This Monday is the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, known as Mawlid, which in lowercase form can refer to any birthday celebration. (Of course, since the Muslim calendar is lunar, March 9 is the day it falls on this year. Next year, we'll celebrate it 11 days earlier.) We have Sunday off, our only three-day weekend, in honor of the day. Apparently, it doesn't matter which celestial body determines your calendar or which dead leader your culture chooses to honor, mid-week birthdays are always attached to the closest weekend. The Prophet himself is no different.Most Muslims celebrate Mawlid, though in Saudi Arabia, they regard honoring Muhammad above other prophets as idol worship and point out that there is no evidence in the Quran that Muhammad celebrated his birthday during his lifetime. More's the pity because everyone else embraces the day with sweets for the kids and a day off for the adults. At school on Thursday (which is the equivalent of Friday, remember), kids were handing out candy and baklava-type desserts. One of my favorite advisees swept through the room on his way to lunch with three trays of a soft, chewy treat loaded with honey and pistachios. He demanded that I help myself to a generous portion in honor of the Prophet and looked visibly pained when I took a less (in his mind) celebratory slab. (It was delicious, but even the sweetest baklava has nothing on the pastry this kid was peddling.) I don't know if one's dedication to Muhammad correlates to the amount of sugar one consumes, but I felt I was doing my part.
In some countries there are parades and carnival-like celebrations. A quick glance through the search engines reveals not much going on the UAE other than youth group events (to take advantage of the day off from school). I will be preparing for a Mesopotamian-themed simulation activity and holding an optional softball practice, but thoroughly enjoying two days in a row of weekend. Mawlid Mubarak!
3 comments:
It reminds me a little of St. Patrick's Day here, only you DO get the actual day off (March 17th) and you have all the fanfare on that day… except when it falls on the weekend and then you get the Monday off.:)
So lovely, Ray. Great kid stories. I've got to read you more often!!!
At a multinational military base, one gets to celebrate ALL of the holidays--multiculturalism at its best. You don't get the day off, but at night the celebrating nation will host a party for everyone. The Irish on St Patrick's beat everyone by a mile. And they did not displace their party from March 17 to Friday night. They take celebtrating very seriously. Their commander gave them the day after to recover.
The Turks (our token Muslim contingent) did more for their national holidays than the religious ones. The locals (also a pretty secular lot) would celebrate and were usually pretty quiet at holidays except for their annoying habit of firing guns in the air to celebrate.
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