Eid al-Adha

Serious: Today is the day most animals are slaughtered for the Feast of the Sacrifice. It became real as I saw two lifeless cows sprawled across a sidewalk from the window of my taxi. I thought it would be a good day to go to the big market, since most people would be home with their families for the holiday. During coffee break at the nearby hotel, people were visiting and dressed in their best. Parents were proudly taking pictures of their children wearing fancy, new clothes. Two young girls were especially charming with glittery dresses, ruffled anklets, and headbands holding back their long tresses. As I walked home in the early evening, I saw a heap of wool hides (still dirty and bloody) at an intersection waiting to be picked up. Outside the butcher shop, three sheep's heads were lined up for sale. Contiguously, customers were watching a butcher, wielding a wide-blade (presumably sharp) knife, bring it to bear–loudly and forcefully–on a piece on the chopping block. Muslims celebrate the feast over three to four days.