Hajj

To be honest when I heard we were going to be performing the Hajj I was really excited but a little bit nervous as well. I was glad that we were going to be able to actually participate in one of the many religion rituals we have discussed. The Hajj has many steps to it and the first one is Purification.  This is the washing of the hands and feet.  Next you circumambulate the Ka’aba.  You do this 7 times counter-clockwise.  Next you have to run between two hills like Hagar did for her son, Ishmael, when they were in the desert looking for water.  We ran back and forth seven times and finally reached water.  The fourth step is to stand on Mount Arafat and reflect on death and existence.  We then move on to casting stones at the three pillars.  The person is to throw seven stones at each pillar. Then we circumambulate the Ka’aba seven more times counter-clockwise and then comes the last step.  The last step is the Eid.  This is when a blood sacrifice is made and then eaten.  The animal must be drain and prepared as Kosher to be consumed by what we now call a hajji, a person that has completed the hajj. To be apart of this ritual was unexplainable because it was amazing to be apart of something that people try to do their whole lives because of how important it is to them. Granted I did not really do the actual Hajj and we only did our mini version but this ritual not only helped me to understand how important it is but it is one of the best learning experiences I have ever had