Monday, September 29, 2008

Eid el Fitr

Ramazan is almost over. That means an end to fasting and abstinence. Cigarettes will be back on the scene, the street food kiosks will be doing brisker business during the day and the bakeries will be opening earlier in the day again. People will be a little less crabby and short-tempered.

Eid el Fitr (Festival of the Fast Breaking) is somewhat like Christmas in that there is feasting, gift-giving and dressing up. It is a three day party. Scenes below are from the busy market. Only two shopping days to Eid! Sort of. The "declaration" of Eid depends upon the sighting of the new moon. That is a call for the mullahs. It's looking like Tuesday or Wednesday will be the call.

We are thinking the government will call it for Tuesday because then instead of a three-day holiday, it is a four-day holiday since Friday would be the day off anyway. These people could use a four-day holiday.

An old "Back to School" mural on the road entering the market.
The top row of the blackboard, read right to left is "alef", "beh", "peh" the first three letters of the Dari alphabet.
The bottom row is 1 + 1 = 2 (Even if Afghanistan).



Eid shoppers.
Note the Eid dresses in the background.
The children usually get bright new clothes for Eid.



More Eid dresses.



Still more Eid dresses.



And more Eid dresses!



Sugar drink anyone? Made with fresh sugar cane!
Afghans may not recycle the way we know it,
but they definitely reuse.
Nothing useful gets thrown out.



Shopping for the Eid gifts.
Two shoppings days left!



Potatoes for the feast.



Mutant Cauliflower for the feast!



Fruit market doing brisk business.



This doesn't look good Bob!
Note the three calf heads and pile of legs.



Butcher shop lane fully stocked to provide for the feast.
Out of the picture to the left a pile of goats
and four more calves were being prepped for hanging.