CAIRO: Although Eid Al Adha is an Islamic tradition, celebrated for over 1,400 years, countries have developed their set of traditions for it.
Benin, Egypt and the United States each celebrate Eid differently. Customs and general environment of the country itself are credited for these differences.
The starting point of Eid in all countries is the prayer, which begins in mosques or adjacent outdoor spaces, depending on the weather. And as Islamic tradition dictates, Muslims wear something new to the prayer.
Keeping with traditions in the West African country of Benin, the more colorful the attire the more prestigious it is. So the early morning Eid prayer is characterized with rows of colorful garments. In Benin usually it is only men – and sometimes children – who go to the prayer. This is different from the typical Islamic tradition where Prophet Mohamed urged women and children to go out to the prayer on the morning of Eid.
Mohamed Hussien, who currently lives in a small village in Benin, spent his first Eid Al Adha with his neighbors. He described the Imam of the prayer as the best dressed person there. He had an all white robe with a white hood, and gold linings throughout his whole robe, said Hussein.
Though the reason why he wins best dressed is because he walked up holding a huge white sorcerer s can with an inverted crescent and a star in it to top it off.
In Egypt – as in the United States – new clothes are simply new pants and t-shirts -sometimes they could be new galabeyas. Unlike Benin, men, women and children all go out to the prayer.
Because of the vast number of mosques in Egypt, loud calls fill the streets as they pour from speakers attached to the mosques on every corner: Allah is Great, Allah is Great, Allah is Great. There is no god but Allah. Allah is Great, Allah is Great, and to Allah we give thanks.
In Benin when the chief of the village entered the praying area he had his entourage play music for him.
In the United States the Muslim communities would usually rent out a convention center or a park. The latter is the preference, following traditions set by the prophet. But due to the low number of rentable parks in Washington D.C. Muslim opt for convention centers. In Detroit and Michigan the size of the Muslim congregation there make it a necessity to organize prayers in several areas.
The past couple of years, university students held the Eid prayer on smaller scales at their respective campuses – Eid fell at the time of exams and Muslim wanted to enjoy the barium spirit without wasting time on transportation.
After the prayer, it is tradition to slaughter the sacrificial animal.
The night before Eid in Egypt, the city nights are often interrupted with cries from the animals on rooftops or on sidewalks tied to a branch awaiting the next day. After prayer everyone goes back home and slaughters the animal. The men usually do the slaughtering or trust it to local butchers. They then send the meat to the women in order to cut into set portions. Afterwards most families choose to distribute the meat right away to the less fortunate so they would have the rest of the holiday to enjoy.
In the United States, slaughtering is illegal outside of slaughter houses. Thanks to Muslim butchers, however, the tradition is maintained.
In Benin, the meat is distributed with four big cups of corn. The meat is usually given to the neighbors – but on the first day.
After the animal is slaughtered and skinned, it is usually hung for 24 hours outside the house, in order to preserve it better. The sacrificial animal is usually a sheep and its wool is given as a gift to someone respected in the society such as the Imam of the local mosque.
After the slaughtering in Egypt and Benin the rest of the day is mostly spent visiting family and relatives. In Egypt most people share breakfast comprised of fatta (a mix of rice, bread and meat seasoned with garlic). Some of the meat from the sacrifice is cooked with it.
In the United States usually carnivals are put up with rides for children and animals such as camels, elephants or ponies. Games and prizes are also offered to all the attendees.
Eid day ends in all countries with the same ritual of visiting family and close friends with a lot of food and laughter.
According to Hussien, who spent Eid Al Adha in those three countries, Eid Al Adha is definitely seen as the more important Eid because it did start with a very peculiar incident. He refers to the time when God offered Abraham a sacrificial sheep to award his and his son’s compliance to divine orders.
