This year, the month of August is Ramadan, the annual Islamic holy period celebrating God and faith. As August draws to a close, all daily photos this week will feature a different observation about Ramadan.
Ramadan is a big deal, to say the least, in Senegal, a country that is more than 90 percent Islamic. Little evidences of the holiday abound in the city: hours for certain stores are shorter; the grocery store fills up in the afternoon with matriarchs buying ingredients for the evening’s impending family feast; some restaurants don’t serve alcohol during August.
The feasting is the most fascinating part to me. Muslim adults fast all day until sundown then gorge themselves on all sorts of food and drink until the wee hours. Fasting during the day symbolizes patience and purity and is intended to encourage Muslims to focus on nothing but God and prayer all day.
This photo is of what is considered the most grand and beautiful mosque in Dakar, la Mosquee de la Divinite. It’s located along the Corniche, the boulevard that runs along the city’s western coast. I love how it’s perched right along the Atlantic, facing the cliffs and breaking waves. Tours are available for this mosque and I’d love to take one, both to see the beauty of the facility and to become a little more educated about Islam.
Rachael Cullins is a twentysomething American girl living in Dakar, Senegal, with her husband and two dogs. She blogs about her adventures in Senegal and travels elsewhere in West Africa. She will reside in Dakar until summer 2013, when she and her family will move to another foreign post as part of her husband’s career with the U.S. government. In addition to West Africa, she has traveled to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy and Costa Rica and plans to continually add to that list.
