Eid al-Adha

Last week was Eid al-Adha - a Muslim celebration remembering Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. Here, those that can afford it slaughter a ram and have a feast with friends and family.

There is also the horse “Fantasia.” This is my favorite big Banyo event. Everyone gathers around the Lamiido's (the king) palace in their finest clothes. Street vendors sell yummy treats. Charlie and I  went with some friends and we wanted “anything deep fried!” We ate fried black-eyed pea fritters! Yum! Dignitaries come from all over- we sat behind the Minister of Finance! Musicians play homemade guitars and drums and crazy high pitched horn things. There is usually some kind of clown or jester. Excitement is definitely in the air!

And of course the main event are the horses! The horses are dressed up in elaborate head dresses and ornate saddles. They get together in groups of 5 or 6 starting down the road from the palace then all together they charge the stands and stop thisclose in front of the spectators. Then the men raise their long spears and everyone cheers!

 More groups repeat the same and every once in a while there is a musical interlude or a specific group like the “Princes of Banyo” or the wives of the Lamiido that come up and salute the Lamiido

or the Prefect (government official).

And then there is the crowd favorite- the "court jester." He rode his own special "horse!"

One of my favorite parts is getting to interact with different people. Charlie made a friend in the stands and later his father asked Charlie if she wanted to marry his son! (She was smitten!)