Day 18: Rituals

I started my day off the usual way with baguette, nutella, and a shower. I walked to school, enjoyed Arabic class, and then was supposed to head home for lunch. However, Elle, Meredith, Tash, and Alice were going to Casa Nostra for lunch and I was craving some melted cheese so I joined them. I didn't realize until I got my dish that Moroccans don't really include cheese in typical Moroccan dishes. I think it is a relic from times before they had cows, which also explains the lack of good beef/steak options. Anyways, I had some delicious four cheese penne before returning to school for some computer time before class. 

Professor Sadiqi's class was very interesting today. It was about the four major rituals in Fes area. The first three were birth, baptism, and the Achoura Feast (the commemoration of the assassination of Mohammed's grandson Husayn that caused the split between Sunnis and Shiites). The last was a yearly cherry festival in a town near Fes. We discussed the role women play in each one of these. In the first three, the woman plays a crucial role and is somewhat celebrated. At birth, men are not allowed to see the baby for the first seven days. The mother and baby spend this time together in a room with the two grandmothers. Starting on the second day, other women can come to see the baby and to celebrate the mother's accomplishment. It is not until the second ritual, the baptism, that men get to see the baby. Even though the man has the honor of publicly proclaiming the baby's name for the first time, the mother still receives special treatment and is focused on more than the father is throughout the day's festivities. Thirdly, during the Achoura Feast, which is almost like a Moroccan Christmas because most of the funeral aspects have been forgotten, women cover themselves in henna and visit other women for tea throughout the day. The cherry festival, however, serves as an example of how when women's rituals are brought to the public sphere, they become skewed. The festival includes a Miss Cerisette contest (named for the type of cherry) where a jury of women chooses a winner; however, while that process is pure, during the parade and the rest of the festival, the sentiment Prof. Sadiqi expressed to us is that the woman is objectified as a sexual icon, rather than feeling like she has value.

After class, I went home for an hour before going to the riad for three hours with Ariel, Joe, and Meredith. I did some homework at the riad, relaxed, and listened to music. I came home for dinner at 8. We had spaghetti and tomato sauce. Lotfi spent the night out last night and Driss has been gone for a couple of days at an uncle's house, so I was home alone. I watched the movie, The Illusionist, on my computer and finished the Steve Jobs book. The movie, a drama with a hint of romance, is based off a short story about an illusionist at the start of the 20th century who wins the heart of the Prince of the Hapsburg Empire's fiancé and goes about faking her death so that they can run away together. It was a solid movie and nice way to spend some time alone. I also really enjoyed the Steve Jobs biography and am a little unhappy that I finished it so quickly. Some internet research turned up an interview with the author, Walter Issacson, where he said that this is only the first draft of the book, so that gives me something to look forward to over the coming years. Tomorrow, I plan on starting Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, a raunchy New York Times Bestseller about a playboy-type figure's debaucherous exploits in high school, college, and law school. It's supposed to be pretty entertaining and should be a complete change of pace from the celebration of life that I just read.

That's what I know. Staying healthy and didn't have to eat any more artichoke today. Check out the pictures I put up this morning and linked to two posts ago.