Whew! Finally it's all over . . . the 10th month of the Muslim calendar just after the fasting month of Ramadhan. You see, during this month there were many 'open houses' involving visiting, eating and entertaining.
"Selamat Hari Raya . . . ." belting out some favourite tunes
Members enjoying the food . . .
In the Arabian countries, Ramadhan (fasting month) is more important than Syawal, the month following it. I was in Mecca for one month during Ramadhan a few years back. Every night and day the Holy Mosque was packed to capacity with pilgrims and every single person was fasting during the day. Imagine a whole city where everybody was fasting! I had to go hours before the call of prayer to get a space to pray. When it was almost time to break fast at dusk, we only took dates and cool "zam-zam" water. Most of the time the local Arabs would offer us yoghourt, bread and "ghahwa" the dark bitter coffee (which I didn't quite fancy). Everybody was very generous during the fasting month. Outside the Holy Mosque, thousands of people were treated with special bariyani rice, roast chicken and the like, sponsored by benevolent patrons. Heavy meals were not allowed inside the Mosque. Even as I walked towards the mosque weaving my way through the milling crowd, I was handed dates, snacks, yoghourt and milk to break fast (and sometimes money too). There were kindness and smiles on all faces.
Then on the first day of Syawal, very very early in the morn, about 3.00 a.m. we went to the Mosque to wait for the first call to prayer at dawn. The place was already crowded - children and all. The children were in their prettiest frocks and suits, strutting all over the place. As we sat, we were offered expensive sweets and candies. So early in the morning? Yes, that's the way of the Arabs. Not long after the morning prayer, it was the special Eid prayers. After that everybody dispersed and that was it. The vicinity of the Mosque was left with maybe some foreign pilgrims who stayed for a few more days whilst waiting for their flight home. Felt so sad when it was all over, hoping to visit again during the fasting month in Mecca.
No comments:
Post a Comment