Eid-el-Kebir 2018 in Morocco

After observing the crescent moon on the evening of August 12, the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs indicates that Eid-el-Kebir (Aid Al Adha) will be celebrated on Wednesday, August 22

In a statement, the ministry said that the lunar crescent announcing the month of Dou Al Hijja of the year 1439 AH was observed on August 12 and therefore Eid-el-Kebir will be celebrated on 10 Dou Al Hijja 1439, August 22, 2018.

The calendar is this year to follow a weekend (18 and 19 August), the Anniversary of the revolution of the king and the people (August 20), the Youth Day (August 21) and therefore the Aid (22 august), heralding a long weekend in the summer.

The feast of Eid-el-Kebir is "the Feast of Sacrifice", and is one of the most important celebrations related to the Muslim faith. It is a commemoration of Abraham's submission (Ibrahim in Arabic) to the will of God when he asked him to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

While Abraham was about to slit the throat of the child, Jibarel (the angel Gabriel) replaced him with a sheep. Since then, every Muslim family has to sacrifice an animal, traditionally a sheep or a ram, but sometimes a cow or a goat.

The Celebration of Eid-el-Kebir

Eid-el-Kebir is a family celebration. The whole family puts on their best clothes on this occasion. On the day of Eid-el-Kebir, special care is taken in the morning ablutions before the prayer, which is particularly sacred that day.

Then comes the sacrifice of the sheep. The sacrifice is performed according to the rites by the head of the family. Part of the sacrifice will have to be offered (a third) to the needy and is considered a "Sadaka" (or gift).

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Eid Mubarak!

The View From Fez hopes you haver a happy and peaceful Eid.

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Does the Eid Sacrifice Traumatise Children?

A question often asked at the time of Eid al-Kebir - is it traumatic for the children to attend the sacrifice ceremony? The issue was raised in an interesting article posted by the Huffington Post who sort an answer from Dr Rim Roudies, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist, who works in the child psychiatry unit at the Arrazi hospital

Photograph of  sheep on Mt Zalagh by Jearld F Moldenhauer

For most children, attending the Eid al-Adha ceremony does not generate any trauma or emotional shock. However, it is essential to manage the sensitivities of some very young, very sensitive or anxious children, for whom the slaughter of the sheep can be traumatic because of the response they may have of it, such as disgusted or fear.

On the other hand, some children can attach themselves to the animal and tame the sheep as a pet, so they have difficulty separating from it and feel a real sadness. Whatever the circumstances, parents should discuss it with their children and rectify certain notions that they could have about the act. This could prevent children from aversion and refuse to eat sheep meat sometimes for life.

In an anticipatory way parents can explain the symbolism of the gesture to the children, according to what they can assimilate according to their age, and to highlight the spirituality of the Eid, notably by telling them the history of the sacrifice or by illustrating it. It is essential not to force a child who refuses to attend the slaughter of the sheep. It should be noted that children have very different degrees of tolerance. Therefore, it is important not to rush them. If they take part in the festivities of their own free will, they are allowed to take part. If not, let them have the freedom to abstain.

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Eid El Kebir - September 1st

Eid El Kebir (Eid Al Adha) will be celebrated on Friday 1 September in Morocco. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs

In a statement, the ministry said that the sighting of the lunar crescent announcing the month of Dou Al Hijja in Hegira 1438 was observed on Tuesday evening, August 22. Consequently Eid Al Adha will be celebrated on 10 Dou Hijja 1438 corresponding to 1 September 2017.

So it's a long weekend in Morocco in early September. Also on Tuesday, the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that the salaries of civil servants for the current month will be paid on Friday 25 August 2017, in view of Eid Al Adha.

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Drop in Sheep Price For Eid

Eid al-Adha, when Muslims slaughter sheep and cattle in remembrance of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son can be an expensive time for many Moroccan families. Thankfully, this year the price of sheep is set to be considerably lower than 2016

The main reason behind the lower prices is the abundance of sheep due to a good agricultural season.

Families usually expect a rise in prices as the sacrifice feast draws near. However, this year the livestock markets are calm and show a range between 39 and 45 dirhams per kilo as compared to between 55 and 80 dirhams last year. The price of livestock feed has dropped considerably, due to good growing conditions, and is seen as a determining factor in the final price.

Similarly, the abundant supply of sheep is pushing prices down. The 510,000 sheep and 3,000 goats offered for sale are sufficient for the whole population and have been certified free of disease, contrary to rumours of previous years.

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Eid in Fez Medina ~ Photo Essay

The Festival of Eid in Fez was blessed with a slightly cooler day and clear skies. Clear, that was until the smoke of charcoal and wood fires filled the streets. The View From Fez team was fortunate to be invited to a friend's house and enjoyed a wonderful day and (as usual) too much food. (Click on images to enlarge)

Our friend Lahcen invites us to a street barbecue

Salahadeen works getting the charcoal burning

... while the skewers are prepared

Australian visitor, Christel Taylor, starts loading the skewers

Meanwhile more stomach-lining is drying on the washing line 

Barbecue action!

Fatima Zahra shows how to cook while not burning

Finally, the first feast of the day is ready

While tomorrow's feast awaits cutting up

Back in the streets the barbecues continue to burn

...and the sheep skins are prepared for sale

And, in the end,  it is always mint tea

Photos: Sandy McCutcheon

The View From Fez would like to thank Rachida El Jokh and her family for the wonderful hospitality.

Eid Mubarak!

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Eid Mubarak - From The View From Fez

The day before Eid has been busy with a last minute rush to buy a sheep for the sacrifice. During one hour in R'cif a correspondent for  The View From Fez counted more than 60 sheep being brought into the Medina - one every minute!

Counting sheep 

The souks are buzzing with last minute preparations and butchers, armed with knives and saws, have been drumming up business for tomorrow.
And it is not only sheep. Some families purchased goats while others went for young steers.

Only 0.5% of the population prefer cattle

The View From Fez wishes our readers a very happy and peaceful Eid Al-Adha

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The Real Cost of Eid

On average the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha eats up nearly 29% on average of the monthly total expenditure of Moroccan households. According to the High Planning Commission (HCP) the financial burden on the household budget varies according to a family's standard of living

In 10% of the poorest households this cost represents more than half (57%) of the monthly total expenditure, against 15% for the wealthiest 10% of the population.

In order to perform the ritual of sacrifice, a majority  (96.2%) of Moroccan households opt for sheep while the rest prefer goats (3.3%). This is the case particularly in rural areas. Only a few (0.5%) choose cattle.

Another remarkable revelation by the  HCP claims that during Eid al-Adha families consume nearly 41% of the annual amount of red meat consumed by households. This is even higher (65.4%) for 20% of the poorest households.  In contrast to the richest households who consume 31.3% of their annual red meat consumption.

On the positive side, the rural economy benefits, with spending by all households reaching 13 billion dirhams last year.

The feast of Eid al-Adha was not observed by 4.7% of Moroccan households in 2013. This proportion has decreased compared to the period 2000/2001 when it reached 5.2%. The HCP says that urban households are more likely not to sacrifice sheep than rural ones (5.9% against 2.5%).

According to the HCP, the richer and more educated an individual is, the more he tends to avoid this religious obligation. Nearly 12% of households in the 10% of the wealthiest population do not sacrifice sheep on the occasion of Eid.  11.6% of households with higher levels of education are part of that trend, against 4% for household heads with no education.

Complicating the financial burden this Eid is the approaching school year which begins just one week after the festival. Moroccan households will pay more than usual with 20% affluent households spending more than 78% of their total monthly expenditure just on these two events. School fees have risen sharply in recent years (+ 40% in 10 years).

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Eid Is Coming - And So Are The Sheep

With only a few days until the festival of Eid, the streets of Fez are alive to the sound of sheep!

Walking the sheep - not so easy 

Children inspect every sheep that arrives

Transport - the easy way

How many children does it take to move a sheep?

Once you have your sheep - you need charcoal

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Eid Al Adha September 12th in Morocco

The Moroccan Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs has announced that  the first day of Dou Al Hijja of the year 1437 of the Hegira is on Saturday, September 3rd,  2016, and therefore the festival of Eid Al Adha will be celebrated Monday, September 12

In a statement, the ministry said that the crescent moon heralding the month of Dou Al Hijja in the year 1437 AH was observed Friday evening (02 September) and therefore the Eid Al Adha will be celebrated on 10 Dou Al Hijjah 1437 corresponding to September 12, 2016.

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Celebrating Eid in Morocco

Across Morocco Eid al-Adha was celebrated in towns, cities and remote mountain villages. It was a day of tradition, family gatherings and much fine food

In Fez, the day of the Sacrifice dawned clear and cool. Around the gates to the Medina the last sheep were hurriedly delivered. Then silence. The streets were deserted, with everyone at home preparing for the moment when their sheep or goat was to be sacrificed.

After ten in the morning the sheep also fell silent and the smell of charcoal smoke wafted on the air. Down in the streets groups of young boys built temporary barbecue fires under old bed bases.

Not the image some tourists were expecting

A group of newly arrived tourists wandered through the streets, wondering what they had walked into. Their bemusement at the sight of the sheep heads being cooked and the quickly growing piles of sheep skins, showed clearly that these were not the images they had seen in the glossy tourist brochures.

Stomach lining is hung to dry (top) and then used to wrap pieces of fresh liver

Once prayers were said and the sheep slaughtered, the smell of cooking became as all pervasive as the cloud of cooking smoke cloaking the Medina.

Most families cook inside on their floor - with charcoal smoke everywhere!

In home across the city, usually on the floor or in the stairwell, the charcoal was glowing and the first pieces of heart or liver were being cooked.  The same ritual was being played out across the city and the excitement and pleasure was evident from the calling and laughter across roof tops.

Eid Mubarak

And out in the countryside Rose Button reports from Moulay Idriss

Moulay Idriss Zerhoune is a Holy City where Islam was first introduced to Morocco. And being an agricultural town it is no surprise that Eid al Adha is a bustling time of year here.

The sheep souk started this Saturday and each night I could hear more and more sheep bleating in my neighbouring houses. Yesterday was the last day of the market and by 9am it was packed with locals choosing their Eid sheep from local shepherds.

Everyone wants a bargain

Everyone selects something different depending on the size of the family. They may choose a goat or the largest healthiest sheep they can find.

I sit myself in a coffee shop with a mint tea and watch the details of the selection process, and it is a serious business. Sheep trucks are stopped as people want the best selection first, checking the health of the animal by looking at teeth and feeling the muscle. They move on and come back again for more discussions and debates over price and quality.

I have met shepherds with their flocks while walking on the mountains and know they have been treated well.

Once selected it is critical to get the selected sheep home. The easiest, and for me the most hilarious, way is on donkey and I witness sheep placed in the basket on each side of the donkey then another over the top. Others walk the sheep, carry the smaller one's on their shoulders. Some are so stubborn they are not going anywhere. I laugh a lot at the spectacle and enjoy everyone's joy and delight celebrating Eid.

Eid mubarak said

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Eid Mubarak !

The View From Fez wishes all our readers and friends a very happy and peaceful Eid

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Moroccan Photo of the Day ~ Eid Sheep Souk in Taza

Photographer Suzanna Clarke visited the sheep souk in Taza where the business of find the right sheep for Eid was everyone's top priority

Click images to enlarge

See more of our Photo of the Day series here: Moroccan Photo of the Day

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"Babysitting" Your Sheep Until Eid

In a follow up to our story about sheep and Eid - Everything You Need To Know - a reader asked how people in big cities cope with looking after sheep. Good question, and, thankfully, we found the answer. In Casablanca there is now available a babysitting and dispatch service for your sheep

If you live in a small inner-city apartment, you can buy your sheep on line at Sardi.com and then get it delivered to «Casablanca Prestations» a company that specialises in "lamb hosting". Not only will they feed and look after your sheep, but come Eid, they will arrange the slaughter for you. In short, they will do everything except cook and eat it for you!

The new service is provided by the local slaughterhouse who say this initiative has been launched for the sake "of hygiene and environmental protection."

Yes, you can buy your sheep on line

«Casablanca Prestations» explain that the space is limited. Sheep are kept for 20 dirhams a day and the slaughtering operation will be charged at 200 dirhams. A number for booking is 05 20 22 23 92/93.

In other areas, the main supermarkets are selling sheep and will look after them until Eid.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, sheep supply exceeds demand this year. The market has 8.8 million head while demand is estimated at 5.3 million, according to Agriculture Minister Aziz Akhannouch. A turnover exceeding 10 billion dirhams to benefit rural areas should be generated during the festival.

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