Eid al Ahada

I've had the week off for Eid and it has been quite eventful. I'm really glad I stayed in Sudan. I was able to join my Sudanese friends for one of the feasts that happened during the 4 day celebration of Eid.
Its the time of the year many muslims go on Hajj and this holiday is about is big as Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving in the states. Families come together and slaughter a sheep (in the likeness of the sacrifice Abraham made in the Old Testament).
And I mean literally in the likeness. They sheep are out in the street and folks buy one in the morning and slaughter it right in front of their houses later that morning. There is literally blood in front of most of the doors of the houses.
I went and stood on my roof in the morning and saw 3 different houses doing just this. (Pics below).

I went after the slaughtering, to my friends house and shared in a wonderful meal of fried and grilled lamb, shata (spicy sudanese dip), tomato and cucumber salad, sharboat (a beer like drink made from dates..but not alcoholic..that would be haram!) and fresh bread. We ate with our hands around a huge plate.

And you know when you are a guest you must eat lots of everything. It was delicious and I was stuffed. I then spent the rest of the day hanging out with the family. Folks would stop by and visit and candy was given out every time. The kids were wired and I had brought my mini speakers...so of course we had an mini dance party. It was awesome! The girls and boys were great dancers. They do a lot of snapping and shoulder moving. (check out the video)

We had tea a few times during the day which is also very Sudanese. By 8pm I was exhausted and went home to sleep.
As is custom and Sudanese culture I was invited to sleep over but I'm watching a friends cat so I had to come home and feed him!

I was sent home with some tea cookies with powdered sugar and some sharboat for the road.

I felt so loved I wasn't homesick for missing Thanksgiving (Eid fell around Thanksgiving this year)..I felt like I was home already!