hajia

I wish all my Muslim readers a happy Eid el Kabir. Those in Nigeria and elsewhere must now be busy with the slaughtered ram for the occasion. I am battling with my own too in the various ways we usually do: we fry, pot cook, barbecue, grill, rotisserate, morsel dry and grind for meat balls. Over the years we in KT have developed several exotic ways to use such meat and preserve it for long.
However the Sallah celebration has been stifled in KT: no horses, no march past, no costumed artists, no processions and naturally there was forlorn look everywhere. It is just unbelievable that a Sallah will come and pass in KT without the usual carnival atmosphere. But its true as days before the event stories leaked that there will be no horses or parades. And the only reason advanced was the failing health of the traditional ruler or emir of Katsina.
Initially I thought it was a huge joke especially after knowing that someone can easily be made to ride the horse on behalf of the emir. Several district heads who are advanced in age appoint others to ride and the show had always continued. This stopped me from making alternative arrangements. On the eve of Sallah it downed on me that it was no rumour and I made a hasty decision to go to Daura with my friends to watch the Sallah show there.
So to Daura we went in a 3 car convoy but this is another story. Let me however hasten to add here that the decision to put-off the horse parade etc was criticized across town. And the argument posited is that the Sallah festival is too big to equate with one individual. It is a pageant that is enjoyed by locals, visitors from other parts of the country and beyond our borders. For centuries the festival was celebrated and people enjoyed the show regardless of who mounted which horse.
Here is commiserating with KT people and their visitors who had come from far and near for having a black Sallah devoid of flutes and drums.