An observation about holidays: to the people of this culture, the holidays or "Eid's" are religiously significant and socially exciting days, but to me it's just another day. The same goes for spending holidays like Christmas here - to the people here, it's a normal day - but to me it's one of the most meaningful days of the year. All this got me thinking. What is a holiday, anyways? It's a day that we look forward to. It is full of memories (both happy and painful ones), so it makes us extremely nostalgic, extremely depressed, or some of both. It's a time to spend together with the people we love. There are traditions, special foods, beautiful smells, and joy. This is true of every important holiday I know, whether in the U.S.A. or anywhere else.
For this Eid AlAdha, the festival of sacrifice in Islam, which celebrates the faith of Abraham and commemorates the end of the Islamic Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, I enjoyed observing the celebrations around me. There is food, dancing, and more food. Speaking of the food, I also felt very sorry for all of those poor sheep that were slaughtered. It's very similar to how I feel for turkeys on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Me and my parents were driving home on the Eid, and we saw a truck driving next to us with several sheep in the back. My mom so sensitively observed, "They're going to their deaths!" And my dad responded, "Well, at least they don't have to walk."
Tonight there is a festival for the families on the compound, and I'm looking forward to having a feeling of community. It can get a little desolate here during holidays because most people take the time to travel and leave the country for a little while.
One thing I respect about Saudi holidays is that they know how to take a vacation. When they have time off, it's off. No thoughts of work or the responsibilities that await them at the office. In the U.S. I think we have forgotten how to slow down and set work aside. Although the work ethic here may not be what I'm used to in the U.S., there is definitely something we can learn from the perspective of having a higher priority of living and enjoying life. From being in a completely new extreme, I think I'm beginning to see into a balance of the cultures.
Eid Mubarak! Kul 3am wa entum ba5eir. (Happy Eid and best wishes for the year!)
For this Eid AlAdha, the festival of sacrifice in Islam, which celebrates the faith of Abraham and commemorates the end of the Islamic Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, I enjoyed observing the celebrations around me. There is food, dancing, and more food. Speaking of the food, I also felt very sorry for all of those poor sheep that were slaughtered. It's very similar to how I feel for turkeys on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Me and my parents were driving home on the Eid, and we saw a truck driving next to us with several sheep in the back. My mom so sensitively observed, "They're going to their deaths!" And my dad responded, "Well, at least they don't have to walk."
Tonight there is a festival for the families on the compound, and I'm looking forward to having a feeling of community. It can get a little desolate here during holidays because most people take the time to travel and leave the country for a little while.
One thing I respect about Saudi holidays is that they know how to take a vacation. When they have time off, it's off. No thoughts of work or the responsibilities that await them at the office. In the U.S. I think we have forgotten how to slow down and set work aside. Although the work ethic here may not be what I'm used to in the U.S., there is definitely something we can learn from the perspective of having a higher priority of living and enjoying life. From being in a completely new extreme, I think I'm beginning to see into a balance of the cultures.
Eid Mubarak! Kul 3am wa entum ba5eir. (Happy Eid and best wishes for the year!)
!كل عام و انتم بخير...عيد اضحى مبارك
Courtney
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