School, Pre-school and Eid

BK1 went back to school two days ago, BK2 started pre-school yesterday, and it's Eid today. After 30 days of fasting from dawn to dusk, I had a coffee and a baqlawa this morning!

Eid in Algeria is a big occasion. If there was an equivalent to Christmas in Algeria, it would be this Eid. People greet their neighbours, visit relatives, and wish each other "Saha Aidek". Children wear beautiful new clothes, gorge on sweets all day, and are given a couple of quids by grown-ups.

I have kept BK1 at home today, to celebrate Eid. I love the tolerance of the British people. I simply announced to the school receptionist that BK1 won't be coming the next day, because of Eid. She simply asked me to write a letter to explain this, and wished us a happy feast with a big smile. I wonder if my request would have been met with a similar open-mindedness in other countries...

I made couscous for lunch today, with semolina that was rolled by my mum. We had our Algerian friends for lunch. The girls had presents, and played with their two friends (who are 7 and 2.5 years old). It was a proper Eid ambiance, we loved it!

One funny thing happened on Thursday, BK2's first day at pre-school. I dropped her off in the morning, stayed with her for 15 minutes, then she gave me a "Bye bye maman" when I was about to leave. Babel Dad picked her up, she settled in well. It is true that she already knows 3 of the children who go there, one of them is S, the second son of our Algerian friends. She also knows BK1 used to go there when she was younger.
Anyway, when Babel Dad brought her home, he said that S and a little Asian boy got Happy Eid cards, but not BK2! I am tempted to ask next time I take her to pre-school about this "omission". Don't think I would though, I think religion is a personal matter, and don't want to make a big deal of it.

So happy Eid everyone out there who celebrates it!

ps: This article was started on Friday 10/09/10 and finished on Saturday.