A friend once asked me if Malays celebrate the same New Year as per the Gregorian or civil calendar. Another asked if the Eid-ul Fitri is the Muslim’s New Year.
I replied `No’ to both questions. Malays being Muslims follow the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar, whose year consists of 12 lunar months. How did this calendar come about?
The start of the Hijri year of the calendar was the Hijrah or `withdrawal’, the emigration of Prophet Muhammad and his followers to the city of Madinah in 622 CE.
Hence, the year 2011 corresponds to the Islamic Year 1432 AH (Hijrah year). Other differences are that Islamic months begin at sunset of the first day and the lunar year is approximately 354 days long.
The months of the Islamic year are:
1. Muharram
("Forbidden" - one of the four months during which it’s forbidden to wage war)
2. Safar
("Empty" or "Yellow")
3. Rabiul Awal
("First spring")
4. Rabiul Thani
("Second spring")
5. Jumaadil Awal
("First freeze")
6. Jumaadil Thani
("Second freeze")
7. Rejab
("To respect" - another holy month when fighting is prohibited)
8. Sha'ban
("To spread and distribute")
9. Ramadan
("Parched thirst" - the month of daytime fasting)
10. Shawwal
("To be light and vigorous")
11. Dhul-Qai’dah
("The month of rest" - another month when no warfare or fighting is allowed)
12. Dhul-Hijjah
("The month of Hajj" - the month of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and no warfare or fighting is allowed)
During January or the month of Safar on the lunar calendar, I remember many years back when my mother told me how people used to perform “Mandi Safar” during Safar.
Apparently, in the Persianised Muslim world, the ritual was once known as Aakhri Charshamba and in Javanese it is known as Rebo Wekasan. However, “Mandi Safar” or bathing in the month of Safar is unheard of nowadays, especially in Singapore.
Origins
In oral tradition, the last Wednesday of Safar is connected to the imagined last days of the Prophet Muhammad.
According to some sources, it was in the month of Safar that Prophet Muhammad suffered from disease which led to his passing. Nevertheless, on the last Wednesday of Safar, Prophet Muhammad reported to have felt better. It was said that he got up from his bed, performed a ritual bath and displayed a happy outlook.
Due to this belief, some Muslims celebrated the last Wednesday of Safar with ritual purifications (bathing) and organised cheerful activities such as picnics at the riverside. This ritual is however not condoned by Islamic authorities and deemed to be unIslamic.
Mandi Safar
(Photo credit: http://hulondhalo.com/2010/02/ritual-mandi-safar/)
Mandi Safar is uniquely celebrated in Malaysia. This bathing festival is celebrated as a holiday and observed during the month of Safar.
Muslims wear bright coloured clothes and visit beaches for a religious cleansing of the body and soul with water. As there is no mention of this rite in the Quran, mainstream Muslims in Malaysia consider it nothing more than a picnic, a big outing for the family.
The well-known Mandi Safar picnics take place on the beaches of Tanjong Kling, near Malacca.
Controversy
There are some groups of Malays that label Safar as bulan sial or evil month. They avoid getting married in the month of Safar as they are afraid that their life will be plagued with bad luck, their marriage will end in divorce and that they won’t be blessed with children. Their motivation to bath in Safar is thus to cleanse themselves from perceived impending bad luck.
As such, most religious authorities deem the Mandi Safar as haram or forbidden.
* Main image credit: http://ririri.student.umm.ac.id/2010/07/28/
Hidayah Amin | 16 May 2011
