Tomorrow is Eid Al-Adha

Today is Arafa Day, so, unless things have changed, there will be goats tied to trees in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and goats running around freely in the Northern Emirates.

By tomorrow evening, the number of goats will be greatly diminished.

Eid Al-Adha (or ul-Adha, depending on the transliterator) commemorates the day when the Prophet Ibrahim (or Abraham) started to sacrifice his son Ismael (or Ishmael) but was stopped by an angel who provided a goat in the boy's place. Consequently, every father is expected to go out with his sons and a goat to commemorate.

I witnessed this in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi back in 2001.

So I advised my squeamish vegetarian friend in Abu Dhabi to stay inside tomorrow morning.

I, however, am back in Dubai for the holidays, and Dubai doesn't allow the traditional commemoration of Eid al Adha.

So there won't be any scenes to appal the squeamish vegetarians in Dubai tomorrow morning.