The cows have been fattened, the knives sharpened, and across Cairo sheep and goats are being tethered outside the homes of the wealthy. Egypt’s Muslims are preparing for Eid el-Adha – the feast of the sacrifice – on Saturday.

It is a highlight of the Egyptian year when millions of animals are slaughtered in honour of the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (known as Abraham in the Old Testament) to kill his son Ishmael.

But for one small group, the day is not wholly a cause for celebration; for vegetarians and vegans, the sight of goats being sliced up in the street, and the meaty meal that follows, causes obvious distress.

“Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve had to get out of Cairo,” says Alaa Sharshar, the 25-year-old owner of the Vegan Kitchen, which bills itself as Egypt’s first vegan restaurant. “They were slaughtering a cow behind my building, and I remember everything from seeing the blood, seeing the life come out of the cow, the smell, and I felt very uncomfortable. So ever since we’ve always got out the city for that day.”

Alaa Sharshar of the Vegan Kitchen. Photograph: Patrick Kingsley for the Guardian

Egypt is not always the most understanding place for those who choose a meat-free diet. “Vegetarians?” says butcher Boulboul Hassan, leaning on his cash desk in central Cairo as his sons chop fresh carcasses. “They’re the ones who only eat calves’ meat. Right?”

In reality, many Egyptians living near the poverty line end up following a vegetarian diet by default. Due to Egypt’s economic crisis and the recent slashing of fuel subsidies, the price of commodities has risen far faster than most salaries. Meat now costs around 25% more than two years ago, so for many Egyptians it is a once-a-month luxury.

But at Eid, most people save up to eat meat, or are given it by richer neighbours. So for some vegetarians there can be more social pressure to eat it, mainly for those from less urbane backgrounds, says Ahmed el-Dorghamy, an environmental campaigner who gives talks about the importance of reducing one’s meat consumption.

Butcher Boulboul Hassan gets to work on a carcass at his shop in Cairo. Photograph: Patrick Kingsley for the Guardian/The Guardian

“Meat in Egypt is an indication of wealth,” says Dorghamy, who doesn’t order meat, but won’t spit it out if it turns up in a meal. “Your host providing meat is an indication of generosity. So if you’re invited somewhere as a vegetarian, sometimes you have to take a bit.”

He adds: “In some families and some social circles, eating meat is associated with manliness – so it’s easier for girls to get away with not eating meat than a guy.”

But vegetarians’ experiences differ. For Maie El-Zeiny, who runs a ‘veggie iftar’, or breakfast, during Ramadan, “it’s not very hard being a vegetarian in Egypt”; friends quickly become understanding, she says. Most of the time, most people don’t eat meat by default, and many Egyptian delicacies contain no meat. Foul, taameya, and koshary are Egypt’s three most popular street foods. Made respectively from beans, falafel, rice and pasta, their ready availability means it is easy to stick to a vegetable-only diet.

A family in Cairo transports a sheep in the back of a car. Poorer families save for months in order to be able to afford meat for Eid-al-Adha. Photograph: Asmaa Waguih/Reuters

“It is not difficult at all,” says El-Zeiny. “What is challenging is the availability of healthy eating in general” – taameya (falafel) and koshary (a dish of rice, macaroni and lentils in a tomato sauce) are some of the fattier foods around.

Sharshar – who also avoids cooked vegetables – says a few friends are coming round to his way of doing things. “When I first became vegan, people were really concerned. But when they saw that I actually now have more energy, they started to become interested.”

But some old habits die hard. “I’m still leaving Cairo for Eid,” he smiles, before tucking into a plate of mangoes.

Additional reporting: Manu Abdo