The Muslim Holiday “Aïd al-Kabïr ” (Tabaski), more or less like Christmas for Christians, has been in the air for days. It’s also called the lamb’s holiday because it celebrates a pasage of the Koran – also present in the Bible – in which Ibrahim (Abraham to Christians) obeys God’s will and climbs the mountain to sacrifice his son Ismael (Isaac to Christians).
In the Muslim recounting, Ibrahim covers his eyes with a bandage so as to avoid seeing his son die. When he removes the bandage, he finds that God has left a lamb in place of the child, who is left alive.
So it is that the price of lamb is so high these days. They have been for sale everywhere you look: in the markets, on the roadsides, being carried in big trucks, on motorcycles, and even on bicycles!
And the day finally arrived. First thing in the morning, all the faithful, decked out in their traditional, beautifully colorful “bubús,” gathered to pray in the mosques and then begin the celebration amongst their families.
The lamb that had been tied up in my neighbor’s yard hadn’t stopped bleating in days. Now silence reigns…According to ritual, the head of the family would have sacrificed it (cutting its throat while it lay on its left side with its head looking towards Mecca) and hung it to skin and gut it and cut it in pieces. The women, who from earliest light prepare the rice and the sauces, take care of lighting the fires to cook the lamb. Tradition recommends – without obliging – -that the lamb’s meat be divided in three parts: one for the family; one for friends and neighbors; and the third for the needy.
Tabaski is a day to ask forgiveness and to forgive, to share, and of peace and joy, which are lived here in most complete coexistence among the different religions. This year the celebration was held under the premise of the “unity and harmony” of the “country of upstanding men,” and the great Imam called the people to “continue developing the idea of solidarity and social cohesion.” He also reached out to the “brothers in the Catholic Church,” who are present each year for the morning prayers. Similarly, the Archbishop of Ouagadougou mentioned how the Catholic Church would accompany its Muslim brothers in the celebration to demonstrate “closeness, solidarity and friendship,” and he called upon the entire Burkinabe people to reconcile with one another for sustainable justice and peace.
It was quite an example of harmonious coexistence between religions – so necessary in these times in which “peace” is not often offered. Let’s pray hard that it stays this way for many years.