These are a few photos and a video from the Muslim festival of Tabaski which took place on November 28th in our village. This is the most important celebration of the year for our friends in village so Ashley and I made sure that we put on our nicest outfits and joined in the celebration.
Me sitting with Baba Gouno who is one of my host dads in Mali...he is one of the nicest men and continually supplies us with fresh guavas, limes, and other delicious local fruits from his garden.
Elders in our village gathered for a prayer on the morning of Tabaski.
The Chief of our village (the man to the right of the gentleman in the green), we eat with him every evening...he might be the coolest man in Mali.
Ashley lookin Malian as we walk around village and greet everyone for the Tabaski festival.
Ashley is wearing a traditional Dogon outfit (in our village the woman hand spin the cotton and the men weave the cotton into strips of cloth, then the strips are dyed indigo with a pattern and you get a beautiful fabric to make outfits).
WARNING: video is a bit gross
The killing of a sheep for the Tabaski meal.
Ashley and I ran out of gas for our stove top so we had to heat water over some hot coals.
Ami sitting in our door after fetching us some water from the pump also a little baby sheep that wondered up to our door.
Ashley and I biking to village had to make sure we stayed out of the way of the cows.
Fatimata and Ambaybem over at our house goofing around.
Jesse and I were giggling at your commentary on the sheep video Joe! I wish those little kids would just come hang out at my house!! So cute. We can't wait to see you in August at our reunion :)
ReplyDeleteHi Joe and Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pictures, it's always good to see what things are like in Mali. Everyone looks really friendly too. It's cool that you eat with the Chief of your village every night. He looks like an awesome man to talk with. That little clip, the killing of the sheep, made me a little faint. It was hard for me to watch that. Oh, Ashley you look pretty in that outfit. It makes me want to have one.
The little girls are very cute!!!
Love
Jody, Ben and Anna
It is snowing in Iowa tonight-a real blizzard. Your "warm" pictures look great. We miss you! Enjoy your visit with family this month!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley and Joe - I just love coming to your website - what a different world you live in - can't wait to have Susie and Jerry visit you two - what an adventure! Debra
ReplyDeleteplease remind the chief that sue, jerry and deb are not into goat meat :-) THANKS
ReplyDeletelove ya doobers