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Eid Al Adha Reading

Eid al-Adha commemorates the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. As part of the tradition, families sacrifice a sheep to emulate Abraham's act, treating the animal like a member of the family before its slaughter. After the slaughter, the meat is cooked and shared among family members and those in need, promoting sharing and inclusion.

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Yuliadi Zamroni
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88 views2 pages

Eid Al Adha Reading

Eid al-Adha commemorates the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. As part of the tradition, families sacrifice a sheep to emulate Abraham's act, treating the animal like a member of the family before its slaughter. After the slaughter, the meat is cooked and shared among family members and those in need, promoting sharing and inclusion.

Uploaded by

Yuliadi Zamroni
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Eid al-Adha, Greater Eid

Eid al-Adha, or the ‘festival of sacrifice’, is a religious ritual for Muslims


which marks the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). It is a festival of
sharing and passing on culinary know how from one generation to the next.

CC -  The sacrifice of Ibrahim, Illumination from the book Hadikat as-


Suada, Turkey, C16th-17th 

The sacrificial animal

The sacrificial animal of Eid al-Adha is the sheep. It emulates an episode in


the life of Abraham, who, obeying God’s command, prepared to sacrifice
his only son, Ishmael. At the last moment, God sent the angel Gabriel to
replace the child with a sheep. This episode is found in all three monotheist
religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam). The sheep symbolises both the
act of divine generosity and the replacement of Ibrahim’s son. As such, the
animal plays an important role in family life before its immolation. The
family gives it a name, feeds it leftovers, walks it and generally pampers it.
The sacrifice is not one of the pillars of Islam and is therefore not a
religious obligation. It is a gesture of generosity towards others, according
to the Muslim saying: “Of all this mutton, it is only the part which we give
which is of value. What we have eaten is swallowed, what we have given is
valuable” (Brisebarre, 2007).

Tradition and culinary sharing

According to tradition it is the father of the family who performs the


sacrificial slaughter of the sheep during the Eid al-Adha festival. Once the
animal has been slaughtered in accordance with halal principles, it is
cooked and shared among the guests. The various parts of the animal are
eaten in a specific order. On the day of the slaughter, kebabs made from
the liver and lungs and wrapped in caul fat are boiled and then grilled over
a fire. On the second day, the family cuts up the rest of the animal. The
head is the most traditional dish and is often served as mechoui, slow-
roasted over a fire. Traditionally, in the Maghreb, cooking tasks are
allocated according to gender: Men are in charge of grilling meat over
the embers outdoors and women prepare the stewed meat in the kitchen,
inside the family home. In France, legislation forbids the consumption of
offal such as the head, spleen or spinal cord. Younger generations from
immigrant families, accustomed to Western products, are gradually turning
away from this type of dish, which is not always to their taste. As Eid al-
Adha is a time of inclusion, sharing and giving, one third of the meat is
given to the poor and needy.

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