Well, melancholy or not, the queen is preparing for departure. Some places in the world they are already celebrating. It’s that moon citing thing and the fact that you can’t always see the new moon even when it is there. I don’t know how many city dwellers realize this, but as the moon wanes, or gets smaller, it also spends less time in the sky at night. To spot the new moon you have to start right at sunset. Then you’ve only got a small window before even that slender hilal disappears. These nights as we walk to the mosque for tarawih, there is no moon at all. The darkness of the sky is ever so much more deep. On the other hand, when the moon is full, well, even in the wee hours of the morning it shines high in the sky: like a big pizza pie.
Still it’s nice to get greetings from my friends in other parts of the world, or read their updates.
So, the queen is preparing to leave us. We will miss the bitter and the sweet, the difficult and the sublime of her visit, this holy month of Ramadan. Now all of our attention is given over to one thing, and one thing only: party, party, party, PARTY!!
This is ‘Id al Fitr, “the festival of the break fast,” also called the “little ‘Id.” The logic of this name is based on the foods prepared especially for this holiday, which are mostly desserts, or sweets. The other ‘Id (pronounced “EED” and often spelled in English “Eid”) is ‘Id al Adha, “the festival of the sacrifice,” which literally includes the meat from the animal sacrifice. That is the “big ‘Id.” Still, since more Muslims participate in the ritual fast than in any other ritual, it has the biggest celebration when it ends. So that’s where we are: about to enter, or already into, the biggest celebration in the world of Muslims.
And once again, we have uniformity and diversity. I’ve seen children in Libya go door to door to collect treats and cash. In Malaysia, the children go to parties at their neighbors’, friends’, and family’s homes—even at the house of the prime minister—and collect coins. Everywhere there are new clothes, new shoes, shiny faces, and combed hair. Everywhere there is visitation, from one’s own and extended family, to neighbors, to community parties. Malaysians have an open house and open their homes to all, no matter what their religion.
There are also different greetings. In Malaysia and Indonesia, the day of celebration translates into Hari Raya. They both give some variation on that greeting I described when I talked about forgiveness: maaf zahir dan batin, “forgive me any offenses, whether knowingly or unknowingly.” They also say selamat Hari Raya, selamat being the sort of universal word for peace, good, safety, etc.
In Arabic they say kullu ‘aamin wa antum bi khayr, which is literally, “every year and you with goodness,” or “many happy returns.” The reply is, wa antum bis-sihah was-Salaam, which is “may every year (find you) with health and peace.” I think in the United States, we take ours from South Asia and just say ‘Id Mubarak, “blessed ‘Id,” with the response, ‘Id Karim, “noble or generous ‘Id.”
And everywhere there is food.
So much food you can see why such a rigorous fast does not produce the world’s thinnest people: they’d eat it all back during the three-day celebration. And that’s what is should be: three days of celebration. The part that puts the ‘holy’ into the holiday is also the most uniformly practiced: the prayer on the morning of the first day after the new moon has been cited, salatul-’Id. This will be the largest gathering of Muslim worshippers at any one time per neighborhood.
In Indonesia and Cairo, we prayed out in the open, because no mosque was big enough to hold us. In both places—one hot and humid, the other hot and desert dry—I really, really appreciated why the prayer service is completed in the early morning. Last year, I remember, that by the time the sun began to climb the sky, we were done, and on our way home for the next part of the festivities. I only wish I had remembered to bring my camera, because it really was a beautiful sight to see: all those women, men, and children. Never mind, I have it perfectly pictured in my head.
In minority communities in the U.S., Muslims might rent a large auditorium or community center for a full day’s activity, including the moon walk, performers, Muslim merchants selling their wares, and of course food, glorious food. This was a perfect occasion for me to fix a turkey dinner. Once again, I bring my culture into the living cultures of Islam. We also like to go to a pancake restaurant for brunch. The idea of eating the first meal of the day as late as you can, you might imagine, has a special appeal.
The most uniform part of the celebration for both ‘Ids is the prayer, or worship. It consists of two units of rakaat, with an extra six takbirat, which is raising the hands to say Allahu Akbar, or “God is great!” This is followed by a sermon, usually quite long. Long enough for the children to get fidgity. No matter where I am in the world, this uniformity allows me to be included without special preparation. Of course there are still some places where women are not allowed to attend. But when we are allowed, we know what to expect.
On the one hand, this formality of worship might seem unnecessary and a burden. So besides the advantage that a Muslim anywhere in the world can enter and know the formula, what purpose might all this formality serve? But wait, in my haste, it seems I have referred to the salah enough times that a fuller explanation is in order. In fact, I have in mind the explanation about how the performance of the Islamic salah is the perfect ritual: The best form of worship for a human vis-a-vis the sacred. I guess I owe you that one, because for now, I am ready to focus on the celebration.
For those who followed this blog as part of their Ramadan schedule, I wish to say thanks. If you’re like me, there will be a shift in your daily schedule now that the fasting is over. However, I’m not done blogging—I’ve got six weeks to finish my preparation for hajj. I’ll be blogging my way up to and then on through the hajj. So do return to this spot from time to time and see how that is going. Meanwhile, ‘Id Mubarak and many happy returns!
