Baaaaaad Day to Be A Sheep

Since arriving in West Africa, we've been seeing goats.  Everywhere. 

There are goats on the beach.  Goats in the median strips.  Goats on boats, in taxis, and mounted on bus roofs.  Goats grazing. Goats bleeting.  Goats tending kids; kids tending goats.  Goats outside Youssou N'Dour's night club. We have seen a LOT of goats.

For the first few weeks here we thought that the omnipresence of goats was standard fare for urban farmers, a fact partially confirmed by the presence of a lot of "mutton" on the menu.
Boy, were we ever wrong.

Not unlike Christmas tree lots in the US.

"Tabaski" is the annual Islamic celebration of sacrifice.  Known by many around the world as Eid, the day commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.  Just when Abraham is about to offer up his son, God says "you passed!" and spares Abraham's precious son.  In celebration, a sheep is sacrificed instead.  And before the sheep is sacrificed, it has to live somewhere....

In West Africa, Muslim families complete three intertwined activities for the day of celebration of Tabaski:

(per wikipedia)

1. Offer ablutions and sunrise prayer
2. Become presentable in the eyes of God
3. Sacrifice a mutton

   

   Goats on a ferry

(per our observation)

1. Wake up late.
2. Get dressed up in a beautifully ornate two piece gown-set with matching eyeliner and heels and dress your children in the exact same thing.
3. Find a good sheep, buy it between 2 days - 2 weeks before the festivities (strategies vary), tie the sheep up outside your house, sacrifice the sheep with the help of the local Imam, discard unwanted remains on the local beach.

The 8th Sept Place Seat

Uninvited to a Tabaski family event and a little queasy after our 16 hr boat ride the night before (not to mention our sunset walk along the beach), we did what any non-practioner would do: went out for Chinese food. 

On the way home from dinner, we were completely delighted to see the local ice cream shop jammed with two hundred teenagers (so over their forced family fun time) in their finest Tabaski wear -- sequins, waxed fabric, eye make-up to match every color dress, and lots and lots of fabric.  It was like McDonald's after a Friday night high school football game.