The Muslim New Year Celebration in Senegal

Senegal is a coastal West African country. The people who live in Senegal are called Senegalese. In Senegal, more than ninety percent of the population is Muslim, and they have their own calendar. According to that calendar, Senegalese celebrate Tadjabone. Tadjabone is a Muslim holiday, which is celebrated traditionally, yet it is controversial.

             Tadjabone is the celebration of the New Year according to the Muslim calendar. In another words, Tadjabone is the name that Senegalese give to the “31 December” of the Muslim calendar. Indeed, the Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar in which months are counted based on the motion of the moon, which makes the Muslim calendar different. However, the Muslin Calendar has twelve months. The last month of the Muslim Calendar is named Dhu-al-Hijja. On the last day of that month, Dhu-al-Hijja, each Senegalese celebrate Tadjabone. Tadjabone is so important to Senegalese people that the day after Tadjabone is a paid holiday. Workers do not have to go to work, and they are paid. It is a way to make sure that Senegalese who celebrate Tadjabone will have time to rest before they go back to work. Therefore, not only Muslims celebrate Tadjabone; Senegalese from other religions celebrate it to.

On the eve of Tadjabone, the Senegalese go to the grocery stores and buy all the groceries they will need for the meal of Tadjabone. At Tadjabone, all the Senegalese cook the same meal. That meal is a traditional meal that was really popular years ago. The reason Senegalese are cooking the same meal is that they are attached to their culture, and, since this part of the culture is a good one, they are keeping it. Another reason is that this meal is very healthy, and, of course, it is really tasty. So, after buying the groceries, the day of Tadjabone they cook that meal named “thierer.” The meal eaten during Tadjabone, “Thierer,” is made with vegetables, meat, and ground millet. While women are cooking, children are preparing their costumes for the night. Indeed, after the diner, children wear their costumes and go from house to house. The boys have to dress with girl clothes and girls dress with boy clothes. They sing and dance and the old persons give them money for their performances, and they go back home. So during Tadjabone Senegalese eat the same meal and children wear costumes and go from house to house singing, dancing, and making people laugh. It seems very positive; however, Tadjabone is the subject of much a controversy.

Tadjabone is supposed to be a Muslim holiday, celebrating the Muslim New Year. However, the way that most of the Senegalese are celebrating it has nothing to do with Islam. For example, boys dressing like girls is not allowed in Islam. Muslims believe that boys should dress with boys’ clothes and not with girls’ clothes. So how can people celebrate the Islamic New Year and do something that is not allowed in Islam? The answer is the culture. There is a blurring line between the culture and the religion, and people have crossed that line. In some Muslim countries, people are having hard time separating culture from religion. However, some Senegalese are aware about that fact. Therefore, those Senegalese are changing the way they celebrate Tadjabone. They celebrate it according to Islamic belief. For example, they spend one part of the night praying to God. Overall, though, the big impact of the culture in the celebration of Tadjabone makes it more a Senegalese holiday than a Muslim holiday.

Tadjabone, the celebration of the Muslim New Year in Senegal, is celebrated by all the Senegalese. They eat the same meal, and some children wear costumes and do their shows in their neighbor’s houses. Those neighbors give them money, and the children go back home. However some people are trying to celebrate Tadjabone according to Islamic belief, thereby reducing the blur between religion and culture. Tadjabone is a special holiday for Senegalese, and most people are happy to celebrate it each year.