Tabaski---round two

November 7th 2011 marked this year's Tabaski, a.k.a. Eid al-Adha, and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it :) This would mark the second Tabaski I've ever celebrated.  This year seemed to be much easier for me than last year.  For some reason I felt like last year it was important for me to watch the slaughtering of the sheep, like it was some cultural exchange I would be missing out on if I didn't.  This year, I told my family I've seen enough sheep throat slitting last year to last me a life time.  Instead, I settled for sitting with the women and cutting millions of onions and potatos.  I found that much more enjoyable than witnessing two sheep deaths and dismemberments---it's not really my thing. 

Preparing the meat for the meal

My sister and Aunt cutting onions and potatos

My family killed two sheep this year. It was a really special day for them :) I helped with cooking preparations most of the day.  For a pre-breakfast we ate mooney, a hearty and delicious millet porridge, which was followed by the Tabaski breakfast of sheep heart, liver, and ribs bbqed and sauteed with a delicious onion/mustard/vinegar/Spice sauce----I lack the words to describe how delicious this sauce is--seriously--it sounds weird but it is delicious! We ate that with our hands and bread.  I didn't actually eat any of the meat this year being a vegetarian and all.  Last year, I was new and afraid of offending my family, but they seemed to understand this year.

My brothers preparing the second sheep

This is how you cut meat here

After breakfast, we spent most of the afternoon preparing the lunch. It consisted of green peas (not from a can), sheep meat, boiled potatos, and the same delicious onion sauce.  We ate that with our hands and bread as well. Check out the pic:

After lunch, my family and I drank cold and refreshing ginger juice that I purchased for the occaision.  Around the evening, my brothers and sisters and I got all dressed up in our nicest clothes (I had some made but don't have a photo to show y'all), and we walked around to our friend's and neighbor's houses to greet them and ask for Salybo (gifts or money). I didn't ask for any gifts, in fact, this year (like last year) I handed out gifts to the kids and my family.  I bought a huge container of 100 lollipops and gave them to the children. :) Tabaski is the biggest holiday here (kind of like Christmas in Amerik) so buying a ton of candy for my favorite kids in the neighborhood was the least I could do :)  It was actually a really lovely day.  I spent all day with my family, I ate delicious food (no sheep meat!), and I was able to let my friends and family here know how important they are to me.

Drinking refreshments

My brother sharing the sheep meat with neighbors

I even got all dolled up for the greeting portion of the holiday! I had my hair braided like last year, and I had henna tatoos done on my feet.  I didn't put any on my hand like I did last year.  Henna here take a long time of sitting with the henna on your feet and plastic bags over them, unable to move. I wanted to have my hands free if my feet were to be bound by beauty preparations. Check out my henna:

If you're muslim, I hope your Tabaski was as nice as mine.  I'm glad I was able to spend two Tabaski holidays with my family.  It was a new experience, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to learn about it!

KoNkOrOnS!!!

So with the end of rainy season here in Senegal comes the Konkorans.....what's that you ask??  It's probably one of the scariest things you'll ever see face to face, if you're ever so lucky.  These things come out when the boys of the village go off to the forest for circumcision. When the Konkorans do come out they are followed by an entourage of young men and boys, oftentimes shouting and yelling and playing drums.  The Konkorans usually have giant machetes that they carry high in their hands ready to attack.  Covered in tree bark, the Konkorans wander around pulaar and mandinka villages chasing women and children. 

Dancing Konkoran at one of the end of the season ceremonies

The Konkoran I chased down

Dancing Konkoran

The first time I saw one of these was last year after being in Senegal for about one month.  We went to visit our permanent sites, and me along with 7 other Kolda region volunteers encountered our first Konkoran on the main road leaving Velingara and on the way to Kounkane (my site).  We had no idea what this creepy creature with 2 machetes was, that emerged from the forest with his group of dancing men. Later we learned that konkorans are a tradition and a very important part of the pulaar culture (at least in the Kolda region).  Last year I vowed to get a photo, but by the time we installed the Konkoran/circumcision season was over.  This year, I got lots of pictures.  It's a little difficult to do because the Konkoran doesn't want you to take its photo. Sometimes they will hit you or chase after you if you try.  I chased down a Konkoran and his boys one day and paid him 500cfa (about 1USD equivalent) to take his pic.

At the ceremony...dancing Konkoran

The last day of the Konkorans for this year was at the end of October right before school started.  That day there were 11 Konkorans in Kounkane. Eleven! I went to about 3 different Konkoran spottings, and I watched them dance.  It was really awesome. I even paid another Konkoran to get pics of it with me! My host brothers told me that if the Konkoran or one of his men asks me where my children are, I have to tell them that my brothers were my children.  If I didn't, I was warned that the Konkoran would hit me because he likes to hit women who haven't bore children. Luckily, I was never asked......

Last day of the Konkorans this year

Me and the Konkorans!!! :)