Every so often, working among the Fulani means a party! Baby naming ceremonies are an important part of the Fulani culture. On the seventh day from the infant's birth - they are given a name! Everyone around comes for the ceremony which starts at around 7:30 am for their prayers .... and then people stay all day for the feast which is usually served around 2-3 in the afternoon. Even when I leave generally between 4 or 5 in the afternoon, there is always still a crowd!
Megan and I had the joy of attending one of these a few weeks ago ... we headed a ways out of town. As we only found out about the ceremony the day prior, I hadn't made arrangements for a village guide .... confident that I could find the village on my own. We were happy to arrive - and they were excited to see us. It was a fun surprise!!
Along the way, we found this patch of squash growing in the middle of nowhere ... no huts around, no one is watering the plants - but the patch is slowly creeping over the desert!
Greeting the mother is of prime importance, so we are escorted first to her hut. The traditional greeting would be "May God bless you in your descent." An implied meaning of coming down from a mountain (labour) which is hard work! And we get to hold the baby as well, so that is always fun!
The food preparations for lunch take most of the day .... and many women! They were all eager for me to take each of their pictures as they did their work.
veggie prep:
sauce prep:
Two pots of sauce going that day. Although, the pot on the left became the appetizer while everyone waited for the rice and sauce. This actually was the second appetizer. The first being corn couscous with onions, hot pepper spice, and raw baobab leaves. This is usually served mid-morning and we had some of this shortly after we arrived. The appetizer sauce went with spaghetti and we ate this about an hour before the main meal was ready.
rice prep:
The rice this day was a little more fancy than normal. Usually, the rice is spread out on large platters and the sauce poured on top. However, today, the rice was rolled into large balls. I've been served these once, maybe twice, before during my time in Niger.
I admit - I've always thought that they rolled the rice into the balls with their hands. However, I happened to be out taking pictures today while they were being formed and was absolutely astounded ... so simple and yet ingenious. I would never have thought of this!
* note: I tried this the other day at home with rice from the rice cooker and a bowl. It didn't work - either the rice wasn't sticky enough, or I need to work on my technique!!
Once the food was ready - the women took the bowls of rice and sauce around.
Megan and I were served our own two platters - one ball of rice and a bowl of sauce. We waited to observe how to eat this, as normally this is served in one bowl - the sauce poured over the rice. I just wasn't quite sure of the etiquette or rules - were we to scoop rice with our fingers and then dip it into the sauce, or ...??!? Our hut companions quickly assured us that the scoop and dip was the proper way to eat, and we dug in. Quite a tasty sauce!
Afterwards, as I wandered around ... the children also wanted to have their picture taken, or their parents requested for them.
All in all - it was a fun day and there was much laughter and joy as we hung out with our Fulani friends.
The day was a bit of a family reunion as well, for Megan's daughter was in attendance. Here is Megan ... sitting and chatting here with her daughter:
Megan's African name is the same as this woman's mother. So, she always calls Megan "innam" ... "mother mine". And Megan responds "bi-am" ... "my child"! She is a lady filled with much exuberance - and as you can see, the African sense of "personal space" (or at least hers) is much smaller! Her exuberance in the conversation rocking almost nose to nose with Megan most of the time!
And yes - before you ask, I have such family as well ...
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