Toward the end of my phone call with E this morning, he opened the window of his hotel room so I could hear the call to prayer. Muslims in Mali and other African countries recently celebrated Tabaski, the holiday that marks the beginning of the Hajj. (The name comes from the Wolof word for "sacrifice" and refers to Abraham's near-sacrifice of his only son; the holiday is known elsewhere as Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Kabir.)

There are many bright and colorful fabrics for sale in Mali, and tailors can copy a garment stitch for stitch, so on his last trip, E took an item of mine and brought home a perfect orange clone. (I secretly hoped his luggage would be searched at the airport, so he'd have to explain the little pink sundress folded in with all his big man's clothes.) For this trip, E took a friend's dress. But all the tailors were booked for weeks, because everyone who can afford to wears new clothes for Tabaski.

Here in Washington we observe the Muslim holidays in our own special way.