How One Community in Senegal is Preserving its Eid al-Adha Traditions

SENEGAL — In Kaolack, one Muslim community is trying to push back against the rising commercialism of one of its most important religious holidays to preserve its cultural significance for future generations.

“Tabaski is so stressful now, the men of the home have to pay for the lamb, and the new clothes for the family, and if he has multiple wives forget about it.”
— Pape Mor Ba

Tabaski is how many Muslims across West Africa celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s two annual worldwide celebrations. Every year tailors and livestock sellers throughout the region work around the clock to meet the needs of local families preparing for the holiday.

a tailor works late at night to sew the finishing touches on a dress to be worn for the next day’s Tabaski celebration.

But for some, the costs that come with these annual preparations can be too much. Pape Mor Ba, a 26 year old Senegalese customer service representative at Orange said for him, Tabaski has become more about how much families spend and less about religion, “Tabaski is so stressful now, the men of the home have to pay for the lamb, and the new clothes for the family, and if he has multiple wives, forget about it.”

Livestock sellers and their lambs can be found all around the country just before Tabaski.

Just one lamb can cost a family upward of $150 USD and newly tailored clothes for the weekend long celebration can cost close to $80. But Amina Seck, a local tailor said maintaining traditions and being with family is for him, ‘priceless’.

Abou Cisse wraps buttons to be worn on men’s grand boubou’s for the Tabaski celebration

One of the many traditions families in Kaolack said they hope to share with their youngest members is Beussou Balanté akh. On this day, neighbors visit with one another and ask forgiveness if they have done anything harmful or even, disagreeable over the past year as a way to strengthen relationships among families within the community.

Neighbors visit with one another to ask for forgiveness on Beussou Balante akh.

Even with the costs and stress that go into preparing for the Tabaski holiday, people in Kaolack said they will continue to gather to celebrate with their families and neighbors. Below you’ll find more photos showing just some of what makes Tabaski one of West Africa’s most significant religious and cultural events each year.

Women prepare the lamb by skinning it and cutting it into pieces to be shared within the family. The killing of the lamb represents the willingness of Abraham (Biblical) or Ibrahim (Islamic) to kill his son by God’s command

A 2-year-old boy waits for the adults to prepare the second feast of Tabaski.

Two generations of family come together for Tabaski, one of the only times during the year when family from all over can come together.

after dinner, the party begins, children and adults change into their new clothes and began making rounds to neighbors’ homes

for even more photos from Kaolack and this year’s Tabaski celebrations, visit Africa Rizing on Facebook, https://facebook.com/africarizing