Happy Tamkharit from WorldRemit!

Senegalese communities the world over will be preparing to celebrate ‘Tamkharit’ at the end of July. It’s a Muslim New Year celebration with strong traditional connotations. It corresponds to the tenth day of the month of Muharram - the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar.  If you’ll be celebrating, we wish you a very Happy Tamkharit!

What is Tamkharit? What is Ashura?

Essentially Tamkharit and ‘Ashura’ are the same. They’re festivals that celebrate the Islamic New Year on the 10th day of the first month (Muharram). In Senegal, it’s known as Tamkharit, and is referred to as Ashura (Achoura) in other Muslim countries.  It was originally celebrated to mark the liberation of the children of Egypt from the oppressive Pharaoh’s rule.

When is Tamkharit?

While Tamkharit (Ashura) always takes place on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian varies from year to year. That’s due to differences between the two calendars - the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and the Gregorian is a solar calendar. Plus, the appearance of the crescent moon - used to determine when each Islamic month begins - varies from country to country.

So, this year, Tamkharit will be on 28 July 2023 (tentative date). In Senegal. It’s a public holiday, and schools and most businesses are closed.

Tamkharit celebrations in Senegal

As with all Senegalese celebrations, food plays a major role during Tamkharit. Lots and lots of it! The traditional meal of Moroccan couscous and spicy lamb stew is prepared in vast quantities during the day. Then, in the evening, the family gathers round to eat, until they can eat no more.In Senegalese culture, it’s the host’s role to make sure guests are completely well fed. Normally, guests can excuse themselves by standing up and saying “surna” meaning ‘I’m full’. But during Tamkharit this is not the done thing.

After everyone has finally eaten, as much as they possibly can, there’s still more!A dish of sweet couscous, mixed with currants and raisins is brought to the table. Milk is added to both the sweet couscous, and to the couscous with the leftover sauce from the lamb stew.

Another way Tamkharit is celebrated is with Tadjaboon, a sort of Halloween-type event. This is where the children dress up and walk to neighbours’ homes singing and dancing, and asking for treats.

Traditionally, the adults crossdress with the women swapping their boubous for kaftans and the men vice versa. And the evening can be spent in song and dance.

For more of a spiritual pursuit, some people pray after their meals. Some say their prayer 1,000 times; others pray until early in the morning,

Celebrating Tamkharit far from home

While you may be unable to celebrate Tamkharit with your family and friends in Senegal, perhaps you can follow some of the traditions wherever you happen to be. Cook the traditional meal and invite your local friends around. Or check out if there are any Senegalese restaurants nearby.

You can, of course, feel more connected to home by sending money back and helping your family pay for their celebrations. Send with WorldRemit, and we can promise fast, secure, and low-cost money transfers to Senegal. So you can rest assured  your money gets where it needs to be, quickly and efficiently.

And that’s not all. For more insights on living and working abroad, head over to our blog. You’ll find a selection of helpful and informative articles put together especially for people like you.

The contents of this blog post does not constitute legal or financial advice and is provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific legal and / or financial advice you should contact a specialist lawyer or financial advisor. Information true at time of publishing.

WorldRemit Content Team

20 June 2023 • 3 mins read • Updated 12 September 2023