Tabaski in Tem community (Togo)

The Tabaski is considered as a very big feast in Togo. People start the preparation of Tabaski one, two or three months before the exact day of the feast. First of all, they buy cows, bullocks, sheep to breed so that they can be able to sacrifice them on the day of the feast. Once these animals are bought, there will be someone who will be in charge of bringing them to the place where there are many grasses so that they can graze. On this area, people use to let two sheep face to face and make them bang each other after what people will see which one of them is stronger than the other one. Sometimes, one of the fighting sheep can have injury or have one horn broken. The one who is in charge of this injured animal will be severely blamed or punished once he or she comes back home since the owner of the animal will probably know that this animal was fighting with another one and that is the reason why the animal is injured. What is very shocking is that this wounded animal cannot be used for sacrifice since Islam rules say that, an animal which is supposed to be used for sacrifice must be the normal one, without any physical injury on it. Others who observe the rules of Islam do not let their sheep fight and they breed them in a very good way so that in long run, the animals become very fat and more bigger than they were by the time their owners bought them. The animals are kept in the place where there are many grasses from morning till the afternoon with a bucket of water close to the place the animals are tied. The one in charge of the animals will be around to protect the animal against any bad aggression or to prevent them from being stolen or to be attacked by other animals.

The reward of the one in charge of breeding the animal is that, He will get a special gift which are the testicles of the animal on the day of the feast once the animals is killed for the sacrifice.

In almost all the houses, there must be at least one sheep. For example, if we consider ten houses , we can find sheep in six houses. For cows and bullock, they are not most of time brought at home prior to one week before the feast since they are big creatures and not easy to breed. Even if they are bought as soon as possible, they will not be brought to the house of their owners. They will be kept with the sellers in the village especially the group of people known as peulh (fulfulde) in Togo. It is then only some few days before Tabaski or at the eve of the feast that they are brought to their owners in town.

Some small groups of families who want to buy bullock or cow and do not have enough money to afford it, put the money together to buy one bullock or cow and share the meet among themselves on the day of the feast.

As far as the Tabaski is concerned, the following statement collected from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha. announces the beginning of the feast:

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar	الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر
lā ilāha illā Allāh	لا إله إلا الله
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar	الله أكبر الله أكبر
wa li-illāhil-hamd	ولله الحمد

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest,

There is no deity but Allah

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest

and to Allah goes all praise

Collected from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

After the morning prayer, the Muslims have to utter this statement three times.

Early in the morning, that is the statement a person will hear everywhere and children are very proud hearing this song because it is the day the will eat a lot of rice and meet. People are going from house to house to greet one another. For some children, this is an opportunity to get money since they go to greet the members of their families and by doing so they get some coins in exchange. In addition to that,it is the day people remember their dead people in order to ask Allah forgiveness on their behalf.

Around 9h am, there will be a prayer called 'Idi'. It is after this payer that the Imam will kill his sheep before other people can do it. People go to this prayer in group by saying the statement cited above and when coming back they pass through another road. After the prayer, people go home and sacrifice their own sheep or bullock/cow. Most of time it is the father or the elder son who kills the animal. Around one sheep, you can see many people and each one of them has a specific role to play. Some people are there just because the want to steal meat and you can see them in trousers with big pockets so that they can put meat in. Others, don't wear trousers but they will steal meat and hide it somewhere else. For these latter, if they are not lucky, it is a dog for example which will draw people attention to the place they have hidden the meat or sometimes the dog succeeds in taken the meat.

Women are not involved in the sharing of meet but they get meat after everything is done by men. They are the ones who will prepare and fry the meat. Sometimes, it takes people a whole day to work on the sacrificed animal.

The meat of the sacrificed animal is divided into three parts, one for the owner and his family, second part for his neighbors Tem Muslims who are not able to sacrifice and the third part for non-Muslims that are living nearby.

At 3h pm, young children will be very well dressed and start going from house to house to sing and get money or food in exchange. This is what is called 'Baraka Sala'.

In Tem community, It is the day a person can eat meat and food as much as he or she wants. Nobody feels hunger and even people can save their meet till one month, especially those who killed bullocks or cows.

One week after the Tabaski feast, football matches will be organized and also many festival will be arranged since foreigners and Tem people living abroad come in this Tem community to feast.

Tabaski is the one of the biggest feast in Tem community, wish you experienced it one day.