Oil Fought The Law & Movable Feasts

Our new playlist, what we're listening to, what we're looking forward to this week.

Hey. Happy Sunday.

People I work with reminded me that tomorrow is Whit Monday - one of those terrific ‘movable feasts’. In this case it follows the Christian holiday of Pentecost. But like Eid, Diwali, or Passover, its timing moves from year to year.

For some people that changeability is a source of frustration. Changeability of days is very different from unpredictable. If it feels unpredictable, it’s because many of us felt it was a sign of modernity to turn away from things that don’t fit neatly onto a spreadsheet. Or are things that (we) immigrants tend to downplay to avoid highlighting our outsider status.

Personally I’d recommend reading this wonderful New York Times piece from last June by Romaissaa Benzizoune:

Every year, Eid al-Adha catches me by surprise. Unlike my ancestors, I do not have a conscious connection with the moon. I could not t…