Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Eid Mubarak to all my Muslim family and friends wherever you are in the world.
This will be our family’s first time celebrating Eid without our mother. We lost my mother in October last year to advance stage breast and lung cancer. The pain of losing her is still felt in our hearts.
You are so fortunate if your mother is still around. As Terengganu folks would say, mujo emak masih ada!
This year’s Eid too, all Malaysians are not allowed to visit each other, not even our own family unless we live in the same household. This is to curb the spike in COVID-19 cases which has been rampant recently.
Nonetheless, we can still celebrate Eid at home with our loved ones. As Terengganu folks would say, mujo masih boleh beraya.
Not that we are from Terengganu I just like the idea of “mujo” shared by one of my favourite bloggers, Pok Ku in his blog Di Bawah Rang Ikang Kering.
I want to share a simple but sweet story that I came across on the concept of “mujo” long time ago.
Here it goes.
Mujo or mujur in Standard Malay language means “fortunate” or “lucky”.
In Terengganu it means more than that. Mujo is an attitude, a testament to the optimism of the Terengganu folks.
I believe that the Terengganu people are optimistic.
I haven’t heard of any suicides there yet. No news whatsoever of people jumping down from coconut trees or drinking expired budu (preserved anchovy thick sauce) neat in order to expire themselves.
You must remember that Terengganu people lived with ferries, morning papers that came in the night and other things people in the West Coast take for granted. In spite of doing without 4D shops, discos, malls or Hot Spot-enabled coffee houses, they are surviving well without any mental hospital in sight.
All because they have mujo.
Like I mentioned previously, mujo encapsulate a philosophy in itself. It means one should thank God that it is not worse. Time for an illustration.
Cut to a scene of three village ladies in their kemban washing clothes by the village well:
Mok Long Selamoh: Guane doh adik mung Mek? (How is your brother Mek?)
Mok Teh Som : Bakpe pulok adik dia? (What happened to her brother?)
Mok Long Selamoh: Laaa! Mung dok tau ke Som? (You don’t know Som?)
Mok Teh Som : Dok tau setarang kita. (I don’t know anything)
Mok Long Selamoh: Adik Mek ni kena langgor lori kemareng. (Mek’s brother was knocked down by a lorry yesterday)
Mek Beso : Bukang lori Mok Long, beng ikang! (It wasn’t a lorry Mok Long, it was a fish van)
Mok Long Selamoh: Mujo bukang lori! (Lucky it wasn’t a lorry)
Mok Teh Som : Pah tu? Terok ke? (Then? Was he seriously injured?)
Mek Beso : Kaki patah sebelah……(One leg was broken)
Mok Teh Som : Mujo dok patoh dua dua (Lucky both legs weren’t broken)
Mok Long Selamoh : Tu pong mujo dreba beng dang brek. (It was lucky that the van driver braked in time)
Mek Beso : Mujo beng tu dok laju.. (Lucky the van wasn’t going fast..)
(Fade to black.)
If both legs were broken, the response would be “Mujo dok pecoh pala” (Lucky the head wasn’t broken).
If the head WAS broken, the response would be “Mujo dok mati” (Lucky he didn’t die).
If the worst happened and the brother died, the mujo would still surface. “Mujo lah bukang adik kita” (Lucky it wasn’t my brother).
You get the drift.
Mujo. A nice word. Adopt it. Embrace it. It will preserve your sanity.
