Eid Quorban

This week celebrates one of the main holidays of Islam – Allah's provision of a ram just as Abraham was set to sacrifice his son, Ishmael.  I don't have a good grip on the religious implications, though it involves families sacrificing sheep (in a city of 3.5 million). Our right neighbors have had one baaa-ing in the yard since last week.  Eid itself isn't decided by the mullahs until the night before based on the moon, so there has to be a day or two clearance, which means a three-day holiday is usually five.

In days following people travel through the city and countryside.  The first day is for families to get together.  Kids get new clothes and money from their uncles.  There are big meals.  We'll be able to go around to a few people's houses for the second or third day when friends visit each other for hour chunks to drink tea and eat cookies or fruit or nuts.

One of the difficulties of the celebration is an almost mandatory nature of visits and provisions, which can be a financial strain.  Taxis are double their usual cost and a family might spend $100 getting around the city.  A livable wage would be $160/month.

Our left neighbors have a prize canary in the window that disappeared from the sill last week.  In a miscommunication that involved the words "pishak = cat," "parinda = bird," and "mehora = eat," we spent last week thinking our cat ate it.  It turns out they were just worried about the prospect when they found our cat roving in their house, but it didn't actually happen.  So now we're clear for a visit.