Tabaski: The Feast of Mutton
According to Muslim tradition, once a year, Senegalese people celebrate the holiday Tabaski, which commemorates the Koranic account between Abraham and his son Ishmael: God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael, who accepted his fate as a sacrificial offering to God. However, as Abraham was getting ready to slaughter his son, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to abstain from killing his son because God had found him faithful and had provided the sacrifice in lieu of his son. To memorialize the religious significance of the holiday, Muslims—generally married men, grown-up men with stable jobs, and widows—purchase rams, which they eviscerate on the day of Tabaski by slitting their throats in the name of Allah (also the Halal method of killing an animal). Islam honors these sheep with the belief that the souls of these sheep go directly to Paradise (as well as those who are killed for the naming ceremony).
There are three salient factors composing this holiday: the religious factor, the solidarity factor, and the commercial/social factor. The religious factor is divided into two aspects, both of which are indispensible while serving very different purposes. The first aspect is the most exclusive in compliance with Muslim tradition: only the men and older women go to the mosque to observe a special prayer dedicated purely to Tabaski. At the mosque, the local imam kills his ram, announcing that everyone may now commence his/her sacrifice. When the men return, they butcher their sheep, while the women start cooking the grand feast. The second aspect involves everyone through the communal pardoning of sins committed. One demands forgiveness of another, presupposing that at some point a relational sin was committed, which needs to be absolved.
The solidarity factor is the most expansive, touching all members of society, encompassing the Christians, neighborhood children, the hospitalized, and those in prison. As mentioned in several of my blog entries, Senegalese people are extremely hospitable, and Tabaski is yet another opportunity to exhibit this admirable cultural trait. Each household gives a couple of pounds of meat to the daiyra, the local religious entity, which in turn collects and distributes the meat to the hospitalized and to prisoners. Thousands of pounds of meat are gathered and disbursed to those in need. Also, each family gives a portion of cooked meat to the poor who were unable to purchase, kill and consume their own sacrifices. Not only does this factor include the allocation of meat, but also it includes the giving away of money and candy to neighborhood children who have the privilege of soliciting favors from any house they choose to enter. I bought a bag of mint candies to hand out to the children who came a-calling, while the mothers handed out cents to the kids with whom they were acquainted. (The best strategy for a child is to enter a household with whom he/she is already familiar.)
Finally, the commercial/social factor is the most cosmetic—almost exclusively the business of the women—yet consumes the majority of the day. New clothes are purchased or made along with accompanying accessories; decorations for the home are bought; and a grand quantity of food is prepared to go with the meat—pounds of onions for the sauce, bags of potatoes for the fries, and a stack of baguettes. The morning is spent preparing and dividing up the meat and cooking the midday meal. All the women in the household participate, but it is the mothers of a household who ensure that the meat is dressed and divided properly. After the meal, the food and drink might continue, depending on the tradition of the family; then the real fun begins.
The women “sen sé,” meaning to make oneself beautiful, for the subsequent parade in the streets. Some women easily spend hundreds of dollars on their hair, nails, and outfits during this holiday. The nighttime is the most popular time to go visiting friends and neighbors in which the men also participate but to a lesser extent. The commercial/social aspect most resembles any other important holiday we Americans tend to celebrate today, whether that is Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s or Easter. In living out these cultural events, I find it intriguing to make the comparison between that which parallels and that which distinguishes. Certainly Tabaski was a noteworthy cultural experience, rich in memories.
Tip #4 for Surviving in Senegal: On the day of Tabaski, avoid stepping in a hole full of entrails. Once the sheep has been dismembered, the blood and the entrails that are inedible—surprisingly very few—are thrown into a hole dug specially for this event. You will do well to look carefully before you make a step on this national holiday.
There are three salient factors composing this holiday: the religious factor, the solidarity factor, and the commercial/social factor. The religious factor is divided into two aspects, both of which are indispensible while serving very different purposes. The first aspect is the most exclusive in compliance with Muslim tradition: only the men and older women go to the mosque to observe a special prayer dedicated purely to Tabaski. At the mosque, the local imam kills his ram, announcing that everyone may now commence his/her sacrifice. When the men return, they butcher their sheep, while the women start cooking the grand feast. The second aspect involves everyone through the communal pardoning of sins committed. One demands forgiveness of another, presupposing that at some point a relational sin was committed, which needs to be absolved.
The solidarity factor is the most expansive, touching all members of society, encompassing the Christians, neighborhood children, the hospitalized, and those in prison. As mentioned in several of my blog entries, Senegalese people are extremely hospitable, and Tabaski is yet another opportunity to exhibit this admirable cultural trait. Each household gives a couple of pounds of meat to the daiyra, the local religious entity, which in turn collects and distributes the meat to the hospitalized and to prisoners. Thousands of pounds of meat are gathered and disbursed to those in need. Also, each family gives a portion of cooked meat to the poor who were unable to purchase, kill and consume their own sacrifices. Not only does this factor include the allocation of meat, but also it includes the giving away of money and candy to neighborhood children who have the privilege of soliciting favors from any house they choose to enter. I bought a bag of mint candies to hand out to the children who came a-calling, while the mothers handed out cents to the kids with whom they were acquainted. (The best strategy for a child is to enter a household with whom he/she is already familiar.)
Finally, the commercial/social factor is the most cosmetic—almost exclusively the business of the women—yet consumes the majority of the day. New clothes are purchased or made along with accompanying accessories; decorations for the home are bought; and a grand quantity of food is prepared to go with the meat—pounds of onions for the sauce, bags of potatoes for the fries, and a stack of baguettes. The morning is spent preparing and dividing up the meat and cooking the midday meal. All the women in the household participate, but it is the mothers of a household who ensure that the meat is dressed and divided properly. After the meal, the food and drink might continue, depending on the tradition of the family; then the real fun begins.
The women “sen sé,” meaning to make oneself beautiful, for the subsequent parade in the streets. Some women easily spend hundreds of dollars on their hair, nails, and outfits during this holiday. The nighttime is the most popular time to go visiting friends and neighbors in which the men also participate but to a lesser extent. The commercial/social aspect most resembles any other important holiday we Americans tend to celebrate today, whether that is Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s or Easter. In living out these cultural events, I find it intriguing to make the comparison between that which parallels and that which distinguishes. Certainly Tabaski was a noteworthy cultural experience, rich in memories.
Tip #4 for Surviving in Senegal: On the day of Tabaski, avoid stepping in a hole full of entrails. Once the sheep has been dismembered, the blood and the entrails that are inedible—surprisingly very few—are thrown into a hole dug specially for this event. You will do well to look carefully before you make a step on this national holiday.
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