Id with Jack & Maria

On the arrival of the Id we had a visit from a cycling couple Jack and Maria, who came in to Kelantan on a tandem bicycle. They had been cycling from New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and are on the way to Thailand when they passed through our area. You can follow their adventure at  http://www.thejackstaffordfoundation.com/fr_blog.cfm

During the duration they were my guests having known them through a hosting web site at http://www.warmshowers.org/ where I am registered as a host.  Previously I had received inquiries from a number of cyclists passing through my town but due to my absence, I had not been able to receive them. Jack and Maria have the distinction of being my first cycling guests and I am told by them they are immensely pleased to have been given the opportunity to share the Id festival with us. Well Jack and Maria, I too am pleased to host both of you and I am glad for the sharing of your cycling experience.

Fooling around with Jack's tandem with full "Raya" attire, with Sofia and Pie at the back much to the amusement of Jack and Maria

Concurrent with the Id we had a traditional ceremony at our home to welcome my second grand child, Ziad Ashaz. Two goats were slaughtered and the mutton was shared with the relatives who were invited over to share our pride of me being a grandfather (not forgetting my wife, a grandmother). For this ceremony not any goat will do. It must be free from defects, preferably a male as a female may be with fetus and thus imperfect, and the animal must be fully grown. A goat is considered fully grown after it had shed its milk teeth and normally this is reached when it is two years old. This is the reason we have to pay a premium for this kind of goat as extra expenses is needed to get the animal to full maturity.

To crown the ceremony a small portion of the hair is cut. But it is preferable the whole head is shaved and traditionally the hair is gathered and weighed and money sufficient to purchase gold of equal weight is distributed to the poor.

This is Ashaz after the shaving ceremony, beautifully bald.