Today is Eid al-Adha - for our Muslim friends and for other ever expanding
edification for knowledge ....... below card is information

                             Blessed Be - Trisha

> You have just received an animated greeting card from Trisha and Amber
> You'll see the personal greeting by using the following Web location.
> http://www1.bluemountain.com/cards/box5644k/sjk9znkhteifsh.htm
> (Your greeting card will be available for the next 90 days)


Eid al-Adha

approximately March 16th

The Festival of Sacrifice, 'Eid ul-Adha, immediately follows the Islamic
month of Dhul-Hijjah, the month of pilgrimage.  This festival is celebrated
throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Prophet Abraham's
willingness to sacrifice everything for God, including the life of his son
Ishmael.

Because God spared Ishmael, substituting a sheep in his stead, Muslims
commemorate this occasion by slaughtering an animal and distributing its
meat among family, friends and the needy as a special act of charity for the
occasion. Because of this, many poor Muslims are able to enjoy the unusual
luxury of eating meat during the four days of the festival.

In keeping with the tradition of 'Eid, Muslims will dress up in new or
special clothes, visit friends and relatives, hold 'Eid gatherings or
parties, and give gifts to their children.

Traditional Foods

Sweet desserts are offered during the customary visiting.  Baklava, a nut
and honey filo pastry, and Khadaife, made from a confection that looks like
shredded wheat and walnuts, are typical of the sweet pastries served.

Recipes

Baklava

The following recipe comes from the Balkans.  Variations include
substituting sugar for the honey in the syrup in Yugoslavia and Greece,
flavoring the syrup with cardamom, rose geranium, or rose essence in the
Middle East and Afghanistan, substituting pistachios for half the walnuts in
Lebanon and Afghanistan, or using hazelnuts instead of walnuts in Turkey.

Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups honey
2 cups water
1 T lemon juice

Pastry

1 pound walnuts, half of them chopped, the rest ground
1/2 cup sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 pound sweet butter, melted
2 pounds filo dough (found in most grocery stores)

Bring the syrup ingredients to a boil; simmer for 10 minutes, then let cool.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine the chopped and ground walnuts with
the sugar and the cinnamon.  Brush a 12 by 17 inch baking tray with melted
butter.  Place si sheets of filo on it, brushing each with melted butter.
Scatter a third of the walnut mixture on top.
Then repeat the process two more times.  Cover with six sheets of filo,
brushing between each with butter.
With a sharp point knife, score the top laayer of pastry into a diamond
pattern.
Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cook to
lukewarm.
Pour the syrup over the top.  Never pour syrup over host baklave; it makes
it soggy.
Best eaten a day later, when the syrup has ad time to infuse.