What a terrific morning I had celebrating Hari Raya with Mubarak and his large family in their neighborhood Kampung or village. It reminded me of a neighborhood cookout on the 4th of July in Beverly Farms. Mubarak and his shy daughter picked me up at the hotel at 9:15AM, dressed in his finest traditional clothing. First he took me to a larger village where they were setting up the playground to slaughter, butcher and distribute beef to every house in the neighborhood. There were at least 12 cattle waiting under shade trees to be slaughtered Halal style under the supervision of the village holy man. They even dug a large pit in the playground in which to bury the cattle entrails (which Muslims dont eat). They were pleased to see that I was not shy about patting the gentle yearling bulls who were patiently awaiting their fate. Then Mubarak took me to his smaller, family village where they had 4 cattle (all bulls) to slaughter - more than enough to give a kilo of beef to each household and have plenty left over for the village cookout. It ritual slaughtering was quite a neighborhood event. All the kids jockeyed for position to witness the slaughter and butchering of the beef they would soon be eating. I thought, how appropriate that kids see whats involved in preparing the food they eat. It gives them an understanding of the realities of nature and an appreciation of the sacrifices animals make so that we omnivores, being higher on the food chain, can eat. Ill post the photos in 2 or 3 series and highlight some for comment. I feel so grateful and honored that Mubarak and solidly middle class family (which reminded me of my own) welcomed me into their home and shared this intimate neighborhood celebration with me. Everyone in the village was was so welcoming, I felt right at home.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 05:53:58 +0000
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