We had been fore-warned that we would be in Cappadocia for the Eid al-Adah. Warned primarily by balloon operators who wanted us to book earlier in the week to avoid the holiday rush. Several people we spoke to during our stay had mentioned the upcoming holiday and mentioned that it involved animal sacrifice (warning, if this sort of thing is not your gig, you might want to move on and come back another day).
I thought long and hard, by the way, before beginning this post. And I pondered, at even greater length why I blog about the things that I do. In part, I entertain myself, and I have high hopes of entertaining my children's children when I am in my dottage about their adventures as small children. That said, one must tread cautiously when "entertaining one's self" at the expense of another culture. So, with this post, am I crossing the line? Am I reporting what we saw, or am I trotting into the "Gee, whiz, you'd never see that where we come from" sort of expose?
I'm not sure. But, as I thought about it, what came clear is that I want my children to remember the things they have seen. Not in a "Oh my gosh!" kind of way, but in a matter of fact kind of way that helps them understand that the world is made up of vastly different people, cultures, and religions. And that people all over the world have different manners, customs, foods, and holidays.
So, here it is:
Eid-ul-Adha, Kurban Bayrami in Turkish (the "Feast of Sacrifice") is the great festival of Islam. It is also known as Baqri-Eid (the "Cow Festival") because its most important feature is the sacrifice of an animal (cow, goat, sheep, or other appropriate beast) in commemoration of the ram sacrificed by Abraham in place of his son.
Every Muslim home is obliged to offer a sacrifice on this day. The meat may be eaten by the family but a distribution of a generous share to the poor should also be made. As this is a time of festival, it is considered unlawful to fast on these days. Fasting on Eid-ul-Adha would, in fact, defeat the whole object of the festival for food is to be eaten on this day with a cheerful heart in remembrance of God's bounty and provision for mankind.
We stopped for gas on the way to the aiport our last morning in Cappadocia; the dude in blue was the gas station attendent. Kudos to him for keeping the gas station open on a festival day, I say.
I agree with you....the children will be better adults having seen and experienced everything you are showing them.
Posted by: Debbie Hanson | December 09, 2011 at 06:42 PM