GRAND MAGAL OF TOUBA

The Grand Magal of Touba is the annual religious pilgrimage of the Senegalese Mouride Brotherhood, one of the four Islamic Sufi orders of Senegal. On the 18th of Safar, the second month of the Islamic calendar, pilgrims gather in the holy Mouride city of Touba to celebrate the life and teachings of Amadou Bamba, the founder of the brotherhood

The Grand Magal has been recognized as one of the most popular pilgrimages in the world, with over 3 million participating in 2011.The pilgrimage dates back to 1928 (one year after Bamba s death) and commemorates his 1895 exile to Gabon by the French colonial government.

"Magal" is a Wolof word derived from the verb "mag," which means "to be important" or "to be old"; the noun form is translated as "celebration" or "anniversary. There are other Mouride magals annually, such as the Magal of Saint Louis, which commemorates a prayer performed by the saint in 1895 in defiance of colonial authorities.However, the Grand Magal is the most important and widely attended of the Mouride magals. It is the largest celebration in Senegal, both religious and secular

The date of the Grand Magal is determined by the Islamic calendar (known as the Hijri calendar), which is based on the lunar year. Each year, the events of the pilgrimage begin on the 18th of Safar and last for two days. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, the date for the Grand Magal changes from year to year.