Moroccan families usually celebrate Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, with prayers at the mosque in the morning and sizzling meat skewers at night. But in recent years, many have been unable to afford basic necessities — much less the cost of a sheep to slaughter for one of Islam’s holiest festivals.
So when King Mohammed VI, citing “climate and economic challenges,” urged people last week not to buy sheep to slaughter for this year’s feast in June, it brought much-needed relief to the many Moroccans feeling torn between their faith, their traditions and their drained finances.
“Performing it under these difficult circumstances would cause certain harm to large segments of our people — especially those with limited incomes,” the king, who is also Morocco’s religious leader, said in a letter read by Ahmed Toufiq, the Islamic affairs minister, on state-owned television. “I will perform the Eid sacrifice rite, God willing, on behalf of my people,” the king added.
The country’s deep economic woes have worsened over seven years of drought, exacerbated by periods of extreme heat that scientists have linked to climate change. Recent rainfall has been 53 percent lower than the average of the last 30 years, according to the agriculture ministry. The cumulative effects of that have reduced harvest yields, dried up water sources and helped drive up food prices, including meat.
In that context, King Mohammed spoke about the challenges that Moroccans might face celebrating Eid al-Adha.
“My concern to enable you to observe this religious ritual in the best circumstances is accompanied by my duty to consider the climate and economic challenges facing our country, which have led to a significant decline in livestock numbers,” he said.
Eid al-Adha — also known as Eid al-Kabir, or “Big Eid” — is an expensive day for most Moroccans. A family purchases a sheep, often days or weeks in advance, then slaughters it on the first day and celebrates by sharing the meat with relatives, friends, neighbors and people in need. The celebration commemorates the religious story of Abraham’s willingness to kill his son upon God’s orders.
“People usually save for that,” said Nargisse Benkabbou, a chef who specializes in Moroccan cuisine, speaking from her parents’ house in Rabat, the Moroccan capital.
Even individuals or families who do not have a lot of money will try to buy an animal, she said, sometimes teaming up with neighbors to afford it. They will make dishes like boulfaf, grilled skewers of seared lamb wrapped in caul fat.
Ms. Benkabbou said the king’s call for restraint was “a national solidarity gesture” that could save people from shame and heartache this year.
“There is a big chunk of people in the country who will not be able to purchase a lamb this year and who will feel a lot of guilt,” she said. “Now, with the blessing of the king, they do not have to do that.”
It may also ease pressure on Moroccans as they shop for the iftar breaking-the-fast evening meals during Ramadan, which began over the weekend, and during Eid al-Fitr, the three-day celebration that marks the end of the holy fasting month.
Many are already behind financially, said Abdelfetah Ait el-Hamri, who owns a shop in Douar Sraghna, a town near Marrakech. His customers owe him about $5,000 in loans, he said — and that is just for regular groceries.
About 37 percent of people aged 15 to 24 in the country were unemployed last year, official data shows, while about 23 percent of all Moroccans were unemployed or underemployed. Last year, 55 percent could not afford a sheep for Eid al-Adha, according to data from the Moroccan Center for Citizenship, a nonprofit.
The king, who has been on the throne since 1999, has never called on Moroccans to skip the sacrifice, although his father, King Hassan II, did so three times during periods of drought and hardship.
These days, the country’s population of sheep and cows is 38 percent lower than it was in 2016, Ahmed Bouari, the agriculture minister, recently told reporters, and prices have soared.
Even though Morocco recently tried to increase livestock numbers by importing 100,000 sheep from Australia, according to Mustapha Baitas, a government spokesman, people say they find the prices exorbitant.
“It’s three times the price we used to pay,” said Jamila el-Yacoubi, 40, a domestic worker who lives in Fes.
She said that one sheep for Eid cost about 7,000 dirhams, about $700 — her yearly budget for meat. She just could not afford it.
Of the king’s call for restraint around the Eid, she said: “I was sad because it’s an important religious tradition. But at the same time, I was happy because we can’t afford to pay these kinds of prices.”
Abdelmounim Rouadgi, 29, a sheep vendor who had already bought 150 sheep and ordered 150 more for the Eid, said that he had stopped those orders after the 300.
“There is nothing we can do,” he said. “We can just be patient.”