Today is l'3id Kbir and there are sheep heads being cooked in the vacant field outside my window, but there is a different feel to the holiday here or at least on the surface. Back in TimHdite it was a carnival atmosphere with the killing of many sheep the game of the day... there was utter joy in the killing. Boujloud... people dancing and marching around wearing the just skinned sheep skins playing music and in general looking like a surreal version of a Disney parade.Here in a larger city it is more subdued, like Easter morning very quiet and everything shutdown, with the few exceptions, such as the fore-mentioned grilling of sheepheads and the man with the grinding wheel sharpening knives.
For the last few days the sound of sheep being carted, dragged, herded around Sefrou has been the norm... do these animals know what time of year it is, can they sense that they are about to be slaughter in a very disturbing way. Held down and their necks slashed until they bleed out... it takes minutes and you can hear the poor animal gasp for each breathe as it shudders and just when you think it has finally sucummed to death... it has one last gasp of life... it is brutal... very brutal.
I understand the religious story and why sheep are killed and eaten... I just cant wrap my head around the way it is done... I do not see the respect for the animal... something has been lost from what I can see. But I am from a different cultural and I am sure there are many things that people here would find harsh or strange in my world. So I am about to embark once again into a week of nothing but eating sheep parts... most if not all of it... I hope this week goes by quickly.
Soon I will head out to eat with friend... I am clean and have my best clothes on (... well I dont really have nice clothes... so they are clean) I will bring a gift from the States that my Mom sent... baby clothes for the twins and get prepared to eat whatever is put before me... please no sheep head this year.
Mbruk l'3id...
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