Last year, I was in Dakar and not with my host family, so I did not get to participate in the traditional elements of thiw holiday. The city streets of Dakar were littered with sheep being sold or slaughtered outside apartment buildings and on street corners. I went to the beach with some friends and was shocked by the smell as people were washing their sheep meat in the ocean before cooking it at home.
Gamou
The birthday of the profit Mohamed is celebrated by attending a celebration at a nearby mosque or religious center. In Senegal, there is one major city where thousands of people flock for the weekend to celebrate by shopping at the markets, eating good food and spending time with family. Last year, in late August, my family took me to a village nearby with a renowned Imam who spoke at a gathering for this celebration. The village population grew immensely over the weekend as people from outside Senegal and all over the country came to see the Imam speak.
Tamkharit (Islamic New Year)
This holiday marks the Islamic New Year and can be a big celebration for many people of the Muslim faith. However, last year, my family didn’t do anything and I didn’t notice or know about the holiday until someone told me that it had passed. Just as in America, there are various traditions within households for observing or not observing legal and religious holidays.
The contents of this blog post are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.
