Imagine it’s 5:30 pm on Christmas Eve. Family has gathered from out of town for a
special meal -- the food is almost done and the table is set. Kids, adorned in their new clothes, are excited about the festivities to come – whether marching in the Christmas Eve parade, or just spending time at home
opening one special present or perhaps all of them! Churches are putting the final preparations
on their Christmas Eve services. Some people
are already on the road heading to church.
The next morning is CHRISTMAS – they can hardly wait! Adults are a little frazzled with
preparations but happy with a holiday glow.
Then the announcement comes over the radio and the TV.... people start calling and texting each other immediately with the news!
Christmas has been postponed by one day!
Today is not Christmas Eve …..it’s the day before!
I don’t know what everyone did ….whether they
put the special food in the fridge or just ate it …and I don’t know how they felt
….
This is exactly what happened here last night. The date for Idul Fitri are published on the calendar, but cannot commence until the moon is exactly right. On the afternoon of Idul Fitri eve, Muslim
experts all over the country peered at the skies for the sighting of the new
moon….it didn’t appear and therefore the date was postponed.
Everyone was ready though, when the festivities finally
started last night. Jonathan was excited by
the children’s parade that went by our house at 7 pm. All of the kids were shiny in their brand new holiday clothes, singing and holding candles and
marching to the beat of a big drum. At
dusk, the mosques started their all night broadcast. The music continued until 7 am, when our neighbors gathered at the Mosque to worship and hear a special Idul Fitri sermon. People are now officially breaking their month
long fast with delicious food and will soon start visiting each other and asking
forgiveness for any wrongs they may have committed over the previous year. It’s Idul Fitri!
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