Happy Eid

Eid Day started as usual with Eid prayers at the mosque, afterwards we set off for my mother-in-law's house to slaughter our sheep with the family. It probably seems appalling to those living in non-Muslim countries to think that kids would all gather round to watch an animal being slaughtered, but kids in Muslim countries are used to the idea of the annual sacrifice and look forward to the excitement.


Our sheep was ready.... or was he? No apparently he wasn't going to give up with out a fight. He managed to get loose and try to make a run for it. Big excitement as all the boys ran around chasing after it, while the girls all squealed and ran out of the way!

They managed to catch the poor thing, and in no time at all he'd breathed his last (Allahu Akbar!).
Everyone had a job to do - most important was my mother-in-law who made sure everyone had enough hot milk, coffee and tea to help them get a start on the day. She also made sure that everyone was doing their job. She'd been up since the crack of dawn making sure all the knives, dishes and other equipment were ready and had even covered the entire garage floor with cardboard so the mess would be easier to clean up when we were finished.

Even Ibrahim lent a helping hand - he was the official leg holder.


The men continued to slaughter the sheep one by one....

....while the woman prepared the stuffing for tradition Libyan sausages, called usban. Chopped up liver, meat, bits of fat, parsley, onions, rice, tomato paste and spices are all mixed together and stuffed in the sheep's intestines, then it's all steamed until it's cooked. - I hate it, but everyone else loves it.
By the afternoon we were back home and I hung my salted meat out on the line to dry.


It was a long day, but a nice one. I wish you all - Happy Eid!