Eid al Adha ( عيد الأضحى) is a Muslim holiday that happens one month after Ramadan (رمضان). I have found various public sources, like Wikipedia and cultural education books, to be an interesting source of information about holidays, but I've also found they tend to differ from how people actually celebrate a holiday. I had the fortune to spend time in Morocco during two Eid al Adha celebrations as well as being able to talk about the holiday with Moroccans and foreigners living in Morocco.
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Eid al Adha is also called Eid and Eid Kabir in Morocco.This is because it is probably the largest Eid (which means holiday or celebration) in Morocco. It is a commemoration of a passage found in the Muslim Koran and the Christian Bible as well as in Judaism. The short (and non-reverent) version of the Christian Bible passage of this story goes like this:
One day God wanted to test the faith of Abraham. To do this, He told Abraham to take his son, Isaac, to the top of a mountain and sacrifice him to God. Abraham proceeded to do this without question: he led his son to the top of the mountain, tied him up, placed him on an altar, and raised a knife to sacrifice him. Then an angel appeared, sent by God. The angel said, "Just kidding! God doesn't really want you to sacrifice your son! Instead, kill this sheep that is conveniently located in this bush." Abraham then untied his son and killed the sheep.
Eid al Adha commemorates this event, the faith shown by Abraham and the mercy shown by God.
One day God wanted to test the faith of Abraham. To do this, He told Abraham to take his son, Isaac, to the top of a mountain and sacrifice him to God. Abraham proceeded to do this without question: he led his son to the top of the mountain, tied him up, placed him on an altar, and raised a knife to sacrifice him. Then an angel appeared, sent by God. The angel said, "Just kidding! God doesn't really want you to sacrifice your son! Instead, kill this sheep that is conveniently located in this bush." Abraham then untied his son and killed the sheep.
Eid al Adha commemorates this event, the faith shown by Abraham and the mercy shown by God.
It is expected for families to buy a sheep to sacrifice for Eid al Adha. Naturally, the better quality sheep the better it is for the family. The larger or whiter the sheep is, the better quality it is. Sometimes a family will get two sheep if they can't find a really good one. The sheep also serves the purpose of showing how well off a family is or how much a family enjoys the blessings of Allah. This social pressure often leads to families buying a sheep even if they don't want one or can't afford one. It is common to hear of people who spend a year's salary to buy a sheep for Eid.
There was a natural disaster one year that forced Morocco to import sheep to make sure there was enough for everyone, but this also sent the prices through the roof. Families were going into massive debt using credit to buy sheep. Some families couldn't find a way to buy one at all, and it was shameful to not have one. The King remedied this by passing a law stating that people do not have to sacrifice a sheep during Eid. This helped out the people who couldn't afford one as well as the people who don't like to kill animals.
There was a natural disaster one year that forced Morocco to import sheep to make sure there was enough for everyone, but this also sent the prices through the roof. Families were going into massive debt using credit to buy sheep. Some families couldn't find a way to buy one at all, and it was shameful to not have one. The King remedied this by passing a law stating that people do not have to sacrifice a sheep during Eid. This helped out the people who couldn't afford one as well as the people who don't like to kill animals.
The sheep is usually kept in a small room in the house or on the terrace of the building. They are fed and watered, though the area around the sheep can get messy with all the hay for food and bedding. The sheep usually lives here for around a week and the city is filled with their calls. During my first stay in Morocco, the sheep in the neighborhood would call out every time the call to prayer happened; I didn't notice this during my second stay in Morocco, however.
The morning of Eid al Adha is quiet and has a lazy feel, it always reminded me a little of Thanksgiving or Christmas (when I didn't have to work). The holiday officially starts with the King's procession. This procession always reminds me of the Macy's Day Parade in that the only thing on TV is a life feed of a large number of people in fancy dress going down the street. I never saw any giant balloons or floats, the closest I saw was the King's carriage. The King enters a mosque at the end of the procession, leads a prayer, and then sacrifices a sheep. It is at this point that families all over Morocco can sacrifice their sheep. I have been told that King Mohammed VI, the current King of Morocco, doesn't like all the pomp and circumstance of the holiday and every year he cuts out another bit.
Traditionally, the eldest male in the household is the one who slaughters the sheep. If he is unable, or doesn't want, to do it, then another male in the household or a local butcher will do it. When butchers slaughter the sheep, they usually take a portion of the meat as their fee.
The knife used is supposed to be very sharp. The idea is to make the death as painless as possible for the animal. Some people say it's out of respect for the animal. Some say it's because God said so. Some say it is to reduce the toxins in the meat caused by the body's response to pain. While the knife is supposed to be incredibly sharp, in reality this isn't always the case. Lack of money, time, or knowledge about knife sharpening can cause the knife to not be as sharp as it could be.
For the slaughter, the sheep is laid down on its side. Great care is taken to make sure it doesn't see the knife or smell any blood that might be there from a previous slaughter. The legs are usually held by someone or tied together so the animal doesn't hurt itself or someone else. The knife is then drawn across the sheep's throat in one smooth motion, severing the arteries and the throat. The sheep then bleeds to death while people try to make it as comfortable as possible, sometimes saying prayers or blessings.
I can tell you from personal experience that bleeding to death is not terribly unpleasant. There was one time I was bleeding to death and the nurses at the hospital told me that I should have been dead. You just get kind of cold and tired. There was no pain, just a desire to fall asleep.
I can tell you from personal experience that bleeding to death is not terribly unpleasant. There was one time I was bleeding to death and the nurses at the hospital told me that I should have been dead. You just get kind of cold and tired. There was no pain, just a desire to fall asleep.
After the sheep is dead, they cut off the head and start to skin the body. Sometimes they insert a small tube between the skin and body and blow into it, this make it easier to remove the skin. They then begin to remove the skin from the rear of the sheep, starting with the legs and then moving on to the rump. At this stage, they often hang the sheep by it's hind legs. This is so all the blood drains out of the body and to make it easier to skin and dress.
They don't just stop with hanging the animal up.
- If a butcher slaughtered the sheep, he usually takes some of it when he leaves.
- There is a superstition attached to the lining around the organs inside the sheep. If the lining is very thin and see through, and a consistent pure white color, it means the family will be blessed with good fortune during the upcoming year.
- A portion of the meat is given to the poor as charity.
- The head is usually flame roasted all day and served on top of dinner, and the head faces the guest if any are present.
- Much of the meat gets frozen or stored and is used in every meal for the next few days (or week or months)
So ends the morning of Eid al Adha. The day doesn't stop here, but you probably want to. The rest of the day will be covered another time. As a parting note, here is a video summary of the morning of Eid al Adha I experienced during 2007.
The sacrifice during Eid al-Adha is an experience I feel every meat eater should observe in person at least once during their life. I feel that if you are going to eat meat, you should know where it comes from, how it is prepared, and what the animal experiences. Doing otherwise is disrespectful to the animal who died to provide your food.
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