Every year, Muslims all over the world attend a pilgrimage to the holy land of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, commonly referred to as Hajj to give thanks to Allah and also stand before Islam’s most sacred mosque, Kaaba (Tambini). It is expected of Muslims to attend the event once in their life as long as they are physically and financially stable. Hajj sometimes spelled “Haj” when translated into English refers “to intend a journey.” The primeval ritual is the largest yearly religious meeting globally. Hajj occurs annually from 8th to 12th of the month of Dhu Al-Hijja, which is the last and Islam’s most holy month (Tambini). The Islamic calendar is developed based on how the moon cycles thus the precise Hajj dates move ten to eleven days earlier each year. In this essay, the economic, cultural, and social characteristics of Hajj will be interpreted using Clifford Geertz “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight” with several saying and quotes being utilized. “Deep Play” is a piece that studies the favorite Balinese tradition of cockfighting. It is typically based on a one-year anthropological study carried out by Geertz in 1958 when he lived together with his wife in Bali, Indonesia. They attended the cockfights despite being illegal and interviewed the individuals who participated in them.
The cultural aspect of Islam particularly in the Hajj dwells on their sacred teachings in the Quran. The pilgrimage is the fifth Islam pillar thus known as one of the most significant traditions in the faith of the Muslims with the rest being charity, five daily prayers, the profession of faith, and the Ramadan fast. Muslims attend the gathering to give thanks to Allah in the form of prayer and also stand before Kaaba. It is part of the culture thus everyone must attend the gathering even once in their life span. The Quaran says, “Proclaim to men the pilgrimage: they will come to thee on foot and every lean camel, coming from every remote path” ("Explaining the Muslim Pilgrimage of Hajj"). Hajj rites are retraced from the lives of their famous prophets such as Ismail and Ibrahim. Despite cockfights being illegal under the Republic of Indonesia laws, it was still part of the Balinese culture as men attended the event to gamble and have fun. “Of course like drinking during prohibition, or today, smoking marijuana, cockfights being a part of ‘The Balinese way of life’ go on happening, and with extraordinary frequency” (Geertz 261). Geertz manages to inscribe cockfighting phenomenon into a meticulous context by presenting it as a cultural phenomenon, which represents a social matrix simulation and also reveals the not so obvious hierarchies, which permeates the Balinese people. For instance, women and the younger persons were forbidden from attending the cockfights as men known as the main players taking part in the event, “Only women, children, adolescents, and various other sorts of people who do not (or not yet) fight cocks... ”(Geertz 275). They were allowed to play in other games such as coins pin and dice throw. Just like in Western regions, the cock represents masculinity, and the rules of the cockfighting are passed down to the next generations to be strictly followed same as Muslims attending the pilgrimage as their popular prophets had done before. The author shows how the culture of the Bali limited their women’s way of life thereby practicing inequality. The same goes for the Muslim pilgrimage whereby women are not given the same priority as men. For instance, they are not supposed to attend the event without the escort of a man (a husband, father, or a brother). Female pilgrims during the pilgrimage are also supposed to cover themselves even on their feet so that no man can see them while men do not do the same (Hadid).
Muslim pilgrimage has a great positive impact on the economy of Saudi Arabia. The industry of pilgrimage is Saudi Arabia’s second most significant after oil. Every year, around two million pilgrims attend the gathering in Mecca. The figure has been projected to rise to 2.7 million by the year 2020. Currently, the country is thinking of restructuring their sector to make pilgrimage their major contributor to their economy since Hajj has a great growth potential with an ability of creating more employment opportunities for the young citizens. In the country, tourism contributes 22.6 billion dollars to the GDP with Hajj alone providing around $12 billion of the total amount. The annual revenue from a season of Hajj stands at 5.3 to 6.1 billion dollars depending on the number of visiting pilgrims. Around 40% of the total revenue comes from housing, 10% food, 15% gifts, and the rest from other services that pilgrims utilize during the Hajj period ("Saudi Arabia to Move from Oil, Earn More from Hajj").The benefits of the Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi is also illustrated in the cockfighting event that greatly contributes positives economically to the Balinese. In Bali, cockfighting was organized as a form of gamble whereby people would bet to see their cocks win. And those who end up winning were awarded with the money and praises. The event attracted many tourists in the region who have never witnessed cocks fighting. In the process, the visitors’ contribution led to the economic growth of the region. Men who were also unemployed managed to get money from their wins in providing for the women and their children thereby improving their lifestyles. The villagers also used the gathering to aid in the development of their institutions that the government was unable to fund thereby promoting the education of their children. Geertz points out, “Ten days or so after our arrival, a large cockfight was held in the public square to raise money for a new school” (Geertz 260). Basically, both events portray how they contribute to the economy of the society with Hajj bring positive financial impacts to Saudi Arabia and also the cockfighting encourage boosting tourism and offering finances to the society members.
Hajj that is sometimes spelled “Haj,” which in English means “to intend a journey” makes all Muslims all over the world to travel to Mecca. Around two million Muslim faithful attend the meeting annually. The organization that is in charge of unifying Muslims through this event by solving issues such as crowd management, traffic, security, and other tensions during the period of Hajj is known as the “Organization of the Islamic Corporation (OIC).” It hopes for one Muslim society. Among the four pillars, the Hajj is the one that reflects the model of unity the most. By requiring from all the faithfuls to wear the same clothes, conduct similar rituals, and pray in the same place, it creates a universal Muslim society that has no class distinctions. The social aspect can also be reflected from Geertz essay. In Bali, despite the government banning cockfighting due to the activities that it encompasses such as fighting and gambling that they fear might be shameful to the terrorists, it brought the villagers together. Their handlers who may not necessarily be the owners bring the cocks to the match. The crowd places a bet on the cock that they believe that will win. “Surrounding all this melodrama, which the crowd packed tight around the ring, follows in near silence, moving their bodies in kinesthetic sympathy with the movement with the animals, cheering their champions on with wordless hand emotions” shows how the villagers enjoyed the event thereby being united by it (Geertz 267). Just as the cockfighting unifies the Balinese people, the same goes for Muslim Pilgrimage that brings Muslims globally together.
Conclusion
Muslim pilgrimage is the most important Islam pillars that benefit faithful all over the world in prayers. When interpreted using Geertz essay “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight,” the Hajj social, cultural, and economic aspects are elaborated. The Cockfight has an immensely positive impact on the economic lives of the Balinese people whereby men who won managed to take care of their families, and also the community agreeing to participate in the vent to fund one of their schools that the government could not fund. The event also attracted tourists such as Geertz and his wife during their stay in Bali thereby boosting the tourism sector in the country. The same applies to the Hajj event that brings together around 2 million faithful yearly who contribute significantly to the economy of Saudi Arabia. In the cultural aspect, cockfight is known as the Balinese way of life whereby they inherited the event from their ancestors thus supposed to be passed to the future generation. The same goes to the Hajj that was started by their popular prophets such as Ismail. The two also coincided on the way they treated women in their culture whereby Muslims limited their women from attending the event unless accompanied by the men as the Balinese men forbidding women from participating in the cockfighting too together with the children. Socially, cockfighting brought together the villagers, which can be witnessed in the Muslim pilgrimage event that brings all Muslims together to such a holy event.
Works Cited
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"Explaining the Muslim Pilgrimage of Hajj". The Conversation, 2017, https://theconversation.com/explaining-the-muslim-pilgrimage-of-hajj-83284. Accessed 27 Feb 2018.
Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures: Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight. Basic Books; New Ed Edition, 1977.
Hadid, Diaa. "At The Hajj, Facing Islam’s Inconsistent Embrace of Women". Nytimes.Com, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/world/middleeast/hajj-mecca-saudi-arabia.html. Accessed 27 Feb 2018.
"Saudi Arabia to Move from Oil, Earn More from Hajj". RT International, 2016, https://www.rt.com/business/337135-saudi-hajj-revenues-oil/. Accessed 27 Feb 2018.
