The Saudi Student Association celebrated Eid al-Adha at Elliott Tower on May 29th.

Under the full flower moon cloaked in sunlight, friends, family, teachers and peers shared traditional Mediterranean food to celebrate Eid al-Adha.

Eid al Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is one of the most sacred days on the Muslim calendar, although its cause for celebration is a deeper story rooted in Abrahamic belief.

It celebrates God swapping out the son of Abraham for a ram as he was to be sacrificed, as God was satisfied by Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son.

Muslims also celebrate the peak of the pilgrimage to Mecca during this time, one of the key pillars of Islam. Traditionally, lamb, cow or sheep is offered as a feast, and the meat is broken into three parts: friends, family and those who need it most.

It is of the utmost spiritual importance that all get to eat.

The Saudi Student Association considered well-known Saudi hospitality when preparing the menu. It was a meal that would set most offerings at a college festival to blush — a sprawling buffet of Mediterranean cuisine: kofta meat, grilled chicken, beef shawarma, grape leaves, Fattoush, Tabbouleh, Falafel, and Lebanese french fries.

The president of the organization, Ahmed Alobaidan — a PhD student in educational leadership — moved like a man with eight arms when organizing the event. He went from hugging and greeting friends and family, to preparing the most Instagram-able dessert tray yet seen on campus.

“Please grab ice cream!”  he said when coordinating food for a growing crowd.

Attendees discussed the origins and meaning of the holiday while eating Dubai-chocolate Magnum Ice Cream.

“I was Ahmed’s ESL teacher at Henry Ford when he was first learning English,” Ed Demerly, a retired educator and lifelong volunteer and advocate, said. “I suspect he might be a little better now,” he added while smirking.

“I was the director of English language and a teacher; I believe I taught students from 80 different countries.”

He was also a volunteer with the Peace Corps after completing military service.

The two have maintained a friendship for over a decade. Observing their interactions and the way they described each other, they are a clear showcase of the power of educators and community more broadly.

While interviewing Ed, Ahmed and he linked eyes — and were pulled to each other with a nostalgic magnetism known only to the most impactful of mentors and mentees.

They exchanged a bro hug, and their enthralling conversation was cut short by Ahmed’s daughter running excitedly to her father.

“Baba! Baba!” she said.

Ahmed smiled, cut the meeting short, and moved on to the next of his dozen obligations.

In that moment — the true meaning of the holiday was on display.

A third for friends, old and new alike.

A big third for family.

And a third remembered on a sun-worn crimson Peace Corps T-shirt and the scrambling students getting free dinner in the background.