Eid Al Adha

June 17

It turns out that today is a the Muslim holy day of Eid Al Adha.  It turns out we had no idea.

We woke up to the call to prayer which seemed very long, but as it was our first real day in Morocco we did not think much of it except that it seemed rather long. We had leisurely breakfast and slow morning as we have both been pretty tired from our adventures. I had hoped to pick up a few post cards on the way out of Chefchaouen, so we wandered about the town hoping to find a stall open. We were really surprised not find anyone at all. It was like a ghost town. Again, we both found this a little odd, but not overly so. Both Nic and I kept saying, “Well it is the morning. People are sleeping late. Yesterday was market day so they are probably home resting.”

We said that as we drove out of town and hopped on the highway headed to Fes. We said it as we passed gas station after gas station closed. It wasn’t critical, but we did both want a bottle of water to drink along the way. Warned that the tap water was not good, we had been avoiding drinking it. 

We said it as we drove through one empty town after another. 

We said it as we saw sheep skulls roasting over fires in the street. We said it as we passed entire sheep skinned and hanging upside down. We said it for over 2.5 hours. We said it as we walked past sheep carcass in the street.

Finally a little beam of light in the back of my mid clicked on and I said, “You know what?! I think it is a holiday.” I quick used the Google and lo and behold - IT IS A HOLIDAY. Who knew???

Not us.

But everyone else in Morocco did. 

It turns out that part of this holiday includes sacrificing a sheep and feasting as a family all day. The head is cooked over an open fire. As we started to understand what was going on, Nic decided to take a little detour. He pulled over the car on the side of the road beside a group of men cooking their sheeps’ heads.

And then we made friends.    

Nic thought this was the most fun he’s ever had.

Before we knew it, Yassir had invited us into his home, where his family shared their Eid Al Adha meal with us. We partook in the traditional meal of Boulfaf and Tkalia. There are not words to explain how lovely this family is. They all sat with us as we ate and talked, sharing stories in English, Arabic, and French. His sister, Nassima, is fifteen years old and wants to be a doctor. I am cheering for her for all of her dreams! Yassir also hopes to achieve his international truck driving license. 

Their parents offered to take us in for the night, to take us on a tour of a bridge, to show us Morocco. There are not enough ways for me to explain their generosity. It was an experience I will never forget. As we left, Nassima gave me a traditional dress to wear.

My brain has grown three sizes today alone. I have had such an incredible deepening of understanding of the world around me. Tears came to my eyes as we drove away and I realized that so much of life is lost in fear. We fear what we don’t understand, but if we stop the car, get out and ask questions, fear collapses. Behind is left beautiful people. Part of this holiday is to ensure that all Muslim people have meat on this day, so the families seek to give one-third of their feast away. Little did they know when they woke up this morning that these two Americans would wander into their town, and to their table. The food was delicious. The company was amazing. But the lesson I learned about hospitality, kindness, and Eid Al Adha are priceless.

Aren’t they beautiful?

We left Yassir with many warm wishes, fully bellies, and grateful hearts. Onward we went toward Fes. I had booked out hotel what I understood was ‘near the Medina.’ Only to find that in this case, ‘near the Medina’ meant IN the Medina. The Medina is the marketplace for the locals, and tourists. Fes’ marketplace is known to be one of the biggest, busiest, and most confusing. There are 9,000 streets inside and as many as 4000 dead ends. As we followed Google Map across Morocco and some very small roads, we landed outside of the North Gate of the Medina, As we pulled up, Joseph was standing cooking his goat’s head. He leaned into our car to inform us he is the caretaker of our hotel, and he would help us park, and show us our way to the Riad.  Once again the people of Morocco showed up to help us find our way.

As it is the ‘slow season’ here right now, we are the only people in our hotel. It is also a major holiday. Yet, here we are. Our host met us with mint tea, a choice of rooms, and a map of the Medina. Because we are stupid, we decided to venture out into the Medina alone at night to see the sights. Hazam found us right away and became our unofficial guide. This is clearly part of the deal here, and we were more than happy to be found. As the sun set we wandered the Medina and he showed us the sights. He also told us a little bit about why there are so many cats. It turns out that the Muslim people love cats because they are considered clean, whereas dogs are considered dirty. If one touches a dog, they must cleanse themselves before their next set of prayers.  I really wish I had known this all the while we lived next to our Muslim neighbors and could not understand why they would not pet our dogs, and did not like them. 

Here I am with many of the cats of Fes and Hazam, which means ‘five.’ He is one of five, and has lived in the Medina his whole life. Hazam explained to us how hard it is to leave, to get a visa, and to change one’s life. He told me he does not want children, or a wife, instead he wants to succeed. We have had a day I hope never to forget. Morocco has changed me in big and small ways. It is one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Someone asked me, “What is your favorite part of Morocco so far?”

It is the people.