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The purpose of this blog is to serve as a journal and documentation method for my study abroad in Morocco for the months of May-July in the year of 2023. In this blog, I will discuss a couple notable occurrences and events during my trip that really made me think on what Morocco really is and who its people are. I have decided to discuss my experiences with Eid Al-Adha (a before and after perspective), the city of Chechaouen and the nearby Akchour, a valuable lesson my Mauritanian-born conversation partner Taha taught me and showed me about life in Morocco and the key difference between it and the United States, and the circumstances surrounding a sudden change in mine and Andres’s host family situation that allowed us to experience both “realms” of Moroccan life. Each section will have text portions as well as images to accompany them. Welcome to my Moroccan adventure.
Before coming to Morocco, I had had minimal interaction with Islamic culture and beliefs given that the U.S. does not, completely, integrate religion into daily life. I was well-aware that Morocco was a Muslim country before coming, but I was unaware that more than 99% of the country was Muslim. As an American, I was interested in exactly how a majority-Muslim country functioned and how the culture of Islam was woven into the fabric of everyday life. After arriving in Morocco and moving into my (first) host family, I was taken aback, in a good way, by the influence of Islam on their lives. Obligatory prayers and entire rooms in their home adorned with Surahs and kept impeccably clean to provide a space for clean prayer. My second host family was even more religious, offering to read and help me understand the Quran (even though I am agnostic, I accepted out of curiosity). When I heard that I would have the opportunity to experience Eid Al-Adha, I was overtaken with joy because it finally meant I would experience a unique and special time in Islamic culture and hopefully it would help me understand and appreciate Islam even more.
Our sheep arrived about 2 days before the day of Eid and the guests arrived 1 day before Eid. We were initially concerned that our family would not be able to afford a sheep, but by the grace of Allah they received some money from their daughter which allowed them to purchase one. My host father tied up the sheep in the stairwell and he remained there for about 1-2 days until the day of Eid.
Our sacrificial sheep waiting patiently in the stairwell.
Unfortunately, it was about 1 day before Eid that I began experiencing some stomach problems and I worried how this would affect my experience. I speculated as to what was causing the issues and I ruled that the aspect of the “sacrifice” was making me uneasy. I was made aware when I arrived in Morocco and after speaking to Heather Harris (our in-country coordinator) that there was a sacrificial aspect of the holiday. I asked what would occur and was reassured that the process would be painless and quick for all involved.
The day of Eid finally came. I am pretty sure I slept in a little bit from the excitement the day before, but I was ready to see what Al-Eid was all about. I put on my best clothes and greeted the other guests and there seemed to be a general air of merriment in the home. A light breakfast was served and then at about mid-afternoon, the sheep was taken from the stairwell by the horns to the balcony in the kitchen. Me and Andres prepared ourselves. Initially, I thought I had the courage to actively participate in the sacrifice and my host mom asked if I wanted to hold the horns. I thought I could, but I lost my nerve and politely declined. Then, the sheep was held still and then sent to Allah.
Immediately following the sacrifice, I felt three conflicting emotions: I was ecstatic for having experienced a cultural and religious event, but disgusted from being near the death of a harmless animal and hearing it as it, somewhat brutally, died, but also relieved that it is finally at peace. I remember leaving the room with Andres and leaning against the wall and trying calm myself down because even as a grown man, my values have made me sensitive to the death of living things regardless of the context.
Alas, after the initial uneasiness, we enjoyed the day-long feast. I tried sheep liver and I will say…It is quite divine.
After Al-Eid I had some questions about Moroccan culture finally answered. I learned that Al-Eid is supposed to be a happy time that brings family and friends together. While I was slightly ill, I still gained valuable knowledge about how Moroccans and, just as importantly, Muslims practice their faith. Not many non-Muslims get to witness a holiday within an average Muslim family simply because they are their afraid of what the holiday entails or because they are simply not a “member of the family.” I was not a member of the family, but they nonetheless treated me like one (فرد أسرتهم). I was truly blessed to have experienced this because it gave me more clarity and understanding. I can now share with my non-Muslim friends and relatives what Al-Eid is so they can learn to appreciate a religion that my culture has historically feared.
The second experience I would like to share about is my time in Chefchaouen. This was my second-favorite location we visited during our time in Morocco for three reasons: This trip had some of the best views and landscapes I had ever witnessed in Morocco, the Old Medina was unique in its construction and design while still having familiar aspects, and the some of the most interesting and unique cultural aspects were discovered by me on this excursion.
Firstly, the views and landscape surrounding Chefchaouen was some of the greatest I had seen in Morocco. The landscape also sparked discussion amongst me and my fellow travelers about why the landscape made Chefchaouen’s location ideal and how the landscape explains the orientation and construction of the city. These were not questions posed by our excursion teacher, but rather by the students themselves and it was interesting to participate in.
This is a picture of the sheer cliffs surrounding the Spanish Mosque which sits atop a hill on the outskirts of the city. It honestly offers the greatest view of the city as well as the surrounding landscape (this was also evidenced by the enormous group of photographers and tourists at the top taking photos during sunset). I appreciated ALIF’s focus on designing excursions around both educating us on the local culture and environment as well as providing memorable experiences such as watching a sunset (which we did a total of 3 times; once in Rissani, once in Merzouga, and once in Chefchaouen).