IVORY COAST: Ivorians celebrate Tabaski, the Muslim world's biggest sacrificial feast

Record ID: 181339

  • Title: IVORY COAST: Ivorians celebrate Tabaski, the Muslim world's biggest sacrificial feast
  • Date: 2nd January 2007
  • Summary: (AD1)ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (DECEMBER 30, 2006) (REUTERS) MEN DRUMMING TO ANNOUNCE THE ARRIVAL OF THE IMAM AT THE MOSQUE VARIOUS OF TWO MEN PLAYING DRUMS IMAM ARRIVING AT THE MOSQUE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PRAYING THE MOSQUE'S MINARET TWO MEN AND ONE WOMAN CHANTING AND COLLECTING MONEY OUTSIDE THE MOSQUE (SOUNDBITE) (French) IBRAHIM SANGARE, ABIDJAN RESIDENT, SAYING: "The prayer r
  • Embargoed: 17th January 2007 12:00
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  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA72QITRZ9PS8MIF6V6ET6JLQTW
  • Story Text: Only a few days after the Christian or Catholic population celebrated Christmas, Muslim families in Ivory Coast slaughtered sheep on Friday (December 30), in the biggest feast of the Muslim calendar, the Eid al-Adha or Tabaski as it is known across West Africa.
    The feast commemorates the scriptural story of Ibrahim (Abraham), who was willing to kill sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isaac) in obedience to God. According to the Koran, God allowed Ibrahim to sacrifice a ram instead.
    For a month ahead of Tabaski, sheep stalls are set up all over the city. Its the responsibility of each family-head to buy the sheep that will be sacrificed on the day of the feast.
    Apart from the religious and spiritual meaning of forgiveness, this is also boom time for livestock traders, who sometimes buy sheep or goats from nomadic herdsmen of the Sahel in Mali, south of the Sahara, to sell them to city dwellers in the capital or further afield in the other coastal cities of West Africa.
    Vamory Traore left it to the last day before Tabaski to buy his sheep. Sometimes the price can drop the day before, as traders try to get rid of their stock by offering last minute bargain. But the vendors also know that many latecomers are also quite desperate so sometimes the plan can backfire.
    The sheep has to be chosen carefully, it's grasped by the horns, examining the curvature and the beast's muscular form and markings to determine how much it is worth.
    "As far as prices go, you can pay between 70,000 and 100,000 (120 and 170 US dollars) for a sheep, and sometimes even more, but you need to negotiate the price, it's a market and so you have to haggle, I think each person can find something according to what he can afford," Traore said after paying 80,000 (160 US dollars) to secure a handsome specimen for his family's feast.
    With nothing even approaching a fixed price, the trade is informal and plays to the bargaining instinct shared by many peoples in the West African country.
    A husband with more than one wife normally buys a sheep for each of his wives.
    In West Africa an average ram can fetch anything from 40,000 - 100,000 FCFA (80 - 200 US dollars). A top quality beast, however, can fetch many times more, sometimes even up to 1 million FCFA (2,000 US dollars); wealthy people sometimes present such prime specimens as gifts to win favour in business or politics.
    As the day of the Tabaski starts, men put on their best dress to go to the Mosque, whilst women busy themselves with the last of the food preparations before the ram is slaughtered.
    After the prayers, the Imam sacrifices his sheep, which is when all others Muslims can return home to sacrifice theirs.
    "The prayer represents a lot of things, because even if you haven't done anything for God since the beginning of the year, God gave you a long life, until now, and that's a good thing, so we have to pray to God," said Ibrahim Sangare after the prayer.
    The sheep which was cleaned and prepared the day before, is brought to the front of the house. The head of the family slaughters the animal.
    Although traditionally in Ivory Coast the sheep has to be killed by the person who buys it, after a few years in the army, Traore now feels he doesn't like taking life, so one of his close friends came to his aid.
    Children often take part in the whole process, getting used to the sacrificial custom from a very early age.
    The women then spring into action and start preparing the feast which will be enjoyed by all the extended family. As this is said to be the 'day of forgiveness,' sometimes family members that had separated or been apart come together on this day to put things right.
    After the food is ready, the whole family sits down to start feasting on the meat.
    "I think it's important on occasions like this to have around one's family, all the children, one friends and brothers," said Traore.
    Now 65, Traore has made sure he celebrated Tabaski every year. Each year buying a sheep for each of his wives and with his children and family around.
    His wife Tene also believes in the importance of bringing the family together.
    ''Today is a big day for us, because not everybody has the chance to see in the new year like this,'' Tene Traore said after cooking the meat for all the family to enjoy.
    Although many animals are slaughtered, Tabaski is about sharing, and forgiveness, and after the whole family has eaten together, a meal is also prepared to be shared with the neighbours and the community.
    Even though Tabaski is generally a family occasion, only a third of the sacrificial meat stays in the family. The other two thirds go in a meal for the community, where neighbours meet to ask and give forgiveness from their neighbours and close friends.
    The celebrations normally last for two days, and although the Muslim community is around a quarter of Ivory Coast's religious makeup, the Tabaski day is a national holiday respected by all, with Christian or Catholics being invited to partake in their Muslim neighbours' celebrations.
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