Eid El Fitr

So yesterday was a national holiday here. It's a muslim holiday called Eid El Fitr. I admit that I don't know the purpose of the holiday or what they do, but I do know one tradition now. I'll start at the beginning since most women love to talk about ALL the details. My friend Katie lives about a 5 minute walk from my home. She has been here 2 months longer than I have and knows the shops that are in our area. About once a week she has been taking me to the local market to buy fruits and veggies. We went yesterday. Because of the holiday it wasn't as crowded as it usually is and for that I was thankful. The market is a little different than our market. Picture the Farmer's Market, how it's packed with people who are walking, talking, waiting in lines. There are local bands playing on certain days. So the market here, it's packed with people who are walking and talking, but there is definatley no waiting in lines. You have to fight for your place otherwise people will just walk up and get in front of you. You have to say, hey I was here first you have to wait and then pretty much push yourself infront of them. (even at the grogery stores here. I was waiting in line in the little aisle and a girl just pushed her arm past me and put her stuff next infront of the cashier and then squeezed in front of me. I was more shocked than thinking (oh I should push myself in front of her, give her a dirty look adn say I am next you wait). I let her go and told Craig when i got to the car. He said, "oh yeah, they'll do that. You have to just cut back and get snappy if you have to. I have much to learn. i am horrible at confrontational things. Anyway, at the local market, there is music playing. Usually some gospel station on a radio that is hooked up to LOUD speakers so that you can't hear anything when walking by. There is trash and I think sewage and fish heads and rotten fruit and veggies and mud on the ground so you have to watch your step. there are also a bunch of young girls with big metal bowls on their heads that follow you around wherever you go, hoping that you will pay them to carry your stuff for you. You jsut have to keep telling them, no I hve my own bag. You buy your food and then you must go home and clean it by soaking it in bleach water or what I like to use in potassium permanginate (spelling may be WAY off). It's this purple stuff that works wonders because it doesn't change the taaste of your food. (thank you Karen and your friend and Claire for teaching me about this stuff!!!) it's quite the experience and the more I go, the more I'm liking it. People shout out greetings to you, shout to you to come and buy from them, or men shout to get your attention and call you things. (it's a good thing I don't speak twi) They are quite friendly and if you can speak even a little bit of twi they love it adn love that you are trying. So I walked my friend back to her house and then walked back home from there. I pass a mosque on my way and there were a bunch of men outside the mosque. I wondered why there were so many, but kept walking and just past them there was a cow lying on the ground with it's feet all tied together and it had a rope tied around it's neck to a pole to hold it down. The thought occurred to me, "what the heck! They are about to sacrifice this thing right here on the sidewalk and I do not want to witness it!!!!!" I picked up my pace. Then an hour later we had some errands to run and hopped in the car. We passed the mosque again and there was now a skinned cow on the sidewalk (I will not describe that in further detail, just use your imaginations) and then on the way home there was a fire with some meat cooking on it. I could've taken pictures for your viewing pleasure, but I just figured that I'd rather not have to look at the pictures over and over every time I get on the blog!

To make the day more interesting, Craig had to run an errand at night and had a little run-in with another car, but I am leaving that story for him to blog because he's just so excited to share it with you!
So all I can teach you about this muslim holiday is that they celebrate by sacrificing a cow!