Festivities in Benin

Well I hope everyone back hope has been enjoying the holidays. Christmas flew by here and besides going to church with the girls next door, nothing special occurred.

New Year's However was a different matter.

At midnight my homologue came to wake me up to wish me good health and prosperity (he did ask before hand if it was okay) and I joined him and his family to welcome the new year. I was given a plate full of spaghetti and sodas that I couldn't refuse before making my way back home to get a little more rest. The next morning at 7 am I went back over to his house to help his wife prepare food for the celebration. I mostly just watched as she and her friends made couscous with macaroni in a spicy tomato sauce and pate rouge with chicken and some other type of meat. Once most of the cooking was done we went back to our homes to wash and get ready for the "fete" at 3pm. There was about a dozen of us: the three apprentices at the health center, the men who work at the gas "station," my homologue's wife, three other Mama's, two guys who hang out at the health center and myself who partook in the festivities. We ate, drank warm sodas and beer, danced, and ate some more.
Around the time the sun was setting, a couple of traditional drummers came by and inevitably the Mamas started singing and dancing. We took off into the village, collecting people as we went creating a large group of women and children singing and dancing as the drums played (there were also people gasping at the fact the white girl was participating). We went to the house of the king where I bowed and was given a name ("Ta ta" or something like that) before heading back through the village. The whole time I had children clung to me, showing me the way to dance and helping me out with the singing. A few of them even invited themselves to come live with me. The whole time I felt more like a part of the community and less like an outsider.

It was by far the best New Years I have had.

Pictures from the top: Apprentices Taye and Gaston behind a Mama, the apprentice Etienne and my homologue's wife all in "meme tissue"; Me with two Mama's, again in meme tissue (I know I look ridiculous smiling when nobody else does); My girls who live next door- from the left Blondine, Prisca, their brother Willy, Dione; the twins who also live next door- Kandayne and Taye (all twins are called that- Kandaynes are born after Tayes)