Happy Eid!

'Eid' in Arabic means 'Holiday" and this coming week is a big one around here! I found this article (below) in the Jordan Times recently. It not only gave me some chuckles {with the detailed explanation of how sheep slaughtering is going to take place this next week} but also a good explanation of the holiday itself.

Last year we were invited to our neighbors for their sheep slaughtering in their driveway. It was...um...appetizing {if you like blood and gore and innards}.

I will let your imagination determine what happened next!

My sons re-enactment of the days events.

This year we are off on a whirl wind tour of the Holy Land. We are excited! Blogging may be sparse next week, but I'm assuming we'll have some humorous adventures that will provide lots of blog fodder in the weeks to come!

(GAM) has designated 10 locations for selling and slaughtering sheep ahead of Eid Al Adha in mid-November.

GAM, which will start receiving permit applications from traders this week, specified several regulations to safeguard public health and the environment at the designated locations.

Traders wishing to sell sheep at these sites should obtain approval from GAM and pay JD200 as a service fee as well as an extra JD300 as a refundable guarantee, which the municipality will confiscate if they fail to abide by the regulations, according to a GAM statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The regulations also stipulate that livestock should be enclosed in pens and adhere to Sharia and health regulations, while traders must provide safety gear for the butchers and plastic bags for storing the meat.

Traders can display and sell live camels and cows provided that they are slaughtered at GAM’s main slaughterhouse in Ain Ghazal, and agree to replace any animal rejected by the veterinarian assigned to supervise the slaughter and report any violations.

The enclosures must be situated a minimum of 500 metres away from any residential area to avoid the spread of foul odours and insects. The permission to sell sheep will be valid for seven days, three days before Eid Al Adha and during the four days of the feast.

Muslims usually sacrifice at least one sheep per family during Eid Al Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, which commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his own son, Ismail, in the name of God. According to the Holy Koran, Ibrahim’s faith in the Lord was rewarded when a voice from heaven said he was to sacrifice a ram instead.

Under Islamic law, the family or individual who sacrifices an animal - camel, cow or sheep - is allowed to consume only one-third of the meat, and is obliged to give one-third to relatives, while the rest should be distributed among the less fortunate, preferably neighbours, to encourage and build social cohesion.

Eid Al Adha is the most important feast in Islam, as it concludes the Hajj season, when pilgrims journey to Mecca to perform holy rites.