Holidays

Even though Thanksgiving came and went with absolutely no fanfare and no time off from work, I am pleased to say that I am heading into a four-day weekend. The long weekend is in celebration of Eid al Adha, or the festival of sacrifice. Eid al Adha comes at the end of the hajj, or the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which has been going on for a few weeks now. A banner mentioning the hajj appeared near campus a bit before Thanksgiving.

Hajj banner.

Anyway, the al Adha holiday commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah (the story is a familiar one in the Christian tradition, too), and Allah's last-minute reprieve. Traditionally, the festival is celebrated by the ritual slaughter of a goat or sheep, with one third of the meat feeding the family, one third going to friends, and one third distributed among the needy. While I don't know of any ritual slaughters taking place in downtown Beirut, I will say that there has been a festive atmosphere since the beginning of December, when "Adha Mubarak" (or "Blessed Adha") signs and decorations began appearing around campus.

Adha decorations hanging up on campus.

The loop of green beads on the above sign resembles the Muslim prayer beads I see some older folks carrying. Note the sacrificial lamb in the picture.

I should point out that Beirut has plenty of Christmas decorations, too. Just today I saw some workers hanging red Christmas ornaments on a cedar tree on campus.

If you look closely, you can see the red ornaments on the tree.

I also had a funny Beirut moment last week when I noticed the local grocery store's big display of Christmas decorations for sale. It struck me as slightly odd to see them, as the grocery store does not sell alcohol, pork, or other haram (forbidden) things. As I walked around the store, marveling at the Christmas kitsch, I noticed a woman holding a Santa doll out at arm's length. The woman was in hejab, with a head scarf and a long, modest coat. The Santa doll was singing "Here Comes Santa Claus" over and over, ad nauseam, and the woman stared at it, transfixed. I couldn't tell whether she was horrified by the Christian tackiness, or whether she was contemplating taking it home for her mantelpiece. In Beirut, it could have gone either way.

Whether you're slaughtering a goat this weekend or still working on your turkey soup from last week, I wish you a festive start to the month of December!