Friday, July 23, 2010

Tabaski 1418



Eid al-Adha, or Tabaski as it is known in parts of West Africa, is the "Festival of Sacrifice" in which Muslims remember Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's request. In the Islamic calendar year 1418, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in a small Soninké village in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Soninkés typically celebrate Tabaski with great flare, notably an elaborate feast and continuous dancing. Having looked forward to what everyone assured me would be the meal of the year, I gathered with the rest of the village to watch a few men slaughter a meager looking cow who was carved up and divided into equally distributed piles. Come mealtime, I was disheartened to find all the "good" pieces of the animal shoved my way, i.e. the testicles, intestines and other choice organs. While the others dug in, I shifted rubbery nubs of cow around to make it look like I had enjoyed the meal.
 
What the celebration lacked at the communal bowl, it made up for on the dance floor. Spontaneous circles formed throughout the day with children dressed in their holiday finest - flamboyant booboos in loud patterns and colors and painstakingly braided coifs adorned with golden hair clips. Children and adults alike took turns busting a move while the others clapped and cheered them on. The cheers turned into jeers however when I entered the circle, unable to match their rhythm and grace. But I got mad props for trying.

This post was entered into the Grantourismo - HomeAwayUK Travel Writing Competition for July. We would love to hear your thoughts on the post.

7 comments:

  1. Wonderful post! Love that photo! Thank you so much entering! Good luck!

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  2. Congrats on winning first prize in our Grantourismo travel blogging competition this month, Jiffer! Can't believe how many prizes you two have won between you! Impressive!

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  3. Wonderful post, Jiffer. I loved the line "I shifted rubbery nubs of cow around to make it look like I had enjoyed the meal."

    Well done on scooping the latest Grantourismo prize.

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  4. thanks lara, thanks ant! yes, rubbery nubs really gives the most accurate visual, i think. and lara - thanks for the excellent contest. we are huge fans of your site as you know - it's an inspiration!

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  5. A really great photo Jiffer! Well done!

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  6. Well done Jiffer! Great pics and post as usual!!! xx

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  7. Congrats on grabbing the top spot in the Grantourismo competition! I really enjoyed your post and the photo is great, well deserved!

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