Tunisia - Eid: day off, peace day

Tunisia, 09/24/2015 : Day of remembrance of Abraham's sacrifice, Eid allows ten million
Tunisians gather around a million sheep for a real party.
On the parking of Carrefour to Soukra, northern suburbs of Tunis, a large tent was erected to
accommodate some five hundred sheep for sale. A saleswoman, smiling, confirms that "it is a best
seller this year." All livestock were sold at an average price of 589 dinars room. Despite the
economic crisis (unemployment soaring after the attacks, growth that flirts with zero), Tunisians
made financial acrobatics to afford the sheep of Eid.
The chances of juxtaposing the school year calendar and the religious celebration, the item
"expenses" families exploded. Salaries were paid in the public service, in mid-September. A boon
for 800,000 civil servants and employees of state enterprises. Some private companies have done
the same but it is far from the norm. So we spend what we have not.
Wassila, housekeeper, borrowed his salary from October to his employer. A taxi driver explains that
he can deprive his eldest son "sheep". An engineer confesses his "optimism" despite "the end of the
month will start on October 1"... The child argument keeps coming. In the neighborhoods, we meet
children who roam sheep with a rope in lieu of leave.
They are given a nickname, a ribbon around the neck. Pictures join the hard drive memory. Kram,
cited December 5, a farmer came governorate of Kairouan says "buying a sheep is like love, it is a
heart stroke." And explain, who sells for twenty years, that "people come in and point the finger at
the one they want." The state oversees part of this huge market (over 600 million dinars of gross
revenues).
The minister of agriculture to anticipate the needs of the population and avoid some hiccups as in
previous years: Tunisia was forced to import sheep. More than a million sheep was sold for demand
of 900,000 according to observers. But the Eid al-Adha is both a trade, a religious celebration and a
way to get together with family despite a stormy autumn.
In an agitated social context - closer to the boiling pot that flat water - the three holidays (September
24 to 26 on weekends which is added) statue will the country, calling the strike until next Monday
announced fuel distributors, the outstanding teachers ... Since Wednesday night, traffic jams are
counted in tens of kilometers on the outskirts of Tunis. For five days, usually asphyxiated capital
moves into a paradise for lovers of peace and drivers: hollowed streets of their cars, closed stores,
Article by Pascal Gibert for African News Agency

cinemas closed ... Thursday begins with prayer of Eid and two sermons in the mosque. Then deep in
the morning, we shall kill sheep, held head in the direction of Mecca. Families gathered around this
time of peace and joy. Mutton is cut into several pieces. One shoulder must be at least offered to the
poor. Outside mosques, the poor (the national rate of poverty is 17%) expect. The Eid al-Adha
provides a welcome break Tunisians in these tumultuous times. In the more favored to not forget
those who have little or nothing. This is the first message of this key date of the Muslim religion.

Article by Pascal Gibert for African News Agency