To all my Muslim friends around the world . . . “Eïd Mubarak!“
Eid Mubarak is an Arabic term that means “Blessed Feast/Festival.” The term is used by Muslims all over the world. Internationally, Muslims use it as a greeting for use on the festivals of Eïd al-Adha and Eïd al-Fitr. Eïd means “Celebration,” and Mubarak means “Blessed”.
Wikipedia
Today, while visiting my Moroccan friend in the safe house in Spain, her mother called. The entire family had gathered at her sister’s home in Morocco to sacrifice the sheep and prepare the celebration feast.
It’s the Festival of Sacrifice, Eïd al-Adha, when Muslims around the world offer a lamb as a sacrifice in honor of the lamb God provided for Abraham in place of his son. This celebration also represents the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Memories From the Land
As I watched the scene through the phone screen—the skinned and cleaned sheep hanging from the ceiling of the kitchen, the women preparing the meat wrapped with the sheep’s fat . . . my mind was flooded with fun and fascinating memories of this celebration during our years living in North Africa.
It was a time of intensive cultural learning!
Each year, we were invited by Moroccan friends and neighbors to enjoy a meal of grilled lamb, or we were given raw meat in packages to cook and enjoy at home. The women would gather together to do henna on their hands and feet—a symbol of celebration.
Generosity. Hospitality. Festivity.
I miss those days.
