Day of Laughter

It was a regular spring afternoon. Gulustan was hanging laundry on the line in the yard of their home in Baku's Zira settlement. Just then, her daughter Bahra came up to her:

 

— Mom! she called out.

 

Bahra was the elder of her two children.

— What is it, my beautiful girl? Gulustan turned around.

 

Bahra smiled and said:

— You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to wake up Dad and tell him the house is on fire!

 

Gulustan’s husband, Shahadat, worked the night shift at a bakery. He had been asleep for two hours since returning home. The couple, originally from the village of Ramazanli in Neftchala, had moved to Baku fifteen years earlier to make a living.

 

— What are you saying, Bahra?! Gulustan snapped at her daughter. Who plays tricks like that on their father?

 

Caught off guard by her mother’s reaction, Bahra fell silent for a moment and then slowly replied:

— Mom, you know today is April Fools’ Day. I just wanted to play a prank on Dad.

 

Yes, it was April 1st — the so-called Day of Laughter. Also known as the day of pranks, tricks, and deception, this tradition had first emerged in Christian countries at the end of the 15th century.

 

Seeing that her daughter was frightened, Gulustan softened her voice and began to speak:

— Listen, my girl, for some people today may be a day of laughter, but for me personally, it is a very sorrowful day.

Then, picking up the empty laundry basket, she added:

— Come on, let’s go inside. I’m really thirsty.

 

Both headed toward the house with quick steps. Five minutes later, they sat side by side at the kitchen table, with tea in front of them. After taking a sip, Gulustan turned to her daughter and asked in a low voice:

— Where’s Sarvat?

— Reading a book, Bahra replied coldly.

 

Bahra was in the eighth grade, and her brother Sarvat was in the seventh.

 

Seeing her daughter was upset, Gulustan put her left arm around her shoulders and tried to console her:

— Looks like my sweet girl is upset with me. I’m sorry if I hurt you. But really, today is a sad day for me—and for all Muslims who know the history of this day.

— Why, Mom? You said that earlier too, Bahra asked, her curiosity piqued.

 

Finishing her tea, Gulustan sighed deeply and began to speak slowly:

— Actually, there are two reasons. Let me tell you the first—about the origins of this day. At the end of the 15th century, Crusaders besieged the last fortress of the Andalusian Muslims. Despite the harsh winter, the Muslims defended the fortress for months. Seeing this, the Crusader commander resorted to deception. On the night of March 31st, he approached the fortress holding both the Bible and the Quran, and said: “I swear on these two holy books that if you surrender today, I will do you no harm.” Trusting his word, the Muslims surrendered.

But the very next morning—today—the commander ordered the mass killing of all the Muslims there. When the people reminded him of his promise, he replied that his oath was only valid for yesterday. On that day, a massacre was carried out against innocent, unarmed Muslims. And ever since, April 1st has been celebrated in Christian countries as a day of trickery and deception, or simply, a day of laughter. So tell me, how can we celebrate a day that marks the slaughter of our blameless fellow believers?

 

— Mom, please forgive me! cried Bahra, shocked by what she had heard. Her eyes filled with tears as she hugged her mother. I swear I didn’t know the history behind today. If I had known…

 

— I know, my dear, I know, Gulustan said as she wiped Bahra’s tears.

 

— But Mom, then why do we still celebrate this day? We’re a Muslim country. We ourselves are Muslims, Alhamdulillah.

 

— Ah, my daughter, Gulustan sighed sorrowfully, this tradition of celebrating the day was left to us from the Soviet Union era.

 

— What do you mean? Bahra asked in surprise. But we’re independent now. We no longer live under Soviet rule.

 

Gulustan smiled bitterly:

— Yes, my smart girl, you’re right. We’re independent—but only as a state… Now let’s move on to the second reason,she paused for a moment, then continued, Today is also the memorial day of our brave martyrs who died heroically in 2016 for the heights of Lalatapa. You were five years old then. At that time, our valiant army liberated Lalatapa as well as several other settlements from occupation. May Allah have mercy on our martyrs who gave their lives for this victory. Ameen.

 

Bahra nodded with sorrow. Seeing that her mother wasn’t going to say anything else, she asked:

— Mom, is it true that martyrdom is the highest honor?

 

— Of course, my dear, Gulustan replied firmly. Then she added, A martyr is like a candle. Just as a candle melts away to give light to others, a martyr gives their life so that others may live free and peacefully. That’s why martyrdom is a great honor, and their resting place is in Paradise.

 

— Mom, let’s go visit the Martyrs’ Alley today, Bahra said with sadness.

 

— We will, my girl, we will, Gulustan replied. After lunch. But first, go call your father and Sarvat. Let them come eat. I’ll set the table in the meantime. Then we’ll order a taxi and head out.

 

— Okay, Bahra said and left the kitchen to call her father and brother.

 

By: Nurlana Jarullagizi