Edrisa Kassama, in grade 11 at Masroor Senior Secondary School in the metropolitan area, had been preparing since October: "I  prepare more money to give Saliboo [gifts] to my youngest brothers and sisters and my parents as well." He arrived in the village, tired from the journey, but managed to stay up until 2 a.m. with friends "playing music, brewing green tea, locally called ataya, and chatting."

Edrisa

"The very day of Tobaski, I wake up early in the morning. I perform ablution and pray and thank God and solicit Him for long life and for everybody to remain alive unil next Tobaski. Then I went and said good morning to my parents. We prayed for each other. Then I took the ram to the well to wash it. Again I went to the well to fetch water to take bath. I wore new dress, applying nice spray to be smell fine."

Ansumana Fatty, who is studying computers at a local business college, described the scene at the mosque in Salikenni: "Males put on their long dress, called kaftan, apply perfume, while females put on their different styles ... Men sit in front ... while the women sit at the back.  The Imam leads the prayer. In his sermon, he talks about proudness, kindness and being good to one another. He would later slaughter his own ram at the mosque.

Ansumana

"From the mosque, every family comes back home and slaughter their rams. ... All the meat is divided into three portions: one for family consumption, the second for eating with friends and relatives, and one third for the poor in the neighborhood and the needys."

Mustapha Darboe, who recently completed 12th grade and is now in a self-study program, supervised by SSF manager Fatou Janneh to improve his English, wrote that in Salikenni Tobaski dawned as a beautiful day. "I wake up at 7:30 am, the brighter sun smiling at east, the sky in its lovely look blue like an ocean water, the air blowing sweeter than soul.

Mustapha

"I went with our ram to the tap near the mosque where almost everybody in that area went to wash their rams. When I return home, I take bath and went to the praying ground with my family.

"When we were back home, that was the time we slaughtered our rams and said thanks to the Lord who make everything possible. It was the greatest day of my life in 2008, meat dance between my lower and my upper jaws from morning to evening.

"When the day was getting old, we started preparing for the dance hall, party with heart breaker and organized the royal philosopher at the town's youths centre.

"In the morning I went out to greet my relatives and friends for the wonderful day and pray for God to blessed us long life to witness the next in the year 2009."