'Tis the Season?

This morning, I started listening to Christmas music.  It’s not December 1^st, but it’s close enough and I needed a little pick-me-up, so Christmas music just seemed appropriate.  I am a huge fan of Christmas, and the music of the season, but I must admit that it feels odd to listen to “White Christmas” while I’m sitting in front of a fan, drinking ice water and really dreaming of vanilla ice cream…. But, it is the beginning of Christmas season, and the height of a string of holidays, both national and personal, here in Mali.

Me with "dinner"

My holiday season began two weeks ago with the celebration of the Muslim holiday, Tabaski.  Eid al-Adha, in Arabic, is called “Seli-ba” in Bambara, and is sometimes referred to as the “Festival of Sacrifice,” or more simply, the “Holiday of the Sheep.”  The celebration is based on the story of Abraham, who demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, but was instructed by Allah to sacrifice a goat instead (read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabaski).  For weeks leading up to the “fete,” it was all anyone talked about.  If you took a taxi and asked the driver, “Ca va?” (How’s it going), he would likely reply, “Ca va un peu” (It’s kind of okay).  I would always push—“Seulement un peu?” (Only a little ok?).  “Comme il n’y a pas d’argent” (Because there is no money), is often a common answer, but it was almost ubiquitous the week leading up to the Tabaski celebration.  The holiday has turned in to one of great expense.  New outfits, fancy hair do’s, and the cost of food aren’t skimped on during Tabaksi.  Each family hopes to buy a sheep, and thus the market spaces that are usually empty save for some stray garbage and a few produce stalls fill with sheep of every size and color.  The price of these animals shoots up as demand rises, and the longer you wait, the more you can expect to pay for your sheep.  However, of course, the earlier you buy your sacrificial animal, the longer you have to house it, feed it, and care for it, and (if you’re like me), the longer you have to make friends with your future dinner L! 

Oumou and me dressed in our holiday finest

I was at my family’s house when our sacrificial sheep arrived.  He was quite a big guy and he showed up in the trunk of our car.  It was amusing to see him pulled out in the road, stashed in the courtyard, and later moved to the outdoor bathroom briefly.  My youngest sister, Bibi, and I amused ourselves by pretending to be rams, butting heads and chasing each other in the courtyard.  But, mostly, my family thought I was crazy for taking so many pictures of what was to become dinner about a week later.  Indeed, on the morning of the fete, I arrived at my family’s home at about 8:30 (the roads were the most empty I have EVER seen them!  Everyone was spending time with their families and making their sacrifices or going to the mosque), in time to witness the slaughter of the sheep, which took place in the street outside our front door with little fanfare.  The majority of the day was spent preparing different parts of the sheep as it was butchered and chopping lots of veggies to accompany the meat (that was my job!).  Finally, at around 5:30, I showered and put on my fancy new ‘bazin’ outfit.  My sisters eventually changed, too, and we sat around and visited with each other and friends and family members who came by in their holiday finest to greet us, give blessings, and ask for forgiveness. 

The traditions that took place throughout the day were quite interesting and reminded me of a good mix of American holiday traditions.  First, I was reminded of Thanksgiving… everyone kept talking about how well I would eat on Tabaski, and indeed, the whole day centered around eating!  I was stuffed by the time I went home at 9pm.  However, we spent most of the day lounging in comfortable clothes and eating a little at a time as we prepared all the mutton- a little like the lounging in PJ’s that goes on at my house on Christmas.  Like both these American holidays, Tabaski is a serious family day—people travel all over the country and even the region to reunite with their families in their villages and home towns to celebrate.  So, we have one part Thanksgiving and one part Christmas.  Add a dash of Halloween—as little children get all dressed up (in fancy clothes, not masks) and go door to door asking for pocket change and collecting offerings they are given when they properly recite some of the many holiday blessings.  Finally, throw in a bit of Lent/Easter, where Christians ask for forgiveness, and you get closer to the composition of Tabaski.  Muslims are very generous with the blessings on this special day (not that they usually aren’t), and I learned to fake my way along greeting and blessing everyone I saw that day and several days afterward.

With Zak in front of the Arch in Siby

Our camping spot- so peaceful

Following Tabaski, I recovered with a bit of a personal holiday.  My friend, Zak, and I drove about 40 minutes outside of the city to Siby, a small town known for its Shea butter production, it’s waterfall (during the wetter times of the year) and most of all, the Manding Hills and the Arch of Kamandjan (Supposedly created by the mythical hero, Sundiata!  Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siby).  The cliffs are beautiful, and I feel very lucky that they are so close to Bamako.  Zak and I hiked up to the arch, took some photos and appreciated the beauty and calm, and then hurried down to set up camp before dark.  The night was lovely, and the full moon was so bright we barely used the flashlights we brought along.  We basked in the moonlight on a great flat rock beneath a rock formation, and the next morning, we set off to see the water falls.  Unfortunately, we didn’t know exactly where we were going, we were a bit tired after a night of fitful sleep on rocky terrain, and my ’89 Corolla is not quite a four wheel drive vehicle…. So we made it most of the way up a 17km off road “road” in the hills and tried to hike to the falls before giving up and heading back to Bamako.  We made a brief stop at a lookout point that Zak’s dad helped construct, way back when, and were happy to make it home to Zak’s mom’s Fakoui, refreshing showers, and a touch of A/C (at Zak’s house).  The trip outside of Bamako made the frustrating moments of my week a little easier to bear. 

My attempt at an "artistic" view of the Thanksgiving table

Next on the holiday docket was Thanksgiving.  I started the holiday early on Wednesday night by cooking dinner with two friends, Jennifer and Bodil, and having a sleepover with them at Jennifer’s place.  On Thursday, the three of us went across the neighborhood to the house of a couple of friends where we cooked up a storm.  I am proud to report that we made even more of a spread than we sometimes have at my own house on Thanksgiving!!  Turkey (two of my friends cared for “Albert” and fattened him up for several days before Turkey Day), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, homemade stuffing, cranberry jelly, corn pudding, green bean casserole, rolls, caramelized onions, homemade gravy, homemade lime sorbet with cranberry juice, Jennifer’s Memaw’s pepper jelly, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and homemade vanilla ice cream!! (I think that covers it all)  Unfortunately, however, I missed the actual dinner portion of the day because I headed over to eat at the Ambassador’s house, an invitation I had accepted before making plans to attend my “Friendsgiving.”  While her turkey was moist and meaty, the Ambassador’s stuffing came from a box and her pumpkin pie was from a can (though there was real whipped cream).  I was expecting a fancier meal, but the company was great (the ambassador herself, another Fulbrighter that I hadn’t yet met, and lots of Peace Corps volunteers), and it felt quite special to be at the Ambassador’s house!

Jennifer, Me, and Bodil before the Thanksgiving feast

I had much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving this year, and I did get a little emotional at a few moments.  But, I can happily say that it really felt like a holiday even in this place where people conceptualize Thanksgiving simply as “the celebration of the turkey.”  I was surrounded by a lot of love from some wonderful new friends, and I had the opportunity to skype with my whole family after they ate their Thanksgiving meal!  I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends, and all the support they give me.  I am thankful for this amazing opportunity I have to live in a vibrant place and a different culture, to meet new people, to learn, and to grow.  I am grateful that each day I do something a little different than the last, but I always come home to a comfortable home and a good meal- sometimes even with friends! 

Cows being herded across the river

This weekend, I was lucky enough to go on another short ‘holiday’ with some of those friends!  We set out for a two night trip to Segou and a village called Djefarabé.  The occasion was a Festival of Cattle Crossing.  This is a big celebration held each year when thousands of cows are herded from one side of the Niger River to the other in search of “greener pastures.”  The Fulani ethnic group has traditionally used this event as a sort of family gathering/reunion, and an opportunity to arrange marriages between children of the different herding families.  Now, it is a festival and a mini tourist event involving music, dancing, firing of guns, swimming cows, and lots of photos.  We attended the morning festivities, though cows were still swimming across the river when we left in the afternoon!  The trip was also a wonderful opportunity to relax in Segou, a city that I find to be calmer and cleaner than Bamako.  I admired the starry sky, enjoyed a nice hotel with A/C and hot water, had delicious pizza and a tasty espresso, did a little shopping, heard some live music for free, and visited with new friends I’ve made here in Bamako. 

More cow herding/chasing

Beautiful Fulani girls at the Cattle Festival

As I find myself in the midst of this holiday season, I sometimes feel a bit sad that I can’t be celebrating with my friends and family as I usually do.  It is a bummer that I will not have a Christmas tree or a white Christmas.  However, nothing will stop me from making Christmas cookies or listening to holiday tunes!  I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to celebrate new holidays that we don’t usually hear about in the states, and because of all the great friends I’ve made here, I know that I will never have to celebrate my American holidays alone!  In all honesty, over the past weeks I have been reminded of the basic principles at the root of most holidays, family and food.  It is comforting that so many of my holiday traditions are not quite so different from those of many Malians, even if our celebrations have different purposes or roots!  During this holiday season, it won’t be difficult for me to celebrate with food and loved ones, or to practice some old traditions and create some new ones.  It’s just too bad it won’t be quite as easy to find Christmas music on the radio!