivers at school are Muslim, and most have been fasting, so the afternoon rides home – when they’re feeling the effects of a full day with no food – have not been for the faint of heart!
It is pretty interesting to live in a place where all these different festivals coexist so well. The Ganesh season just wrapped up and there is another Hindu festival happening now too (with however many hundreds of god there are, it is no surprise that there always seems to be a party going on). And the Christians have… Halloween right around the corner!! (let’s see how many hackles get raised with that comment!)
Had the big elementary school soccer tournament today – last day of coaching for me (yay!). We went 2-0-1, but the team we tied won on goal differential. Oh well, it was a fun day in the sun. The tough part about it was that Breck wanted to be on the team, but there were only 12 allowed (and 63 went out). Kind of a rough deal to have to make cuts in grades 1 through 3.
Anyways, after swimming with the kids, we all spent a quiet afternoon getting ready for Monday. We will be going to an Eid celebration tomorrow too, so will be interested in seeing how that goes.
With the “Big Eid” celebrations taking place tomorrow, Muslims all over the country (and throughout the Islamic world) are getting ready for the day.
