Monday July 11, 2022
Weekend festival at the Mosque of Mercy was their 1st since COVID-19
Iman Khan, left, concentrates on her henna design at the Mosque of Mercy's Eid al-Adha festival and bazaar on July 9, 2022. (Salma Mahgoub/CBC)
Ottawans have been gathering to celebrate Eid al-Adha in person this year — a welcome change after two years of COVID-19 restrictions.
On Saturday, the Assunnah Muslims Association in Ottawa hosted its annual Eid al-Adha bazaar and festival.
Saturday's event at the Mosque of Mercy had vendors and food stalls, as well as a bouncy castle outside. It was their first in-person Eid-al-Adha celebration since the pandemic broke out.
Amer Al-Nabelseya and Dina Mohamed, who run a catering business from home, were there making knafeh, a traditional Middle Eastern desert.
Al-Nabelseya said their secret ingredient in the sweet pastries is love.
"Whenever you [make] food with good intention and a clear heart and with love, it will reflect [in the] taste," he said.
Scroll down for a few scenes from Saturday's celebration. Eid al-Adha kicked off this weekend and runs until Tuesday.
Ten-year-old Zaynab Ghanim, right, and her younger sister wait in line to get on the bouncy castle outside the Mosque of Mercy. The Ottawa mosque held its first in-person Eid al-Adha festival Saturday since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Salma Mahgoub/CBC)
Jolmes Pastora and his five-year-old son Noah pose for a photo at Saturday's festival. They were visiting Ottawa from Toronto to celebrate with their family. (Salma Mahgoub/CBC)
Families browse vendors' tables at the Mosque of Mercy's Eid al-Adha bazaar. (Salma Mahgoub/CBC)
Dina Mohamed, left, and her husband Amer Al-Nabelseya, right, serve knafeh, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert. (Salma Mahgoub/CBC)
Homemade Somali sambusas are for sale the Mosque of Mercy's Eid al-Adha bazaar. (Salma Mahgoub/CBC)
Families congregate outside the Mosque of Mercy during Saturday's festival. Eid al-Adha began over the weekend and runs until Tuesday. (Salma Mahgoub/CBC)
With files from Salma Mahgoub