Eid and the New Year's Day

Cities in Jordan were getting lively. Many vendors were selling sheep alive on the road side. Long pointed rods were sold. I thought it's usual in Jordan.
However someone told me pointing the sheep. "See? Do you know those sheep for what? The festival of Eid is coming. On the Eid, in early morning after the prayer, people'll kill the sheep. Then they grilled it and give it to the poor people first. And rest of meat will be served to their own family"

I completely misunderstood what they told with gesture like eating meat. I thought they were using simple English "Eat" to describe it to me. But eventually I knew it's called "Eid Al-Adha" Very important holiday in Moslem calendar. It meant "Festival of Sacrifice" Reminded me the word "Carnival" of Catholic.
Whether the sheep know their fate or not, they were got into the back of pickup truck one after another. I heard the pointed rod was for stabbing the carotid artery of the sheep.
After knowing everything, the adhan from mosque on the day was the saddest one I'd ever heard. Oh, poor sheep... I was so timid that I couldn't revisit Senegal because I didn't want my little sheep would be cooked.

I'm sorry getting start the brand new year with the slaughter topic. But festivals and cultures are mostly strange, sometime cruel, especially for the people outside. But we have to accept all of them as themselves. Oh! It becomes late, I must say a happy new year to you. I wish your bright future in 2012.

I found some similarity between Eid and Japanese New Year's day. That's all reason I mentioned here.
Lively market advanced a holiday, for example. The holy ceremony are performed early in the morning. Japanese people put their palm together and pray for the Jan. 1st's rising sun. Whichever rich or poor, people wish everybody spend the New Year's holiday in peace and with enough food. (It must be a rice cake for Japanese)
After the morning ceremony Jordanian people go out in tidy clothes. In Japan, people are used to wearing best clothes they have on the New Year's day too.

Eid and New Year's day, maybe I like the splendor in the solemnity and the air of taking care each other in both ceremony.