Qurban قربان

Sheep to be 'sacrificed'

Qurban is an Islamic ceremony of the sacrifice of livestock for Eid ul Adha, which is one of the most significant religious festivals for Muslims.

In Singapore, the actual act of qurban slaughter is only permitted in specifically designated areas like certain mosque premises.

In Egypt, carcases hang down for sale at the butcher's and qurban slaughtering can be seen performed in the street.

The market is a vibrant centre of life; people can be having tea and shisha in an open café right by the butcher's!

Belly Dance in Singapore

So it's New Year's Eve and a friend of mine invited me to a belly dance show which was specially held for tonight by one of the Middle Eastern restaurants in the Arab district of Singapore.

I didn't have any expectations whatsoever for the show itself as all the belly dance I had ever seen before in Luxor was utterly uninteresting, totally bizarre or simply ridiculous. However, I was a little taken aback this time. The dancers (Chinese Singaporeans) weren't bad at all! It was surprisingly entertaining and I did enjoy the music and the ambience.

She's a belly dance teacher