Saturday, December 30, 2006

Happy Eid

Eid Day started as usual with Eid prayers at the mosque, afterwards we set off for my mother-in-law's house to slaughter our sheep with the family. It probably seems appalling to those living in non-Muslim countries to think that kids would all gather round to watch an animal being slaughtered, but kids in Muslim countries are used to the idea of the annual sacrifice and look forward to the excitement.


Our sheep was ready.... or was he? No apparently he wasn't going to give up with out a fight. He managed to get loose and try to make a run for it. Big excitement as all the boys ran around chasing after it, while the girls all squealed and ran out of the way!

They managed to catch the poor thing, and in no time at all he'd breathed his last (Allahu Akbar!).
Everyone had a job to do - most important was my mother-in-law who made sure everyone had enough hot milk, coffee and tea to help them get a start on the day. She also made sure that everyone was doing their job. She'd been up since the crack of dawn making sure all the knives, dishes and other equipment were ready and had even covered the entire garage floor with cardboard so the mess would be easier to clean up when we were finished.

Even Ibrahim lent a helping hand - he was the official leg holder.


The men continued to slaughter the sheep one by one....

....while the woman prepared the stuffing for tradition Libyan sausages, called usban. Chopped up liver, meat, bits of fat, parsley, onions, rice, tomato paste and spices are all mixed together and stuffed in the sheep's intestines, then it's all steamed until it's cooked. - I hate it, but everyone else loves it.
By the afternoon we were back home and I hung my salted meat out on the line to dry.


It was a long day, but a nice one. I wish you all - Happy Eid!

20 comments:

  1. Happy Eid Khadija and a happy new year.

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  2. happy eid terri xoxoxoxo to you the kids and mustafa

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  3. Happy EID! Tell Adam that I want my sweatshirt back!

    XOXO,
    Sister (and Aunt Kris)

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  4. Happy Eid sister Khadija to you and to the whole family.

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  5. Kris.... did Adam take your sweatshirt or did you give it to him... or is he just borrowing it???

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  6. Happy Eid KhadijaTeri to you and your family!
    Tell me what you do with all that salted meat... Can't you just package it up and freeze it?

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  7. Chatalaine - dried, salted meat is like jerkey - useful for when you are camping. It also makes the best umbakbaka and other quick fixing Libyan dishes. The nice thing is that it doesn't need to be refrigerated and will keep for about a year.

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  8. Koll aamun wa entum bekhir, eid mubarak to you and your family!

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  9. Eid Mubarak- I do admit I'd be one of the girls hoping the sheep got away. :)

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  10. I thought Quadaffi canceled Eid celebraations for three days of morning for Saddam. That is what CNN said here? Oh well we did nothing but sit at home as usual while hubby went to work. Have a good holiday all.

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  11. I let him borrow it for his trip to Seattle.

    XOXO,
    Sister Kristen

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  12. Kris... he's saying something about possession being 9/10 the law....lol

    Thanks Highlander!

    old momma... that's only for official officies.. normal people just did their usual Eid things... everything would have been closed for the Eid anyway...people go back to work on the 2nd of January.... I'm taking off the whole week (the advantage of being your own boss!)

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  13. KhadijaTeri thank you....You and your family will have that meat all year not only to enjoy but to remember why you have it... Very nice.

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  14. Happy Eid and Happy New Year KhadijaTeri..

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  15. ohhh welllll thank u for showing me what i really hate to see LOL ..i can't see those pictures so i never stand out side the house ,then i opened the cam to see my picture SURPRISE a picture of my dad with blood and the sheep , and now urs LOL lucky me
    happy eid

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  16. Happy Eid KhadijaTeri to you and your family and Thank God for your safety we wish you a speedy recovery .
    I'm Ismael Alboishi . I'm astudent in your class.

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  17. Thanks Ismael! Best wishes to you and your family!

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