Circumcision Party

We had an interesting weekend, which you can probably tell by the title. Our friends' 10 year old son was circumcised a few weeks ago and this weekend they had a special ceremony and party to celebrate. Circumcision is a very important tradition in Islam and is typically done between the ages of 9 and 13. On the day of the circumcision, they dress the boy up to look like a king and parade him around the community, giving him anything he requests. A few days after the procedure, they usually have a special ceremony at the mosque and a party for all of the guests.
So Saturday night at 11pm (yes at night) I went to my friend's house for a women only party. We danced to loud music, drank tea, ate nuts and sang old songs that everyone knew the words too (except me) for hours.
The next day we gathered at the mosque for a Koran reading and sermon. For this event, the men sat in the main prayer room of the mosque, while the women and children sat in the basement in a reception hall. The reading and sermon was sent through speakers so that the women could hear. However, the women never once stopped talking to listen to the teacher, which I found very interesting. After the ceremony they fed us chicken, rice, ayran (a salted yogurt drink) and baklava. Since it was 3:30 by the time the food came out, we quickly ate and then headed home to get Owen down for a very late nap. Overall a very interesting cultural experience. Here are a few pictures.

My friend Serife with her son Baki
The kids running around the women's prayer room in the mosque (Owen is in the orange shirt having fun with the rest of them).