I think I’m about done with shopping for clothes to wear on hajj. Yesterday two “hajj” outfits arrived by Fed Ex. These were put away in the closet with the three I bought in Indonesia, just before Ramadan began.
Technically the ihram, “sacred dress” for hajj is limited to what is worn by the men. They have two plain white clothes (about the size of a beach towel) which they wear. One piece is wrapped around their lower half, like a sarong or skirt, and the other piece either goes over one shoulder and under the arm on the opposite side, or, is sometimes draped over both shoulders. At certain points along the way with the hajj rites, they are supposed to change from right shoulder covered to left shoulder covered. It’s very specific and very detailed. All semblances of national or cultural dress and of class are removed. Unity in uniformity and that uniformity is very specific and very plain.
Not so specific is what to do under the two cloths. Some have taken it to mean that is all they are permitted to wear so they go around without any underwear. My friend Na’eem wrote a nice little book on his hajj experience some years back with his wife before she died. He described a man running for a bus, who just managed to get in the door way when his bottom half of his ihram was ripped off by the momentum, leaving a naked buttock exposed for all to see (and enjoy, because if you think about it, it’s quite funny!)
Most men do wear their underwear, but still, they are unused to the direct leg to leg friction. So Na’eem followed the recommendation to use vaseline on the thighs to prevent chafing.
The intention of removing all signs of class and cultural distinction while performing the hajj reiterates that each man is equal to the next man. Nice. But I hope you noticed I said man to men, and I don’t ever use the word unless explicitly male. I never use that word for human being, person, or humanity as whole. That gives people too much license whether to include women as persons or human beings, so I just don’t do it. But here it is intentional.
Well, I think about the idea of hajj as a visit before the king. Men, who are basically used to certain predominance in society, if only in the context of near universal patriarchy, are explicitly commanded to don the ihram, so plain as if to promote greater humility before the King. No pompous show of culture and class.
Men have to wear the ihram. Women can wear what ever they want. Really. There is no restriction, except one: the face cannot be covered. Imagine that?! For all those places, where uncovering the face is either prohibited or severely restricted, like in Saudi Arabia itself, for the hajj, the face must be uncovered. Technically, hajj is one long ritual and women are also prohibited to cover the face for the other ritual performances like salah.
But what is the idea behind a woman not having any other particular specifications for ihram? Well, honestly I have no idea. It does mean she can wear red, or blue or green if she wants. But then with no specifications, women still seem to try for some kind of uniformity and almost all of them wear white? What is white before the king I wonder?
Then I wonder what kind of effort would be needed to fashion a uniform hajj outfit for women? I don’t know that either. I just think about things like this.
Now that I have at least 5 (for a three week visit) I have noticed there is not much difference between what I just got from an online order in the US and what I got from a shop in Indonesia. Both are white, cotton, light outfits, people talk a lot about the desert heat, so that is a universal consideration when these outfits are made, I guess. Both have long, opened sleeves, no cuffs; either for convenience of making ablutions before rituals, or for simplicity sake. I can’t tell that either since there are no rules. I hate open cuffed clothing I need to have that tucked in feeling at the end of my arms, but hey I don’t want to be vain.
The style of the dress also begs for plain-ness. Both are, dare I say it, like sack dresses. One opens in the front with a few buttons, no collar, just a small hem, and the other has a short zipper in the back with a Nehru collar. Neither of them has any darts. What’s wrong with a dart, I wonder about that too? The ones I got in Indonesia have a lining (you know how transparent white clothes are, right?
The U.S. ones have a separate garment, which they call a “slip”, which looks very much like a sleeve-less mu-mu. It’s made of the same nice cotton and has this nifty pocket that opens with a zipper, sewn onto the front. I think what am I supposed to do with that open up the buttons on my dress and take out my passport or cash? To complete the ensemble there are pants with no cuffs either, no zipper, no darts, just elastic at the waist. I figure if I add a white long sleeved tee shirt I could use that slip thing all by itself especially with the cuff-less pants underneath. You have to be careful in hot climates not to have too many layers, but I mean they intended me to wear it with the outer dress any way.
The U.S. one comes with a scarf, which is really only a rectangle of fabric with a cotton lace border. Once you put that scarf over the U.S. garment, there is no more visual of the little bit of white on white embroidery design on the top of the bodice. The Indonesian ones have little flowers embroidered through out the entire dress. Plus, the Indonesian ones have padding in the shoulders, go figure that out? I’d take a dart over padding, personally.
I have enough white scarves anyway, and my regular prayer outfit from Indonesia covers everything with a long enough scarf, I don’t need long sleeves and a sarong skirt with no stitching. I just wrap it around, overlap, and make at tuck to hold it in place. I’ve been sleeping in one of the more colorful batik ones for almost 20 years, so I’m used to that. I guess for the more rigorous running/walking sa’iy between Safa and Marwa, and the 7 time circumambulation around the ka’aba, I’d go with the well stitched option.
Now all I need are the right shoes. Easy on, easy off, able to absorb water if I have to make ablutions and then get back to the mosque, but not to be saturated with water. Slippers or open toed shoes are not such a good idea. One of my friends told a story of losing her slipper, the flip-flop type, and leaning down to retrieve it when it slipped off, then the crowd closed up over her! Her aunt had to force an opening to get her back to surface. Don’t want to do that.
I did buy a white zippered sweat shirt at the K-mart the other day because some of those overnights, early mornings in the desert can be cold, and I’d rather be hot than not. But, I’m excited to get to this point in my personal preparations. Actually the whole thing has been paid in full, the ticket has been purchased with the itinerary sent to me and now I am waiting for the visa process.
The thing is, I still have the entire month of October and one week in November before I get on my way. I’ve passed more than 50 days on this blog and have exhausted the best of what I have to say. I think I’ll take a break from the daily routine, and submit one or two a week until I get a lot closer to my time for departure. Honestly, I am like most type A personalities: I get ahead of myself. This leaves me with little or nothing much to do before the actual trip.
On the other hand, if there are topics any one would like to suggest, please feel free and I will try to address them.
