Next: about 20 to 26 Sept 2027
Gerewol (Wodaabe Courtship Festival)
Wodaabe men in painted faces and plumes dance to be chosen by women, at the end of the rainy season in the Sahel.
When is Gerewol (Wodaabe Courtship Festival) in 2027?
Gerewol (Wodaabe Courtship Festival) 2027 runs from 20 to 26 September 2027. The date follows the moon or a local calendar, so it can move by a day. Other years: 2026, 20 to 26 September 2026; 2028, 20 to 26 September 2028.
About Gerewol (Wodaabe Courtship Festival)
The Gerewol is a week-long gathering of the Wodaabe, a Fulani pastoral people of Niger and neighbouring countries. Young men paint their faces, line their eyes and dance in a line on tiptoe, rolling their eyes and showing their teeth, while a panel of unmarried women chooses the most handsome. A pair who like each other may withdraw, and a woman may take a lover from the dance. The Wodaabe also keep the teegal, a lawful marriage in which a woman may leave an arranged husband for a man she prefers. Drought and insecurity have made the festival harder to hold in recent years.
Gerewol (Wodaabe Courtship Festival) dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Gerewol (Wodaabe Courtship Festival) date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 to 26 September 2026 |
| 2027 | 20 to 26 September 2027 |
| 2028 | 20 to 26 September 2028 |
This date follows the moon or a local calendar and can move by a day, so check with a local source nearer the time.
What is served
- millet
- fresh milk
- goat meat
Also part of it, and being written: Wodaabe (The Fula people who keep the Gerewol.), Fula people (The wider pastoral family of the Sahel.), Niger (The country where it is best known.).
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background: "Wodaabe" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.