이슬람 예언자 무함마드 탄생 기리는 ‘마울리드’, 33년만에 한 해 동안 두번 열려
* ‘아시아엔’ 연수 외국기자가 작성한 기사의 한글요약본과 원문을 함께 게재합니다.
[아시아엔=라드와 아시라프 기자·번역 최정아 기자] 이슬람 예언자 프로펫 무함마드 마호메트의 탄신일 ‘마울리드'(Mawlid)가 크리스마스 이브날인 오는 24일(현지시간) 열린다. 무슬림들에게 이번 마울리드는 매우 특별하다. 33년만에 처음으로 한 해 동안 두 번의 마울리드를 맞았기 때문이다. 앞서?지난 1월3일에도 마울리드가 열려 이슬람 문화권은 무함마드 탄생을 기린바 있다.
매년 이슬람 국가에선 여엔자 무함마드의 탄생을 기념하는 ‘마울리드’ 축제를 연다. 이날 무슬림들은 무함마드의 미덕과 생애를 칭송하는 시를 낭송하며 그의 가르침을 다시 한번 되새긴다. 또 축제기간동안 신자들은 말, 인형 등을 본뜬 설탕과자 ‘마울리드 디저트’를 먹는다. 이집트에선 여자아이에겐 인형을, 남자아이에겐 말 모양의 설탕과자를 주는데, 최근에는 플라스틱 장난감도 큰 인기를 끌고 있다.
이라크를 시작으로, 시리아, 이집트, 리비야, 요르단, 튀니지, 아랍에미리트(UAE), 오만 등 대부분의 이슬람 국가들은 마울리드를 국경일로 지정하고 있다.
Prophet Muhammad’s birthday anniversary occurs for two times in 2015
“We’re?witnessing a one of a kind phenomena that haven’t occurred for a long time, as prophet Muhammad’s birthday celebrations coincide with the birth of Christ (Christmas) for 2015”, said the Egyptian head of Astronomy department in National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Ashraf Tadros.
The “Mawlid” or Prophet Muhammad’s birthday anniversary occurred in January 3rd 2015, and it’s set?to happen again on 24th December 2015, in an event that’s repeated once every 33 years, as the solar year exceeds the lunar year by 11 days.
The “Mawlid” is a yearly celebration for most Muslims in Islamic countries, as they celebrate the birth of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. The celebrations aren’t considered a religious festival, but it’s merely a yearly reminder of the prophet. During these celebration people hold sessions where poems of the prophet’s praise are recited, as well as learning from his biography and mentioning his merits, accompanied by offering food and deserts, most notably the “Mawlid’s deserts.” These deserts originated in Islamic countries especially Egypt during the month of celebrating the Prophet’s birthday, it has many shapes and kinds and it’s connected to the “Mawlid”
A lot of Islamic countries celebrate the day of “Mawlid” and many?countries consider it a national holiday such as: Iraq, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Jordan, Tunisia, UAE, and Oman. Other Islamic countries such as Pakistan, Malaysia, and others celebrate the “Mawlid” while other countries ban celebrating it, saying it’s not an official Islamic festival like?“Eid al-Adha” and “Eid al-Fitr.”
Most Muslims attribute celebrating the “Mawlid” to the prophet Muhammad himself, who had a a a tradition of fasting on a specific day saying that “this is the day I was born.” It’s also noted that the first country to hold big and organized celebrations of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday anniversary is Iraq.
In Egypt, the “Mawlid” is one of the biggest religious-related celebrations as mosques get decorated through the month of celebration especially for that occasion.?“Mawlid’s deserts” set Egypt apart in celebrating the “Mawlid,” and besides the deserts, Egypt is famous for making sugar horses for boys and candy dolls for girls, which over the years was modified to be plastic horses and dolls as toys related to the occasion.