Merry Christmas and Happy Idul Fitri<\/p>\n
By Aida Greenbury<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Anna looked up at the greasy clock on the
\nkitchen wall. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. It
\nwas a bit hard to see the numbers behind the grayish layers of
\nsmoke and fat covering the clock's glass surface. She promised to
\nget up there and clean it up, when the fasting month was over.
\nRight now, with what little energy remained, she was going to
\nprepare the fast-breaking dinner. When you are dehydrated,
\ncarrying nothing in your stomach for the past nine hours, kitchen
\nwork can be tough, easily comparable to the construction workers
\nwho throughout this month move bricks without their familiar
\ncigarettes in their mouths.<\/p>\n
Anna and her family had been observing the fast for almost a
\nmonth -- no drinking, no eating, superbly controlled emotions and
\nno sex from dawn until being among the sacrifices endured during
\nthis special month. The Ramadhan month was almost over. The
\nfollowing day, the family was going to witness the sighting of
\nthe crescent Shawwal moon, which symbolizes the end of the holy
\nmonth. Then the new start begins. After 30 days of non-stop self-
\npurification, the Muslims are reborn -- humble, clean and
\nsinless. Idul Fitri, postfasting holiday, means a return to
\npureness.<\/p>\n
Anna opened the fridge. There was a whole chicken, a bunch of
\npalm-leaf wrapped rice cakes and palm-sugar soaked bananas for
\ndessert. The perfect sugar-fix diet for breaking the fast.
\nChicken curry, rice cakes plus extra sweet condiments are the
\ntypical local Ramadhan menu. They aim to instantly replace the
\nlost sugar and energy.<\/p>\n
\"Siti, Marni! Could you please help me prepare the food?\" Anna
\nshouted -- calling her dutiful set of temporary maids (she has to
\npay them double the salary she gave her usual domestic, which had
\ndisappeared a week prior to Lebaran). One of the privileges of
\nbeing both opulent and fasting is that she can have other people
\ndo her jobs, especially when her energy is running low.<\/p>\n
An hour later, she came back to the kitchen only to see that
\nthe place had turned into a messy shipwreck. Coconut milk
\nsplattered on the walls, a troop of ants marching across the
\nwindow sills, ready to attack chips of brown sugar on the floor;
\ntypical domestic chaos.<\/p>\n
Anna took a deep breath. \"I'm fasting, I can't contemplate
\nanger,\" she whispered to herself. Cleaning the mess in silence --
\nunder the scrutiny of the maids, who had the classic \"what did we
\ndo wrong?\" look on their faces -- Anna felt incredibly relieved
\nthat Tuesday was the last day of Ramadhan. On the first day of
\nIdul Fitri, she was going to go to the great mosque with her
\nfamily early in the morning to pray, followed by visiting her
\nrelatives, who she only sees once a year, to ask forgiveness
\nwhile being entertained with mountains of snacks and sweet,
\nbright red and watered-down syrup. She has been missing that for
\nawhile.<\/p>\n
Christmas<\/p>\n
Imagine that same night at a different house, approximately a
\nhundred meters away from Anna's. Here is a completely different
\nstory. Julie, an Australian woman who has resided in Jakarta for
\nsix months, sits down at one end of her dining table. Her husband
\nsits at the other end. Between the two their four children sit
\nrestlessly, trying so hard to finish the rest of their plum
\npudding and searching for the little silver coin hidden in each.
\nTheir eyes continuously go to the corner of their living room --
\nwhere a pile of Christmas presents sits sweetly under the canopy
\nof a lush, decorated plastic green pine tree.<\/p>\n
Julie smiles at them. She thinks back, relieved that
\neverything has gone smoothly, not as bad as she had thought it
\nwould be. All the Christmas cards were mailed early --
\nconsidering it takes two weeks longer for them to arrive when you
\nsend them from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The holiday shopping in Jakarta was great. After visiting all
\nof the Christmas bazaars in the city, Julie had enough presents
\nfor the next ten years -- including 15 glittery Santa hats.
\nAlthough it wasn't quite a white Christmas -- it had never been
\nin Sydney either -- it wasn't really much different than at home.
\nShe is looking forward to Christmas Mass tomorrow morning,
\nalthough she only understands about 10 percent of what is said in
\nthe church.<\/p>\n
Anna and Julie are two different people with two different
\nbeliefs from different backgrounds and cultures who happen to
\nlive in the same neighborhood, both celebrating in their own
\nways. And what do you know; Idul Fitri and Christmas are one day
\napart in this extraordinary December 2000.<\/p>\n
If we are lucky -- meaning both celebrations are smooth and
\nsafe, without any politically driven riots or demonstrations --
\nthen it's definitely going to be an unforgettable memory straight
\nfrom heaven. You might even have been lucky to see a lot of
\nChristmas trees decorated with bright green ribbon-plaited
\nketupat in the shopping malls.<\/p>\n
Let's just focus on our similarities instead of our
\ndifferences. Minal Aidzin Wal Faidzin and Merry Christmas.
\nDoesn't it sound nice?<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/merry-christmas-and-happy-idul-fitri-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}