Celebrating Prophet Mohammed’s birthday in Mumbai (PHOTOS)
Last week, I went with my housekeeper to her very poor community in eastern Mumbai to see how Muslims here celebrate the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday. We intended to wait in her neighborhood until a procession of trucks carrying screaming, chanting young men and children made their way around the city and then ended up in her community, where we would greet them. Instead, we climbed into the trucks and went along for the ride.
Here are photographs from the festivities.
My housekeeper Chandbi and I set off to celebrate Prophet Mohammed's birthday in Mumbai on February 27, 2010.
Chandbi and I sit in a truck, filled with children and young men on top, as we partake in the procession through the streets of Mumbai. Here is a view through the windshield of the men leading our truck in chants of "Allahu akbar" (God is great).
We pass stages where clerics give sermons on Islam and the teachings of Prophet Mohammed.
A view of inside the truck where Chandbi and I sit. The women typically stay at home or watch the procession from the sidelines. They made an exception and let me and Chandbi into the truck -- and they put us with the smallest children.
I get down to photograph the men and boys who march through the procession playing instruments.
The boys sitting on the roof of our truck wave flags and cheer as we parade through the streets.
A young man catches a ride by leaning against our truck's windshield.
A man on horseback participates in the parade.
Girls sitting on top of a taxi watch from the sidelines. Many of the children in attendance wore their finest dresses and salwar kamazees with heavy dangling earrings and bangles reaching half way up their arms.
The procession lasted for hours into the night.
Here is my GlobalPost article on what it was like to celebrate a Muslim holiday in India as a Jewish American.
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I expected this. In fact, I was waiting for this, after reading your tweet on that day as you went out. Good!
[...] here to see my photographs from the festival. [...]