Schahrazade Halfaoui celebrates the most important festival in the Muslim calendar.
Just another day. I came downstairs to set the table for breakfast. But already my husband is calling to us from the car. No time for breakfast, we have to be on our way. There is an unusual urgency in his voice….
Eid was the reason. On Saturday 4th October Muslims all over the world celebrated Eid al Adha (the second Eid of the year), after the moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday 30th of September.
Eid al Adha means ‘festival of sacrifice’, and it coincides with the end of the Hajj pilgrimage.
The day before Eid was a final day of fasting, known as Arafat. This year Arafat fell on a Friday, which is in any case the day of prayer for Muslims. It meant that Friday prayers were especially solemn; also that there was all the more reason to celebrate Eid when the solemnity finally came to an end.
Robed in my classical Arabian abaya, I took my son and lined up among the thousands of well-dressed Muslims waiting to enter the East London Mosque for the big Eid prayer at 11am on Saturday.
Inside, a young boy caught my attention; only two or three years old, but deeply absorbed in prayer. His Islamic robe was too big for him and his hat had fallen over his eyes, but that didn’t stop his father from beaming down at him, his eyes filled with pride.
‘Every year I lead the prayer and I couldn’t tell you how happy that makes me,’ said Imam Shafiur Rahman. ‘We are all thankful to be alive to celebrate another Eid with our loved ones.’
And afterwards – the feast. On this holy day, it is the tradition for Muslims to sacrifice a sheep, goat or cow, and share the meat between family and friends, and with those who cannot afford their own. The animal must be sacrificed in a strictly Islamic way in order to ensure the meat becomes halal.
I am fortunate enough to have my own sheep slaughtered and indulge in its succulence. But in case you are thinking that I myself went out into the back garden to slit its throat, what actually happened is that I paid a deposit to the butcher – and a whole lamb came prepared and packaged in freezer bags; all ready for the roasting tin.
For Algerians such as myself, the sweet cakes that come after are as important as the meat dish. My mother would be extremely cross if I didn’t take part in this bake-off!
Celebrating Eid is now a significant part of East London life. According to the Mayor’s Office, Muslims now make up 30 per cent of London’s population.