353 - Eid al-Adha

353 - Neighborhood Butchers
Originally uploaded by tamra hays

Back in the day, one of the angels had a good idea. What if, instead of sacrificing your children, you sacrificed a sheep. That idea really took off, and yesterday was the Feast of Abraham, an important Muslim holiday. For the past week, flocks of sheep were penned along the roads and tethered on rooftops and balconies. At our place, the sheep was kept in the garage. You buy your animal, sheep or cow, depending on your means, fatten it up, and hire one of the roaming butchers who carry long sharp knives tucked into their belts. With one quick slice, you have a dead animal on your doorstep. The meat is cut up and divided among family, friends, and the poor. The butcher claims the hide as part of his payment. The butchers' assistants, in their blood-smeared clothes and carrying skins over their shoulders, called out their services well into the afternoon. On our morning walk, we saw cows being delivered to houses, cows penned in car ports, and cows being carved up in courtyards. Pretty soon, we saw carts piled high with fresh skins, neighbors carrying heavy bags, and bloody water in the streets as the mess got cleaned up. As the day warmed up, the smell of iron was a little intense, but that was soon replaced by the smell of grilled meat.