Eid al-Adha is the second of two religious holidays celebrated each year by Muslims worldwide. Technically, the word means “major festival” and is referred to by different names in various parts of the Islamic world. In North Africa, it is often referred to as simply the Eid al-Kebir, or the “big feast.” The observation of the feast is tied to the lunar calendar and occurs approximately 11 days earlier each year. Since October 5th was the date this year, in 2015 the observance should be about September 23rd. The eid occurs roughly forty days after the end of the month of Ramadan. Continue reading →

Much of the enjoyment we derive from being here in Morocco comes from arranging for people of different backgrounds and circumstances to have the opportunity to spend time together. This has been true throughout our different incarnations in various locations over more than forty years now, but especially true here in the city of Fes. Of course, we know more people here than in other cities, since more than half the time we have lived overseas has been here.  There are a number of ways to describe what we attempt to do such as “cultural awareness,” “social tolerance within ethnic diversity,” or “informal multilingual interaction.”  None of those pretentious descriptions are very accurate.  Essentially, we just try to have people talk to each other, usually within the context of enjoying a good meal together, and make an effort to learn something meaningful about each other.  We had such an occasion this past weekend. Continue reading →

A few days ago I sat outside on the patio of the new four story mall that opened in Fes just a couple of months ago. It is without a doubt the most impressive and ambitious commercial retail project attempted in the twenty-five years we have been involved in the life of the city. Sitting there and reflecting on the changes that have taken place in that specific geographical location was a sobering reminder of the inevitably of change and how limited and mistaken my vision has been for what Fes could become. Continue reading →