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Good morning all....it's a nice Saturday morning here in Jakarta and it's good to be home after being away for almost a week.
There's something going on in my street today, the house across the street from me is preparing for something....I dont think its a wedding because if it was, there would be heaps of flowers and decorations. It could be a funeral, there's a really old man living in that house and he might have passed away....or it could be something else.
Whenever there's an "event" or a happening, like a party where heaps of guests are expected, the local suburban homes on these little streets are way too small to accommodate a whole heap of people.
This house across my street is actually made up of many tiny rooms which are being rented out (like an apartment) and they are really very, very small.
So if someone living there wants to have a party, they generally have to have it out on the street. So what they do is, they hire a marquee or a canopy and chairs from somewhere....it's very cheap here....and they close off the street for a couple of hours while the party is happening.
I took these pics from my balcony overlooking the street. I will find out later on what the occasion is....and maybe I will even be invited..lol. I've been away all week so I have not heard about it.
This particular party will probably be at lunchtime....these events always happen around "eating" times and people bring lots of food and stuff.Â
What I find really amusing and I dont understand is, why they put the chairs in rows as if there's going to be some sort of a show. I've seen many of these events happening around my suburb, but in the eight years I've lived here, this is the first one actually on my street. It's a gathering of people for a party so I dont get why they set up the chairs like this.
I will take pics of the actual event when it is happening and I will post an update with the pics later on today.
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I found out that the occasion was a celebration of someone from this house actually achieving a Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca. This is a huge event especially for these people as they are far from being wealthy and live pretty much on daily struggle to make ends meet.
It takes a lot of money and a year or more of preparations to do the Haj so achieving it is a real milestone.
I found out also that Muslims must/should (if at all possible) make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetime. I'm not a Muslim but I sure wouldnt mind the experience myself.
I did get an informal invitation..must have been caught taking pics from my balcony...lol...so I went down and spent about half an hour just to be polite. It was midday and stifling hot, the food was deteriorating with the heat very quickly right before my eyes, and the only refreshments made available was plastic (sealed) cups of water and they werent even chilled. ...you know those ones where you get a little straw to poke through the seal and you sip it?
But it was very friendly, and everyone was very gracious and very proud and I felt very humbled.Â
Many times I and many westerners I guess, feel as if we're so lucky to be living where we live...in Aus or in the US, but watching these people live their daily lives without things we take for granted..like cars, TV's, airconditioning etc..and still they seem to be so calm and un-stressed and always polite and friendly....sometimes I wonder who is really the lucky one.
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Sounds like a really lovely way to spend an afternoon.
The first arrivals and its only 10am.