Having been in Jakarta for three months now, I find that many times the little cultural moments I experience throughout the day come and go without much of a second thought. Every once in a while, though, I experience a moment that I know I’ll remember. Last week I had one those moments at work.
A little background info first…
Wednesday is Idul Adha, the important Muslim holiday celebrated to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma'il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead. One of the traditions of Idul Adha is for families to purchase a cow or goat that will be slaughtered on the holiday. The meat is divided into three equal parts to be distributed to others. The family retains one third of the share, another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors, and the other third is given to the poor & needy.
In preparation for Idul Adha, there are cow and goat stations throughout the streets of Jakarta where families are going this week to pick out their animal in preparation.
Okay, now the cultural moment…
I was in a team meeting at work and we were trying to figure out when the team will meet again this week. One of my team members suggested Wednesday. We reminded her that Wednesday was a holiday and we’d have the day off. Her response was priceless. She declared, “Oh wow, it’s Idul Adha already?” Then she very casually said, “Oh boy, I haven’t even bought our goat yet.”
I lost it and busted out in laughter. I had to apologize to my team member and explain that I wasn’t laughing at her or the holiday or anything like that. I was laughing at (1) the fact that I heard the phrase “I haven’t bought our goat yet” at a work meeting (someone tell me the last time they heard that phrase uttered at work in the U.S.) and (2) the casual manner in which she said it. As if it was an errand to run after work (and who knows, perhaps it was).
After my laughter subsided, I thought about it some more. I realized some things know no holiday or national borders. Regardless of which holiday you’re celebrating, there’s always the last minute holiday rush. Whether you’re buying Christmas presents or buying the family goat for Idul Adha, there always will be that last minute holiday shopping that needs to get done.
Selamat Idul Adha everyone!
