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Published: December 10th 2008
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Blue and Red Themed Tree
Seeing our tree makes me so happy - reminding me of home and the holidays!!! The Holiday season is upon us. My American friend Suzanne in my European Studies Masters Program and I prepared a Thanksgiving feast for our classmates and teachers on Thanksgiving day. Yes, I cooked my first turkey, pumpkin and apple pies. Although a little dry the turkey was edible - the apple pie a la mode was a huge success! All the traditional fixin's filled our table - mashed potatoes, stuffing, my grandma's stuffing (every other day of the year except Thanksgiving this is known as meatloaf or kofte in Turkey), sweet potato (carrots substituted for sweet potatoes which are not to be found in Turkey) souffle, green bean casserole, carrot soup, cranberry sauce (thanks to our families in the USA for shipping over the cranberry sauce!), and salad (which nobody touched!).
Cenker and I found a faux tree at Carrefour SA (the more upscale version of Walmart super center found everywhere in Turkey). Carrefour is a French company so thier anchor malls are decorated with holiday trees! I think there may even be an opportunity to pose with Santa for a photo. Last year when I saw the holiday decorations similar to malls in the USA - I was baffled!
There is something to be said for exported capitalism when Christmas trees show up in malls in a country whose population is mostly Muslim. Carrefour also sold a nice selection of Christmas decorations. My sister Catherine had sent me a box of Christmas ornaments and decorations and stockings. Our tree is in our bedroom. The all white holiday lights my sister sent blew out since the voltage here is 220 volts vs 120 volts USA standard. So, luckily we were able to replace the blown out light set with a colorful set from Carrefour! Our red and blue theme tree theme is so cute!
Departing from the holidays I celebrated for all my life in the USA, we are celebrating the Festival of Sacrifice this week called Eid al-Adha in Arabic and Kurban Bayramı in Turkish. The four day holy days started on Monday, December 8 in Turkey. Muslims all over the globe celebrate the submission to God by Ibrahim (Abraham) in the willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael. When Cenker first explained the holiday to me, I responded 'oh, we call Ishmael, Isaac.' Cenker and I both assumed Ishmael and Isaac were the same person with different names
Makeshift Housing
The animals to be sacrificed are housed in these makeshift tents in areas organized by the city or license groups or individuals. in the two faith traditions. But according to Wikipedia (a dubious source - yes, I admit), Ibrahim had two sons Ishmael (the son of his wife's handmaiden Hagar who was legitimately Sarah's son) and Isaac (born of Sarah). The Qur'an states that Abraham was to sacrifcie his son, with no indication of a name of the son. Although there was a dispute about which son, early Muslim scholars settled on Ishmael. In the book 'Islam for Dummies' (a gift accompanied with a book 'Catholicism for Dummies' from Fr. Kevin who guided us through our marriage preparation) it states ''...Abraham was called upon by God to sacrifice his son Ishmael. The birth of Isaac was a reward to Abraham for being willing to obey God's command to sacrifice Ishmael.'' Cenker told me the sacrifice and the temptation of Ishmael, Abrahim and Ishmael's mother by Satan not to obey God's command is recalled when pilgrims cast seven pebbles at the largest of three pillars in Mina, Saudi Arabia during the Hajj. Stoning of the Devil or Stoning of the Jamarat takes place on the last day of Hajj pilgrimage.
In Turkey, many families with the financial means to do so sacrifice
Baklava Baking
Cenker's mom and I cut the baklava before putting it into the oven. an animal (usually a goat, sheep or cow). The city organizes locations where the sacrifice may take place. Independent butchers may also obtain licenses to perform the ceremony. The areas we saw were temporary tents where the animals were kept and fed. During the sacrifce, prayers are read. The process is very well organized. The animals are brought in and the people who are sacrificing the animal are called forward. The sacrifce is made. The animal's coat is removed and is then divided and packaged for the people making the sacrifice. An area is designated where people may pray after thier sacrifice has been completed. Cenker offered 300 YTL (approximately $194) for a sheep. Cenker was not present when his animal was sacrificed because he donated the meat to poor students; however, we did receive a portion of the meat, about 20 lbs. Some private groups organize the donations and the distribution. My father-in-law sacrificed a portion of a cow with an offering of 500 YTL (approx $322). On Monday morning both he and Cenker attended the morning prayer at the mosque and then went to a designated area in the neighborhood where the sacrifices were being made. On Friday
Portioning the Sacrifice
Cenker looks on as his mom prepares the portions to give to the poor neighbors. afternoon Cenker's dad had stopped by this place to make an appointment for 10AM on Monday morning. When all five parties making the joint offering of the cow arrived, the sacrifice was made. Rice, meat, ayran (yoghurt drink) and tea were being served at this site while people waited. Cenker and his dad brought home approximately 60 lbs of beef. Cenker and I helped his mom portion the meat into plastic bags which she distributed for poor neighbors later in the day. Half of the meat is packed away in the refrigerator and will be consumed over the year.
Other preparations for the Kurban Bayram include a lot of cooking and baking. On Sunday evening, I helped Cenker's mom make baklava, borek (spinach in filo dough), and homemade bread. Cenker's mom had also prepared stuffed cabbage and stuffed grape leaves during the previous days. Cenker's mom also cleaned the entire house in order to prepare for receiving the holy sacrifice. Visitors have been dropping by over the last few days - mostly neighbors. Chocolates and baklava are served.
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JC Carnes
non-member comment
Happy Eid.....
A beautiful tale and great photos as usual. I can't take or write as much as I would like here, but I'm working very hard here!