The end of Ramadan ends with a party!

The end of Ramadan ends with a party! People dress in their best outfits(often kids wear matching outfits) and head from house to house visiting friends, neighbours and family. They offer best wishes for the coming year and people give out food to all those who pass. I spent the day visiting with friends of Chantal, Aimé’s sister. Finally I am getting to know some females! We chatted and ate and ate and ate. It is so nice to see the care with which people dress and how excited and proud the little kids, this is definitely their party! The evening comes and firecrackers explode all over the neighbourhood. Laughter and chatter fills the air. Music is playing from different Maquis and houses. Little kids are counting their earnings from spending the day visiting people and getting small change from everyone. Our house was a buzz with activity and visiting family. We were given a meal of rice tô, fried sheep, fried fish and red sauce. There was also the added treat of a coca-cola, the expensive one here as it comes in a plastic bottle instead of a glass one. Later we headed out with friends to our local Maquis and spent the night talking and swatting the occasional mosquito!

This year the party fell on a Friday which gave everyone a day off work! Now since it is the weekend, the party has continued on to Saturday with people still dropping by and music everywhere. It is really great to see the neighbourhood come to life!

Hala ka san here tiaya (God grant you lots of success) – What you say to everyone you meet during the end of Ramadan.