At the Great Mosque in Xi'an, two days ago, on the first day of Eid-al-Adha . . .
The festival honours Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command. God then replaced Abraham's son with a lamb, which was slaughtered instead.
There is a lot to appreciate in these photos. Firstly, these sacrifices are not an everyday occurrence, but are to celebrate Eid. Normally the livestock are provided by wealthy parishioners, and the meat is traditionally divided up with one-third of it going to the needy.
While much of the preparation is being carried out by the older gentlemen, a few youngsters are involved as well, so that this necessary skill is passed down to newer generations. I appreciate this as I know nothing about skinning and cleaning a lamb.
Lastly, I find it a reminder of how far we in the West (okay, I am not there now, but am from there) have separated eating from killing.
The marketplace around the mosque was wall-to-wall people. The street food is amazing in both quality and variety.
The festival honours Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command. God then replaced Abraham's son with a lamb, which was slaughtered instead.
There is a lot to appreciate in these photos. Firstly, these sacrifices are not an everyday occurrence, but are to celebrate Eid. Normally the livestock are provided by wealthy parishioners, and the meat is traditionally divided up with one-third of it going to the needy.
While much of the preparation is being carried out by the older gentlemen, a few youngsters are involved as well, so that this necessary skill is passed down to newer generations. I appreciate this as I know nothing about skinning and cleaning a lamb.
Lastly, I find it a reminder of how far we in the West (okay, I am not there now, but am from there) have separated eating from killing.
Old women with fresh halal lamb chops.
The marketplace around the mosque was wall-to-wall people. The street food is amazing in both quality and variety.
Laughter as brilliant as the sun on snow.
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