Death and the afterlife
Most people practice Islam and Muslims and the people of the Somali tribe are of the belief that everyone will be judged by God. Although different tribes have their beliefs pertaining to life, death, and the afterlife, Muslim Somali Djiboutians believe their lives are represented by the leaves on a tree which to them is the limit between heaven and earth.
It is also believed that on the first day of the Islamic year, the leaves of this tree are shaken by an angel and the number of leaves that will fall represent those who will die in that particular year.
According to custom, when a Muslim Djiboutian man dies, his wife must mourn him for 10 months 10 days. During that period, a big tent is mounted to accommodate well-wishers and mourners who go to the house of the deceased to sympathize with them.
