Islamic+holidays

by TaeYoung Son = = =Eid Ul Adha= toc Eid-Ul-Adha is the "Day of Sacrifice". The celebration starts just after the Hajj, usually for 70 days, after the end of the month of Ramadan. The date of Eid-Ul-Adha is set by a Muslim lunar calendar, so each year; it is celebrated about 11 days earlier than the year before. Muslims celebrate this holiday to honor the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son as to show his obedience for God. According to Muslims, God commanded Abraham to slaughter Ishmael, who is his son, but an angel stopped Abraham. Abraham then replaced and slaughtered a sheep instead. During this holiday, Muslims wear the finest clothes to perform Eid prayer (Eid means "solemn festival") at a mosque. Muslims who can afford sacrifice their domestic animals called "Udhiya" (cow, camel, goat and sheep) to symbolize Abraham's willingness. The sacrificed animals that are in poor condition were considered as an unacceptable sacrifice. People divide the meat of sacrificed animal into three parts; the family keeps 1/3, 1/3 to their relatives, friends and neighbors and another 1/3 to the poor.

=Al Hijra=

Al Hijra is the Islamic New Year. It is the first day of the month of Muharram. It is also the day that Prophet Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina. This day is also significant because it is the first day that Islamic state was set up. Unlike Eid-Ul-Adha, Muslims don’t have required rituals. This holiday is celebrated less than other holidays and considered as a minor event in the Muslim community. Al Hijra is celebrated quietly, thinking about deep meaning of Hijra, reading, praying and set their goals for the New Year.

=Ramadan= Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. The main "theme" of Ramadan is to donate and fast, which is the third “Pillar” of Qur’an. During this month, Muslims are required to fast, avoid drinking, eating and smoking during the daylight hours. They believe that fasting teaches patience, self-control, obedience, spirituality to God. Fasting let Muslims to experience hunger and have sympathy for the people who are less fortunate and allow them to thank God for providing their foods. It also helps their health by giving a break in their greed. During Ramadan, donating is even more important than usual. It is common to see public areas for the poor and break their fast. The last day of Ramadan is called "Eid Al-Fitr", which marks the end of the fasting period and indicates the new month. A special celebration is made; Muslims donate foods to the poor, most people put their best and new clothes and prayers are held in the morning. After the prayer, usually friends and families visits and have a feast together. Ramadan includes "Laylat al-Qadr" which is considered the most holy night of the year. Muslims believe that it is the night that Qur'an was revealed to the prophet Muhammad, therefore, they try to read as much of them as they can. In Qur’an, it states that 27th night of the month is better than a thousand months so many of them spend the entire night praying. After the sunset prayer, they have dinner. This holiday stresses community; they eat dinner at the same time and invite others to share evening meal. As a rule, most of them experience exhaustion during Ramadan because the body gets used to routing during the 1st week.

[|ramadan] video

= Milad-un-Nabi = Milad un Nabi is the birthday of the prophet Muhammad. The word "Milad" means "birth". 4 centuries after the death of Muhammad, Egyptians decided to remember, celebrate and discuss the teachings of Mohammad. The parents tell stories of Muhammad's life to their children focusing on his teachings, sufferings and his generosity. They instruct their children to think about his leadership, bravery and his influence over Muslim community. Many Muslims do not celebrate birthdays or death anniversaries because they do not have any historical evidence that shows that the Prophet celebrated birthday. In fact, only the Indian sub-continent and few of Arab countries such as Egypt celebrates this holiday. The mosques and streets are decorated and illuminated at night. In the mosques, Muslims recount Prophet's life and the songs and Qur'an is recited. Because India declared this day as a public holiday, the holy relics of Muhammad are displayed. After morning prayer, night long prayers are held and thousands of Indians attend. Similar to other holidays, some Muslims donate to charity, food is served to guests and poor and the families gather together.

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