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KEYSER France
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• Aid-el-Kebir |
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Aïd-el-Kébir, or Aïd-el-Adha, wille be celebrated on Wednesday, December 19th 2007 by Muslims is one of the most important day of the Islam. It symbolizes Abraham's total submission.
It happens the 10th day of the Dhou al Hijja month, last month of the muslim calendar, and the end of the pilgrimage in Mecca.
The Muslims have to knife a sheep to commemorate Abraham's sacrifice (Ibrahim in Arab). The animal to be sacrificed must not be killed, nor even knocked out, before the heavy loss, who has to be made with a perfectly disentangled knife and without exercising the slightest pressure, by cutting the windpipe and the oesophagus.
According to the Islamic law, the family's father has to knife it, or can delegate a recognized sacrificer, to carry out the sacrificial task, the sheep laid on the left side, with head turned towards Mecca. He can operate only once after the Aïd Prayer, 20minutes after the sunrise.
Then the sheep must be sliced in three equal parts: one for the family, one for the neighbours and friends, the last one, consisting on the best part, for the poor people around.
In Marseille, Chanot’s park welcomes 8 000 Muslims for the Aïd Prayer, it is one of the largest collective prayers taking place in France.
The ritual slaughters (sliced down) take place on three days in 9 temporary slaughterhouses approved by governement, by sacrificers from whom certificates are freed by the prefects. A lamb costs between 160 and 240 € according to its weight, to which it is necessary to add 15€ for the salary of the butcher and 6,50€ for the price of the cut. Every family chooses its lamb, follows its slaughter, and shares it with family in the evening
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| Place: MARSEILLE, FRANCE |
| Date: 01/02/2007 |
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