Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in any mosque. Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels, cows, and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's (Abraham's) sacrifice. The sacrificed animals have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. Generally, these must be at least a year old. At the time of sacrifice, Allah's name is recited along with the offering statement and a supplication as Muhammad said.
According to the Quran, the meat is divided into three shares, one share for the poor, one share for the relatives and neighbors, and the last to keep to oneself. A large portion of the meat must be given towards the poor and hungry people so they can all join in the feast which is held on Eid-al-Adha. The remainder is cooked for the family celebration meal in which relatives and friends are invited to share.
We plan to walk the neighborhood later on today to observe the area as this is the first Eid that we have been in Alex for. In previous years, the Eid was celebrated later in December when we were traveling. We start back to school on Wednesday – it will be interesting to see what the attendance will be like. Wednesday and Thursday are considered still holidays in Egypt and many families will be traveling or spending family time together. Many fathers of our students spend much of the year in other countries or out of the city for business reasons and this is a very important family time for them.
We spent part of the 5 day break in Ain Sukhna, a city located on the Red Sea, approximately two hours from Cairo. We stayed at the Stella De Mare Grand Hotel, a 5 star resort which features sandy beaches and a unique sea water heated pool. Certainly a highlight of our stay was a day spent at the spa enjoying the heated sea water message pool. We were joined by two other couples and spent our evenings playing cards and “Catch-Phrase.” The hotel was decorated in a Christmas theme with snowmen, Christmas trees and decorative packages. (Hope you enjoy the photo of Pat by one of the Christmas decorations). Everything about the holiday was very pleasant except for the ride down and back. We spent 5 hours each way with a driver that was less than average. He seemed to get easily distracted and varied his rate of speed from 55 mph (the legal limit) to 80 mph. He was ticketed for speeding (they used radar and picked him up at the Cairo toll gate). He had to pay a immediate fine of 100 LE and relinquish his license and then he has to return in two days to pay another fine to get his license back.
