Kool sana wa inta tayyib

... is a greeting that is useful in Egypt around this time of year. You can say it to Western Christians on December 25, Egyptian Christians on January 7 (which is when both the Protestant and Othordox churches here celebrate Christmas), Muslims on Ai Eed al-Adha (which was 2 days ago), and to everyone on new year's, which is as big a deal here as anywhere. It's a good greeting - a "safe" one I guess I would call it, kind of like saying "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings." And hey, anything that keeps me from awkward situations where I say the wrong thing to the wrong person is a wonderful thing.

Two days ago Muslims here celebrated Ai Eed al-Adha, an annual festival set by the lunar calendar in which Muslims recognize the story of Abraham and Ishmael (known to Christians as the story of Abraham and Isaac). To celebrate the way in which Abraham proved his faithfulness and God spared Ishmael, Muslims hold a four day Feast of Sacrifice, which also marks the end of the holy pilgrimage called the Hajj in which Muslims from around the world travel to the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca (the Hajj is one of the 5 pillars of Islam). Muslims begin their first day of the festival with a special prayer held at their mosques, then they sacrifice a domestic animal -- a sheep, goat, cow, buffalo or camel (in Egypt, it's mostly sheep and cows, as well as a few goats) -- as a symbol of Abraham's sacrifice, and divide the meat, according to specific ratios, among the family members, friends, relatives, and most importantly, the poor. In Egypt Ai Eed al-Adha is a particularly bloody affair, as butcher shops all over the country kill the animals right outside their shops (and there are butcher shops everywhere, so in a short walk around my neighbourhood I saw a lot of blood and a lot of dead animals). Fortunately for you who don't like blood, I don't have a digital camera and therefore I don't have pictures. It's a festive day though, and I began it by getting up at 6 am and walking to a mosque near where I live with some friends. We sat in the middle of thousands of people and observed the prayers that begin the specific Day of Sacrifice - always an interesting experience.

That night, in a little juxtaposition to Ai Eed, I went to a service of lessons and carols (which traditionally follows Christmas) at an Anglican/Episcopal church- Christmas carols are always good, especially when you're in another country for the holiday.

In other news, they executed Saddam Hussein two days ago, and I think it's appalling. I'm against the death penalty anyways, but the way in which they did it seems only reminiscent of Saddam's reign itself. If the interim Iraqi government (and the Americans of course) wanted to make it a sign of a positive regime change (i.e. Bush's shortsighted words about the "end of a dark era"), this was a terrible way to do it and it seems more like retaliation and revenge than anything else. The word "justice" certainly doesn't come to mind, especially if all this does is plunge Iraq further into sectarian (i.e. Shiaa vs. Sunni) violence. Sorry for the soapbox...

Well, 2006 was full of a lot of hell, but a lot of hope too, and here's a "happy new year" and cheers for the promise of 2007.