Eid and Beni Mallal

Just to preface this post, I think I have eaten more sheep in the past three days than I have up until this point in my life and likely ever will again.

Sunday was Eid al-Adha, the most important Muslim holiday. Everyone has a few days off from work and school to spend time together, the little children get new clothes and money, and most importantly each family sacrifices a sheep. On Sunday morning, we woke up and dressed in beautiful traditional clothing to eat a big breakfast all together. After our food settled, a butcher arrived at the house. He and my host father brought out the sheep that had been living in our shed for the past few days. They pulled the sheep into the middle of the garden and my host father slit the sheep's throat. I had never seen an animal that big be killed before, and it was an interesting experience especially to see my host father do it. There was a lot of thick red blood and we spent the next couple hours cleaning out the sheep's old home in the shed and washing the blood off the tiles of the garden. Next, after the butchers had skinned the sheep, we helped clean the different parts of the sheep and sort it out into different piles to be cooked. In all honesty, it felt a little like a dissection - a little gross but also very interesting. One of the funniest memories of Eid for me was looking up from my chair at the clothesline in the garden and seeing the insides of the sheep where my clothes usually hang. Even funnier was today when I went outside to hang my laundry. My host mom came running after me and she said "No!!! No!!! Sheep!!!!" Sure enough, I looked next to where I had just hung my tee shirt and the hooves and ankles of the sheep were hanging right there in the dark.

After we finished cleaning, we made a massive lunch and had a barbecue of sheep in the garden. I loved being able to hang out with my family for that whole day, and we had a lot of fun. Eid was a very strange holiday for me purely because it was so unlike any American holiday, but I loved the new experiences and the opportunity to see what Eid is like.

The next day we traveled to Beni Mallal, the small town where my host mom's family lives. The drive to Beni Mallal is stunning. As you head north, the land becomes less arid and olive farms start to spring up in patches from the dusty earth. The fields are nestled into the foothills of the Atlas Moutains, and aqueducts carrying runoff from the peaks line the roads. The country is lush and green there, a striking contrast to the dusky pink desert of Marrakesh. On Monday afternoon, I went with some of my family to the park in Beni Mallal. An ancient castle stands at the top of a small foothill, and there is a paved path leading up to a pavilion over a steep cliff. The pavilion faces due west away from the mountains, and the view is breathtaking. For miles and miles, a massive plain stretches as far as the eye can see. This is the only place (other than the ocean) that I have been where the horizon stretches so far that I cannot differentiate between land and sky. The minarets of Beni Mellal come first, rising above the thick groves of trees. Next are the scattered groves of olive trees and green farmland, with gleaming white aqueducts snaking through the fields. The green slowly fades to brown and the arid desert begins, stretching away into the distance. The pavilion was beautiful at sunset, and the drive to Beni Mallal was worth it just for that moment.

I also loved meeting my host mom's family. There were lots of little children who were very fun to play with. I am a firm believer that 6 year olds everywhere are the same, and my theory did not disappoint. Although I couldn't really talk to the kids, we spend the whole time playing together. I taught them high five tricks and the hand game Slide and how to wiggle their ears, so we all got along well. I was also the first blonde person they had met, and at first the two youngest girls called me Barbie and pretended I was a doll that they could put to sleep and feed.. so that was a little strange but at least they were cute. My host mom's siblings were also so nice, although I was largely unable to communicate with them well.  However, one of them spoke Italian (he actually played soccer in the Italian professional league for a few years!) and since I know some Latin I was able to talk to him. They were all so nice and I was really glad I got to meet them.

Tomorrow the Americans and I are going to a mountain called Ourika where there is a waterfall! Some pictures from Eid and Beni Mallal are attached below.