Tabaski

Naka Tabaski bi? Dangeen lekk ba fur?

December 31st was Tabaski, the biggest Muslim holiday, and therefore the biggest Senegalese holiday. Although compared with Christmas because of its proximity and religious significance, Tabaski is culturally closer to Thanksgiving. The name of the game is gluttony. Every Muslim family is required to kill a sheep. The week before the fête, a decent sheep was running 35,000 CFA or around $70. I don’t know how to get you to understand how much money that is to the average person here…My friend, who has one of the best jobs in the town, told me he earns about $200/month (and I believe him). It’s a lot of money, trust me. I’m pretty sure everyone spends everything they can get their hands on for this holiday.
My family, being patron, killed two sheep. I helped a little with the butchering process, but mostly just watched my host father and brothers. This is kind of intense if you have never seen it before, but now I know that I have no moral qualms with eating meat.
The butchering process was interrupted by a call to eat some ribs (yes mom, everything I ate was cooked well)! I instantly understood that this day was going to be more about convincing others I was full than it was about actually enjoying the food. I ate 5 meals that first day (and I think I missed one other one that my family ate without me). Each meal consisted of nearly all meat with just a couple potatoes and some bread. The last meal of the day I was foolish enough to think I was eating macaroni with my meat...it wasn’t macaroni. The human body is not meant to eat this much meat without vegetables, fruit, carbohydrates, or some other food. It’s excessive. Throughout most of the day, everyone is in a food coma from all the meat, too tired to do much but sit around. The Senegalese love to get dressed to the 0’sies (the 9’s have passed, for those following at home). All the girls got their hair did and everyone wore new traditional Wolof clothes for the evening. You will see some pictures of my fly new bubu and the beautiful women of my family soon. Everyone walks around to their friends’ houses to ask each other for pardon and (so to speak) all accounts go back to zero. Pretty cool.
I am ever uncertain of the line between culture and religion, as they are essentially one in the same in my town of 98% Muslims (my host father may have underestimated on this figure), so I end up playing the passive observer in large part, reciting the ‘Baal ma aq’ and ‘Baal naa la aq’ only when spoken to. Plus my Wolof dess na (is insufficient).
The fete supposedly continues for three days, but the 2nd and 3rd days slowly return back to normal life. Although we ate a plate of meat, potatotes, and onions the 2nd morning, I had ceb (rice) again for lunch and was so happy to return to a more normal diet. I escaped Tabaski with no stomach problems!

As for the holidays I historically celebrated in America-
I had an uneventful New Years- I fought to stay awake until midnight, taught a couple people how to say ‘Happy New Year’, and that’s about it.

I had a solid Christmas full of Santa hats, stockings, and Christmas music. Inquire within for further details.

I hope that you all had some great holidays! Tell me some stories and send me some pictures of snow.

It has been windy here this week, and I have had fun confusing the heck out of people trying to explain that Chicago is known as the ‘Windy City’. Loxoy kajoor dafay weesaloo (the English equivalent being: it’s a two-way street)!