(A new dawn for Muscat – 06h30 on Al Shati Street along Qurum Beach)
Today is the 1st day of Eid al Adha or “Festival of Sacrifice“. This is to commemorate the day Abraham was willing to offer up his son in obedience to God (but stopped by the angel of the LORD just before he carried out the command). Muslims believe it was his son, Ishmael, (whom Abraham had through Sarah’s Egyptian servant, Hagar, in his attempt to “help God in fulfilling His promise”) but Jews and Christians believe it was the son God had promised Abraham and Sarah in their old age; Isaac, the son of promise.
“15And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed (notice He said “seed” and not “seeds”…) as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (from Genesis 22 in the Old Testament)
“In different wilayats of the Sultanate, Eid Festivals are organised, presenting various folk songs and folk dances as well as traditional games, in addition to thoroughbred horse and camel shows. Huge crowds throng the markets to purchase traditional items for the preparation of Eid delicacies. Meat delicacies are a common feature during the Eid. Mashakeek (barbecue), harees, muffawar, thareed and shuwaa are some of the key dishes served in parties and at homes. Eid al Adha in Oman has a different significance with people having their own tradional way of celebrating this auspicious occasion. During the three days of Eid, people enjoy special Eid meals like shuwaa, mashateek, harees and arsiyaah. Each day of Eid, people have a special meal which adds another flavour of enjoyment to Eid celebrations. After the Eid prayers performed in congregations in the early morning people greet and congratulate each other. Then they have harees and arsiyaah for breakfast. On the second day, people enjoy the delicious grilled meat, mashakeek, while on the third day, they have shuwaa, cooked underground, for their lunch. From children’s perception, Eid signifies a distinctive way of earning money as elders distribute monetary gifts called Ediyah to the children in the neighbourhood.” (from Oman Daily Observer, Front Page, Nov. 6th, 2011)
EID MUBARAK, everyone!!! 🙂
Andy in Oman 