TABASKI !!!!

So Tabaski is holiday of the sheep (lamb?), known in Arabic as Eid al-Adha.

Check out the Wikipedia article on the holiday for the full story- or better yet ask a practioner of Islam the history and the religious significance of the celebration as well as how they celebrate the holiday. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabaski

After being with my Dakar family for Korité, marking the end of Ramadan, I chose to stay in Sokone for Tabaski rather than returning to Dakar.

The holiday was Saturday, so the office was closed Wednesday through Tuesday (morning). At home for those few days, I took the opportunity to visit my friend Britta (another academic year program participant) about 1 1/2 away in a small village. It was so much fun meeting her family!!! They apparently were talking about me for days afterwards, and they said that I am welcome back anytime... sounds like a deal!

In preparation for Tabaski, every house undergoes a huge spring cleaning. We rearranged the kitchen and bedrooms, scrubbed all the floors and even cleaned out a few big storage areas. For being a toubab (incapable of any work), they let me help a little bit. I simply told them that although I didn't quite know how to do everything, I still had two hands ready to help out.

Friday and Saturday I cooked! Granted it wasn't of my original recipes, but I did heavy labor (the only way to cook in Senegal) for probably 4-6 hours each day! Goodness, were my shoulders sore the next few days.

Saturday the men went to the mosque in the morning while we women began preparing the marinades for the mutton. In the late morning, we slaughtered a sheep at my house as well as one at the house of my host uncles (who I consider my brothers). -see picture- They slaughtered theirs in the sandy courtyard while we slaughtered ours in our tiled courtyard, meaning the blood stained the drain and I couldn't escape the smell of raw meat while brushing my teeth that evening. After eating mutton and even more mutton; with onions, with marinade, with seasoning, with bread, and in a stew... it was time to take the show on the road.

For Tabaski it is a time to pardon all sins of your brethren from the past year. And so I tagged along with my brother Khadim and went to friends' houses to pardon myself.

"Bal ma akh" - "Bal naa la, bal ma akh" (forgive me my sins - i forgive you, forgive me my sins)

"Bal naa la, yall nanu yallah bole bal" - "amin"(i forgive you, god forgives us all - amen)

All in all, a great holiday!

Pictures:
1) The sheep that my brothers slaughtered at their house. The blood is collected in the earth typically however we slaughtered our sheep on the tiled courtyard and so the blood just ran every which-way and stained the drain where I have to brush my teeth- pleasant.

2) My little sister Amina and I in our Tabaski outfits!

3) My host uncle (Momar, who I treat like my brother because he's a whole 6months! younger than me, something I make sure he doesn't forget.)

4) Khadim, his friends, another program participant (Vu) and I- from right to left: AHMED who I actually know really well from work, KHADIM who is technically my host uncle but I consider him a host brother (he's 6months older than me, and but indulges me and lets me forget it), ME!, VU who is another program participant that is also doing the academic year program and lives in Sokone, MOHAMED who is Vu's host cousin, and another friend who's name I have forgotten...

4) Cryptic signs of weather changes in Senegal! Could it be that Autumn ACTUALLY comes to Sokone?!?! Could it be that Senegal may have more than just the rainy and the dry season?!?!