Necessary Counters

Two greetings of the season offered this morning, both at the Cheers shop at the Haig picking up the newspaper. Only one guy in this neighbourhood dutifully, compulsively reads all the passing tees for all they can offer of clues to identity. The KL Islamic Museum blue /white of ancient Arabic script in large font would have told even only the functionally literate this morning with a merest glance. Surely…. (Sad to report, thus far only the single first letter has been mastered—alif. Currently, Brighton U.K. Blogger Graham Askey, met in Jogja the year before, was understandably struggling with the acquisition at a study centre in Alexandria.) In Melbourne the Jews and the Greeks—before the latter switched to the Gregorian calendar for Chrissy, while still retaining the Julian for Easter! — always provided good, much needed cover on the 25th. Firm, steadfast allies. Here of course the Mussies and later down the road in Middle Geylang it will be the Mainland Chin foreign workers. (These mostly Maoists from the construction sites with their ways of ages past continue to delight wherever they are found, regardless of language barrier.) All highly necessary counters to what has been made of this putative birthday of Christ the Scourge and Redeemer. Odd and exceedingly strange—no one had remarked upon the matter thus far— this year in fact the occasion closely coinciding with that of the Prophet’s own birthday too, here at least on the Equator: among the local Malays marked as the 24th. (Elsewhere in the Muslim world various other calendric markings in this instance too.) An auspicious, uncommon unity one would guess—completely ignored. Beautifully rhythmic supplications again last night flowing across the lane from the madrasa behind the hotel through the opened bathroom window, reminiscent once more of nothing as much as the Ashkenazi choristers down in Melbourne. Further unity again! The final maulid prayers proper had been the night before.

NB. “Christmas Chic” was the feature in the Life! segment of the Straits Times today. Colouful decorations erected in the higher end bungalows and condos by the domestic helpers, the report fails to note.

NB. 2 Christmas in most of the Orthodox world occurs on January 7 of the modern calendar.