Senegal customs and taboos

The Republic of Senegal (French: La République du Sénégal) is referred to as Senegal. It is located at the westernmost end of the bulge in western Africa, with a land area of 196,700 square kilometers. It is bordered by Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south, and Cape Verde Islands to the west. Dakar, the capital, has French as the official language, and 80% of the country's people speak Vorof. The currency is the African Financial Community franc, or CFAF for short.

Senegal is also one of the more densely populated countries in West Africa. The country has a total population of 12.87 million (2013) and a total of more than 20 ethnic groups. Among them, the largest population is the Volof (accounting for 43% of the national population), the Peur (24%) and the Sherel (15%). 94% of its residents believe in Islam, 5% believe in fetishism, the rest believe in Catholicism, and a small number of original religious believers. There are five major sects of Islam in Senegal, each with its own religious leader caliph. The most important of them are the Tijanian sect (54%) and the Murid sect (38%).

Senegal people are hospitable and like dancing, especially hand inspiration. Local people pay attention to etiquette, dress neatly, and avoid showing their chest and back. Religion has a great influence on the living customs of Senegal people. Most believers avoid eating pork. They also avoid using daily necessities made of pig skin and pig offal, and also avoid talking about pigs. They also respect Islamic rules and prohibit alcohol consumption in public places.

The clothes

Senegal people are generally relatively simple. Men are used to wearing a white "cloth cloth" robe, and women generally wear brightly colored long dresses, and some even wear a scarf over their heads. Especially in rural areas, there is also a custom: most people shave their heads completely, leaving only a piece of hair above their left ear.

Traditional diet "Jebujing"

Senegal people generally eat corn, rice, sorghum, etc. as their staple foods, and their non-staple foods are mainly beef and mutton, especially mutton. They are used to eating large pieces of beef and mutton, and do not like to eat dishes made with sliced meat, diced pork or shredded pork.

Their favorite dishes include tomatoes, radishes, carrots and various beans. In terms of taste, they prefer delicious and spicy food, not afraid of greasy food, and ordinary people eat a lot.

Locals also like to eat a rice dish called "Jebujing". Jebujing means rice, and Jing means fish, which means rice and fish. Practice: First boil the millet with water, until it is cooked to about 80 to 90%, and then skim off the water. Start frying with cooking oil until the rice grains are golden and fragrant. While cooking the rice, prepare some peppers, cabbage, tapioca, and the essential fish. Place these dishes on top of the rice while the rice is stir-fried. Some even sprinkle a layer of soy sauce on rice and vegetables. At dinner time, the family sat together, served the rice in a large basin, washed their hands, and began to grab the rice with their right hand. According to local people, the left and right hands must not be used wrong, and the left hand is for convenience. The right hand is used for shaking hands and eating.

Some people also like French Western cuisine. They generally like to eat bread, butter, and espresso for breakfast. I also like to drink tea, especially China's green tea. They are accustomed to chatting over tea after meals to help digestion. Senegal people generally avoid eating shrimp, chicken cabbage, mushrooms and other oddly shaped foods, such as eels, turtles, squid, etc.

In Senegal, if distinguished guests come, they often entertain them with roasted whole sheep. All the lambs used to roast whole sheep are small lambs. After roasting, place on a large metal plate and serve on the table. After washing their hands, guests usually use their right hand to tear the food from the back and flank of the sheep.

Muslims in Senegal celebrate Eid al-Adha. At the end or beginning of each year, Eid al-Adha is the most important festival of the year for Senegal people and the most important festival for Muslims. According to the Islamic calendar, May 25 is the Islamic Sheep Slaying Day, named Tabaski, which is about December of each year in the Gregorian calendar. When the festival comes, the streets and alleys are filled with a festive atmosphere. In the early morning, Dakar is full of chanting. When the ceremony ends, many people begin to slaughter sheep in their courtyards. People gave mutton to relatives and friends, and sprinkled sheep's blood into dug pits.

Senegal is also a country famous in the world for producing peanuts. It is the world's fourth largest peanut producer and the world's largest peanut exporter. It is known as the "Country of Peanut." Every peanut harvest season, the "peanut planting" competition has become a sports activity for local people. Before the competition, a craftsman drew a white line on the ground with lime to specify where peanut bags should be stacked. The competition was hosted by the local chief. At the beginning of the competition, the contestants put their heads on their shoulders and put peanut bags into the white line. As they ran back and forth, the peanut bags became higher and higher. When the peanut bags reached the top of the "pyramid" shape and only one bag could be placed, the pile was considered complete. At this time, the contestants quickly cleaned up the peanut pile and waited for the chief to come and accept it. The competition is usually divided into groups of 50 people, and the winning group each receives a bag of peanuts as a reward.

Peanut vendors on the street are also social occasions for young men and women. After each competition, many young women ran forward to congratulate the winning young man, or handed over a handkerchief to wipe off sweat, or a can of cool drinks. If a young man is also interested in a young woman, he will give her a handkerchief and some honey within three days to express his willingness to marry and hope that life after marriage will be as sweet as honey.