About the middle of last week, I was walking through the street and almost ran into a group of water buffalo. Yes, in the middle of the street.
No, this is not a normal sight, even in Bangladesh. This, my roommate informed me, is a sign that the Qurbani Eid preparations have begun. Qurbani, one of the most important Muslim holidays, celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, and Ishmael's willingness to sacrifice his own life to follow Allah's will.
As November 7, the day of Qurbani Eid, approached, I learned a lot about it from my students. One student, Aryian,explained to me that for Qurbani, each Muslim family goes out to buy, essentially, a sacrifice animal. These animals are most commonly cows, but families who cannot afford cows can buy goats instead. The size of the animal is important, because during the killing of the animal, certain names are read aloud for blessings. Therefore, Aryian said, big families need big cows, and smaller families only need a small cow.
The days approaching Qurbani Eid were very interesting to me, especially as more and more cows filled the streets. On our way up to the Leprosy Colony the weekend before Qurbani (stories to come), we passed massive cow markets. It was a common sight to see almost as many cows on the streets as people. This particular cow market took us more than a half hour to drive through.
On the day of Qurbani, my roommate and I took a walk around our block so that I could see what happens on Qurbani Eid. We walked outside, and these are some of the sights I saw:
The evening of Qurbani, my student, Aryian, invited me over for Eid dinner. My first time visiting a Bengali family seemed a bit daunting to me, especially since it was for Qurbani, but his family was gracious and inviting, and we talked with Aryian for hours. Since each family sacrifices a cow for Qurbani, Qurbani dinner is primarily made of beef dishes. The food was absolutely delicious - spicy, hot, and way too filling, especially since Aryian's mom continued to fill our plates over and over with more food. My two companions, fellow teachers at WCA, were brave enough to eat with their hands. I, however, was not yet ready to embarrass myself with my lack of these skills. After my first visit into a Bengali home, I have realized a few things. First of all, if I am to converse with any of my male students, I will need to brush up on my knowledge of soccer teams. Second, I desperately need to learn how the game cricket is played. And third, there is a lot I would like to learn about Muslims and what they believe. This is not because I am interested in converting, but because their religion is so close to the Truth that if God ever calls me to work with them, I should know what our beliefs agree upon and where they disagree upon.
The day after Qurbani is for most, a day of traveling. On our trip down to Cox's Bazaar, we were met by pile after pile of fresh cow hides, sold after Qurbani festivities and ready to be shipped out. After that sight, how about some leftovers?
No, this is not a normal sight, even in Bangladesh. This, my roommate informed me, is a sign that the Qurbani Eid preparations have begun. Qurbani, one of the most important Muslim holidays, celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, and Ishmael's willingness to sacrifice his own life to follow Allah's will.
As November 7, the day of Qurbani Eid, approached, I learned a lot about it from my students. One student, Aryian,explained to me that for Qurbani, each Muslim family goes out to buy, essentially, a sacrifice animal. These animals are most commonly cows, but families who cannot afford cows can buy goats instead. The size of the animal is important, because during the killing of the animal, certain names are read aloud for blessings. Therefore, Aryian said, big families need big cows, and smaller families only need a small cow.
The days approaching Qurbani Eid were very interesting to me, especially as more and more cows filled the streets. On our way up to the Leprosy Colony the weekend before Qurbani (stories to come), we passed massive cow markets. It was a common sight to see almost as many cows on the streets as people. This particular cow market took us more than a half hour to drive through.
On the day of Qurbani, my roommate and I took a walk around our block so that I could see what happens on Qurbani Eid. We walked outside, and these are some of the sights I saw:
The evening of Qurbani, my student, Aryian, invited me over for Eid dinner. My first time visiting a Bengali family seemed a bit daunting to me, especially since it was for Qurbani, but his family was gracious and inviting, and we talked with Aryian for hours. Since each family sacrifices a cow for Qurbani, Qurbani dinner is primarily made of beef dishes. The food was absolutely delicious - spicy, hot, and way too filling, especially since Aryian's mom continued to fill our plates over and over with more food. My two companions, fellow teachers at WCA, were brave enough to eat with their hands. I, however, was not yet ready to embarrass myself with my lack of these skills. After my first visit into a Bengali home, I have realized a few things. First of all, if I am to converse with any of my male students, I will need to brush up on my knowledge of soccer teams. Second, I desperately need to learn how the game cricket is played. And third, there is a lot I would like to learn about Muslims and what they believe. This is not because I am interested in converting, but because their religion is so close to the Truth that if God ever calls me to work with them, I should know what our beliefs agree upon and where they disagree upon.
The day after Qurbani is for most, a day of traveling. On our trip down to Cox's Bazaar, we were met by pile after pile of fresh cow hides, sold after Qurbani festivities and ready to be shipped out. After that sight, how about some leftovers?
