Fêtes Religieux

It’s only October, but ‘tis the season for religious celebrations (fêtes religieux) in Senegal. My friend Jen was treated to a wonderful one last Tuesday night as marabouts proclaimed the word of Allah. All night long, right outside her door, with megaphones. Korite, or the end of the Muslim month of fasting known as Ramadan, is this weekend and I’ve been trying to score invites to my friends with Muslim families. I just returned from a mini-fête religieux held in my courtyard. My mother is evidently part of a rotational rosary circle and tonight was our turn to host. One of the nice things about being Catholic is the universality of the religion – we used the same prayers in the same order as back home. And with all of those Hail Mary’s in the rosary, I picked up on that one quite quickly.

I discovered that today was Korite when I left for the gym and found all of the roads blocked by hundreds of people praying towards Mecca. After finding a side street, I discovered that the gym was closed and would possibly, but not probably, be open this afternoon. As the air was actually cool for once (yay weather changes!), I jogged at school before returning home and waiting for lunch. It was served later than expected and thus I missed the chicken meal at cousin Kalii’s, but did arrive in time for fruit and juice. The way our program staff played it up, Korite sounded like a religious observance in the morning with a full-out party in the afternoon, complete with the ritual sacrifice of a ram. However, I found out that it’s usually a much more tranquil affair during which friends and family come a-calling.

Going to church tonight was like a having another mini-fête religieux - the hymns were accompanied by African drums. And after the service, several gentlemen attempted to relieve themselves inside the church compound walls (not in the sanctuary) before being corrected by a kindly deacon. But moreso than that, my host mother is happiest at church. She smiles and says hello to everyone, and makes her friend pull the car over for a quick chat. Even though she has a very strong personality and is very commanding, it’s nice to remember that we do have things in common.