Happy Holidays!

Tuesday through Monday Qatar celebrates Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, which marks the close of hajj, the annual pilgrimage to mecca.

What is it like? Why, it's just like Christmas!

Well, sort of.

Like Christmas, children receive gifts, the malls bulge with shoppers day and night (and into the early morning - some days the malls close at 3am) and people spend time with their families. Early Tuesday morning, Muslims attended Eid al-Adha prayers. Banks and other government agencies close (which further holds up my residency permit process, ugh). Oddly, one of the major hospitals will only operate on a limited basis.

Unlike Christmas, the national government sponsors and organizes activities around and for the holiday. Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has scheduled twelve days of festivities. No Nutcracker or Santa Claus visits here, but live performances of The Smurfs, Ben10, and The Pink Panther at malls across the city, fireworks, circus acts, magic shows and even Bjorn the Polar Bear. Many people leave the country, but QTA has advertised these events as ways to make the most of one's "staycation".

I had hoped to catch the fireworks (more Fourth of July or New Year's Eve than Christmas, yes?) from my balcony last night. Either it was not much of a show, or all the buildings from West Bay blocked my view. Only the swirls of smoke made it to my sight line. Hopefully tonight I can convince someone to walk down to the Corniche with me for a better view.

As with everything not retail or restaurant, Education City closed Tuesday and will reopen on Monday. Two days into my week-long break I have nearly completed my draft of Chapter 3, finished some long overdue reading and caught up on some much-needed sleep. I ventured out to a mall yesterday to witness for myself the Christmas-ish frenzy and quickly decided that sipping tea on my balcony would prove a far better choice. Lest anyone worry that I work too hard, I have planned two super-fun activities for this weekend . . .

XO,
JZog