Ied Al-Adha in China

There's something different about Ied Al-Adha this year. I usually celebrated Ied Al-Adha with wearing sarong and muslim cloth, but now, i wear thick jacket and thick jeans because this year i'm not celebrating Ied Al-Adha in my country Indonesia nor my hometown Cirebon, i'm celebrating it in Qingdao, provincial capital of shandong province in China. The weather here is quite freezing, actually, this time is the transition between fall season to winter, and the weather at that time was 7-10 celcius degree. For tropical people like me, who usually lives in "hot" environment, it was damn cold morning :D

I'll share my experienced praying Ied Al-Adha in Qingdao, and differential things between celebrating it in Indonesia and China.

If you are in Indonesia, you'll obviously feel the ambiance of Ied Al-Adha, there are a lot of people who sell lamb (or sheep), and cow for sacrifice procession (qurban). Of course you'll also hear the sounds of Takbir (Islamic way to praise the god) in every mosque. For those who have lucky life (more rich or wealthy life than the other) they have to sacrifice their money, buying sheep/cow for poor people. After we finished praying Ied, we slaughter those animal and gave the meat to the poor people, for giving them chance to eat meat at least once a year.

Takbiran, praising Allah and usually accompanied with music/beat from bedug (traditional  drum)

They put the sheep/lamp in the street, just like that.

Slaughtering the Qurban Animal

Hand over the Qurban meat to the poor people

In Qingdao, you won't see and won't feel the ambiance like in Indonesia. It's because in China, muslim was a minority, and in Indonesia Muslim is like 80-90% of the population, about 200 million people. They only have 1 mosque in Qingdao, but you can see mosque is everywhere in Indonesia hehe.

Qingdao Mosque 1

Qingdao Mosque 2

Mosque Ambiance

Meat Store

Mosque in China. (own courtesy)

There's a different way of pray also between Indonesia and China. In Indonesia, the structure of praying would be in first rakaat there are 7 takbir and then in the second rakaat there'll be 5 takbir. But here in China, there are only have 3 takbir in first rakaat and 5 takbir in second rakaat.

And also, after Iman (the leader of Shalat or pray) finished saying surah Al-Fatihah, we always say Amen loudly, but here, they don't say it, just say it in their heart. Me and Iranian or Pakistani people only who said it loudly, but the other remains silent.

Besides that, everything have the same way as Indonesian way.

This is the Qurban

Another Qurban Animal Picture

Listening to Qutbah

Waiting for pray time

The Imam, doing speech in Chinese

After Shalat

After doing shalat Ied (praying) , it's time for me to come back to my dorm.  Thats all for my first Shalat Ied in Qingdao, hope can widen your perspective and knowledge about muslim in China.

Last but not least, i'll share my photo and my girl after doing Shalat, narcissistic time ! :D

HAPPY IED MUBARAK ALL !!!!

Handsome eh? haha

With my-soon-wife-gonna-be

Before want to Mosque