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| fallen bird's nest - beautiful |
I have to admit: I’m a terrible Muslim. I only fasted for
sixteen days of the month of Ramadan this year. And while the rest of my family
was doing their five-times-daily prayers, I snuck into my hut to drink water,
something a good Muslim would never do. I’m happy to report that my family is
much more devout than I: no food or drink passed their lips from sunup to
sundown, even when they spent all day in the fields under the hot Senegalese
sun. I realized how serious they were about fasting on day two, when I watched
my sister sample some dough she was mixing. I was shocked to see her place a
bit on her tongue but I thought, hey it’s just a little taste and I’d probably
do the same in her position. To my surprise, she proceeded to assess the
quality of the dough, spit it out, then rinse her mouth with water and spit
that water out as well. I got the message: Ramadan ain’t no joke.
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| naps on naps on naps! |
A month is a long time for any holiday, especially one like
Ramadan, which is filled with highs and lows. Some of the lows are severe: for me
it was hardest to witness the physical and mental toll that fasting took on my
friends and family. Their lives during this season are extremely physically
taxing, which was plain to see on my mom’s face, in my neighbor’s eyes. Other
lows weren’t quite so serious. Most days of Ramadan contained a solid block of
time in the afternoon during which all (and I mean ALL) adults were asleep,
resulting in wild packs of children running around town. This qualified as a
low for me because it was as if some apocalyptic event had visited but only
killed off people over age twelve. I did not enjoy being left among the
survivors.
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| two chickens ready to be cooked |
The highs, as per usual, revolved mostly around food. Not
the porridge I ate every morning at 4:45 am; no, not that food. The good food
came at sundown, when everyone’s spirits lifted at the thought of nourishment.
My family broke fast every evening with a date and a cup of coffee (everyone
got coffee, from age two to sixty) and water – with ice, what a luxury! After a
break for prayers, a second round of coffee was served along with beignets and
bisap flower juice. We ate dinner late, around ten or so, and sometimes had
fancy food – like chicken! Yum!
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| fried food! alhamdoulilah! |
Obviously I enjoyed breaking fast, but my favorite part of the day was the two hours prior to sundown, when the preparations began. One of my sisters, who is around sixteen, was on beignet duty every night. She made big beignets for adults and minis for the kids and flipped them using a stick. Any holiday that includes fried food is one after my own heart. Another of my sisters, who is around twelve and experienced her second fast this year, was in charge of coffee prep. She began by building a fire and hand roasting the beans in the flames. Then she ground them using the mortar and pestle, the signature tool of the Senegalese kitchen, while boiling water over the fire. The grounds went into a homemade filter and then all the coffee went back in the pot to stay warm until the time for consumption arrived.
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| fresh, delicious, hot coffee |
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| dad and kids with the TV |
Another high of Ramadan was the introduction of a television
into our nightlife! I love our little TV because it is black and white and the
one channel it receives is always fuzzy. I also love that we watch it outdoors
exclusively. The evening call to prayer was broadcast on TV every night
followed by the news, which was delivered in French and therefore
unintelligible to everyone at my house. Once every two weeks or so, a weekend
night would bring the excitement of an American movie! I always tuned in for
those and told my family that no, I couldn’t understand the French dialogue,
but yes, I enjoyed just looking at the United States.
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| winter fashion 2013 |
The past month also saw the arrival of the rainy season. It
didn’t really show up until the beginning of August, but better late than never
I suppose. It was truly astonishing to see how quickly the sandy ground
surrounding my village turned into fields with either orderly rows of crops or
densely tangled grasses and weeds. All of a sudden the trees had leaves, the
eggplant plants in my backyard grew little purple veggies, and my family had an
insane amount of work on their hands. These days every single one of my family
members goes to the fields every single day. One of my moms will come home to
tend to household affairs, but everyone else just works and works and works.
Thankfully the rain also knocked the temperature down a few degrees. The cool
air is a delicious treat, especially because I get to see my family’s winter
wardrobes!
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| clouds at sunset |
All in all, the past month has provided much insight into
the nature of Islam in Senegal. Ramadan is in the spirit of one of my favorite
results of religious action: humility. There is something incredibly powerful
and awe-inspiring about the nature of sacrifice. To repeat that sacrifice over
and over every day for thirty days, to commit so wholeheartedly to it, is
inspirational. And it encourages a sense of gratitude and humility that is
nothing but positive. Many days I felt myself getting cranky due to the heat,
the hunger, the exhaustion. But it was easy to put my problems in perspective
by thinking of how much harder it was for everyone else. And to remember that
the point of Ramadan is to experience the heat, the hunger, etc, and live
through the difficulty. If it were easy, it would be pointless. Also, Ramadan
finally got everyone else as interested in the sunset as much as I am!
Alhamdoulilah!
