Part of the Muslim community in Kédougou celebrated Eid al-Fitr this Friday, following the sighting of the crescent moon in several localities in the region. This celebration, which differs from the date observed by other religious authorities, once again highlights the disagreements surrounding the determination of the beginning of the month of Shawwal in Senegal.

In Kédougou, Imam Mass Diouf of the Jama'atou Ibadou led the prayer marking the end of Ramadan. When questioned about this decision, he cited a social context he considers worrying, while justifying the choice to celebrate the holiday this Friday.

“The Senegalese people are sick. These are facts we observe every day. Many of our values have almost disappeared,” he declared, before returning to the issue of the lunar observation. “The moon was sighted in some parts of the country. Here, we also observed it in surrounding villages. But when it was announced that the prayer would take place on Saturday, the commission made the same statement. There’s nothing we can do about it,” he added.

In the commune of Missira Sirimana, Eid was also celebrated this Friday. In Bokhody, where the crescent moon was sighted, the two-rak'ah prayer was led by Imam El Mamadou Danfakha.

The same situation was observed in other localities in the region. In Diakhaling and Sabodala, consistent accounts reported sightings of the crescent moon, reinforcing the decision of some communities to celebrate the festival early.

These early celebrations illustrate a recurring problem in Senegal, where the lack of a strict consensus on lunar observation regularly leads to religious festivals being celebrated on different dates depending on the localities or religious affiliations.

Despite these differences, the spirit of Eid al-Fitr, made of sharing, forgiveness and solidarity, remains intact within the communities, each celebrating according to its beliefs and observations.