The mountains, this evening, disappeared behind a new, purple veil as I left work. A mosque behind my house (which I had never noticed before) pounced unexpectedly out of the dusk, its minaret newly layered with flashing green, red, and white gaudy bright neon lights. All night, the loudspeakers burbled loud things that my Dari is not yet good enough to understand. From time to time, the burbling became agitated, then subsided again. Not very many Afghans came to work the next day.
This is because of Ramadan – Ramazan people say here. A thin crescent moon appeared in Mecca last night, and Ramadan will last until it comes around again. Most of the Afghans I work with will think religious thoughts for a month. Food, water and anything else which might dilute the religious thinking won’t pass their lips in daylight hours (or at all, if possible). And the mosques, it turns out, will proclaim a lot for most of the night.
There were no newspapers today; most things stopped.
There was something very therapeutic about that.
September 9, 2008 at 10:43 pm |
Odd thing about things slowing down (and of silence in particular), in the context of the UK is that it’s qualities seem largely misunderstood. The word I’m searching for is…discipline! Ah, which seems to hasten Purification. Clarity. Clear vision. Calmness. Very therapeutic indeed.
September 10, 2008 at 10:48 pm |
Therapeutic indeed, something sadly lacking in the hustle and bustle of Whitehall. Motorcycling preserves a modicum of sanity. Did the Buell make it to Kabul with the Cat?
September 11, 2008 at 4:29 pm |
Kabul Cat, thoughtful rug lover, relishes the relief brought by Ramadan, and is adopted by ducks. Dave Barry once wrote of being advanced on by ducks and imagined them saying ” Do not even think of appealing to the authorities. They can do nothing, for we are ducks.”
September 12, 2008 at 4:09 pm |
Hello from Iraq -Catherine Cat,
I read your blogs with great relish – you’re a poet, sculptress and woman of words!
Have had precious little time to blog as you do,
instead it comes out in many other ways visually,
thru the interaction with iraqis. I wish we had a work of your art for the show here in Baghdad – it would be a most welcome piece.
Thank you for the blog about Purpose- their are pockets of it here too as you know – Insha’allah !
Look forward to your next log-in
your fellow artist, Peter
September 20, 2008 at 10:02 am |
Ramazan Kareem. Now in the last 10 days of Ramadan, the so-called ‘Days of Power’. So may the Power be with you..