I was worried about traveling to Morocco by myself. Its a place I didn't know much about even after reading Frommer's and googling about Marrakesh. I had so many questions about the country, the people, their religion, how I would "fit in" -- so many questions.
Morocco is a very different place in my eyes. It still clings to our old world beginnings while trying to become "modernized". The women of Morocco follow tradition scarving their heads and dressing moderately while the Westerners push the envelope with our style, attitudes and views. Its an interesting dichotemy to watch with your own eyes while sitting at a cafe drinking Moroccan Whiskey.
Maybe its me but I feel with red hair and green eyes I look like an alien but I take comfort in finding other "aliens" along the way -- who I think, deep down, feel a little uncomfortable like me. But let me be clear, its not the Moroccon people that make me feel uncomfortable. Its my inexperience in their world that makes me uncomfortable.
Moroccans are kind, welcoming, helpful, accommodating (perhaps to a fault) and genuine. Sure there are the Moroccans in the square who will try to get you to pay them 200 dirham (approximately $25 USD) to get your picture taken with snakes or offer you directions or an escort for a price but when you get the chance to sit down and talk to a native Moroccan you get a flavor of what they are really all about -- and all the walls of indifference melt away.
I was lucky enough to spend time with a 22 year old female Moroccan named Amal. She works in the Riad I stayed in for three days and she is kind, sweet, helpful and open. I talked with her about her life, Moroccan history, being a female Moroccan, what she wants out of life, what she thinks of Americans, etc. She didn't hold back -- which I loved because for some reason I thought she would be timid, shy and reserved. She was collected and proper but had a hint of mischief below her black and gray scarf that made me laugh. She is a true Moroccan beauty on the outside and inside with dark eyes, creamy skin and ambitious dreams in her heart.
I happened to be in Morocco during one of two largest celebrations for Muslims, a very important holiday called Eid Al-Adha which translates to "Festival of Sacrifice" and commemorates Prophet Abraham's willingness to obey God when he envisioned that he was to sacrifice his son. Muslims observe this day by slaughtering an animal – usually a sheep, goat or cow – according to humane Islamic guidelines (zabiha), and then offering much of its meat in charity.
I witnessed the souks where sheep were in abundance being sold for the festival. Sheep in the back seats of cars, sheep tied to the roof of vans, sheep even carried by their new owners on their mopeds driving down the Moroccan highways all hurrying to get their sacrifice to their homes in order to celebrate with their families. It was unnerving to see this as a Westerner but being respectful and tolerant of the Moroccans is the least I can do when they are so respectful and tolerant of us.
Watching all the preparation and sheep sales make me very curious to learn more about "the process", the "how" of the actual sacrifice so I asked Amal many questions about the details of what happens behind closed Moroccan doors on this important and special day.
Amal told me that a sheep typically can cost a family up to 5000 dirhams, which is about 500 UK pounds, 550 Euros or approximatley $750 USD. That's a lot of money for many families no matter where they live but it is very important to honor the prophet Abraham and families will save and sacrifice many things to buy a proper sheep for slaughter.
On the day of the feast they pray to Allah at 9am, then gather in their homes where the sacrifice occurs. I was curious to know where the slaughter of the sheep occurred. In the bath tub, the kitchen, the yard? I was curious to comprehend how the blood of the animal could be contained in such a small space of the Moroccan home. She told me that many Moroccan homes are similar to the layout of a Riad. There is a central courtyard which many times, multiple families share while each of their "homes" is a section of the entire building. This helped me to understand that as I stayed in my Riad as a vacationer, many Moroccan families would potentially live and share in a home similar to the layout of a Riad with multiple rooms, wings, etc for extended family like parents, siblings, grandparents, in-laws, etc.
They gather after the 9am prayer to Allah and begin the sacrifice around 10am. They gather in the courtyard of their homes and with the sheep standing on its four legs take a razor sharp knife and slit the throat of the animal thus allowing the blood to flow out of its neck onto the floor of the courtyard. The courtyards of the homes have tiles and drains and the blood covers the ground and finds its way to the drain as you would expect. The head is then fully severed along with the legs of the sheep. The head and the legs are then taken outside and burned. The head is cooked enough to burn off all the sheep hair and it is "scraped" to ensure all hair is removed before taken back into the home to be eaten. The legs are burned until no longer existent and are not consumed. They are considered to be too dirty for human consumption. Witnessing the severed heads of sheep being carried out into the Medina and burned was something I will never forget - both the sight and the unique smell.
The sheep is then skinned and the skins are sometimes hung outside to dry or are set aside for donation later to local merchants who will collect them by wagons and then further deconstruct them to separate sheep skins and fur which will then be cleaned, dyed, etc and turned into beautiful bags, clothes and rugs to be sold in the Medina.
The sheep is then butchered with half being saved for the family to enjoy and feast and the other half being donated to the poor in the community. They prepare many parts of the sheep on that day along with many side dishes similar to the American Thanksgiving holiday. They don't "graze" as the Americans do on that day, but eat one large meal with their families and give thanks to Allah and his prophet.
The Medina is very quiet on this day as it usually is busting with activity, noise, motorcycle exhaust fumes, souks and people. It seems almost unnatural to have the streets so empty but I was fortunate to understand and fully appreciate just how important this holiday is to the Muslim Moroccans.
Understanding and respecting the Moroccan tradition is an important part of your visit to this country. Finding a person like Amal to help you better understand their culture and views will add to your experience and increase your awareness to this important and historic part of the world. Do yourself a favor and try to plan a trip to this unique country. Put your plans together and trust that your visit will open your mind and your eyes to the beauty of the Muslim culture -- and open your heart in a way that will surprise and change you forever.
