Today was Tabaski, the biggest Islamic holiday of the year. Muslims buy their sheep months or even a year before the holiday to take care of the animal before killing it. By raising the sheep and then killing the animals themselves, Muslims believe they gain an appreciation for the blessing because they have not only cared for the being but also seen the pain that it endured when being killed. The streets were filled with sheep carcasses roasting over massive fires. The smoke formed a mist of smoke that draped over the city. The women dressed in fine clothing with lace and sequins. Little girls smiled in their flowery dresses and little boys in suits. Men lit charcoal to heat water for their tea. Piles of sheep heads stacked aside the flames. The heads will be prepared and cooked tomorrow, and the bodies today. One of the houses I went to for the celebration had three skinned sheep bodies leaning against a mud wall. My friends and I had the priviledge of carving the meat with a butcher knife directly from the bodies. The shoulder meat was tender but a little tough, like jerky. I prefered the brain meat over the shoulder, which was juicy and tender. Then, I sampled the heart meat, and that surpassed them all. It had been coated with a spicy marinade and was cooked to perfection. I did not eat much of the fried intenstinal parts, and I particularly did not like the liver. With my belly filled to the brim, I watched the sun set amidst the black tree silhouettes, hovering over the Niger River, encompassed by a fire haze. Barka da Salla! (Hausa for "Happy Holiday.")
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