Jews, Christians and Muslims around the globe will all see a uncommon overlap of main spiritual observances this weekend, bringing a confluence of reflections for communities making up the three monotheistic traditions.
On Friday, Jewish folks have a good time Passover to mark the exodus of Israelites from enslavement in Egypt. On the identical day, Christians observe Good Friday to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus earlier than celebrating Easter Sunday when he rose from the lifeless. Over the weekend, Muslims will proceed observing Ramadan, a month of prayers and fasting to memorialize the transmission of the Koran.
The overlap of the three observances happens about each 33 years, in response to Lees McCrae College. Religious teams and others use the uncommon event to name for concord between the traditions.
“As Passover, Easter, and Ramadan converge this weekend, we pray for peace and tranquility in Israel, in the United States, and around the world,” the American Jewish Committee stated in a tweet.
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The coincidence is so unusual as a result of the three observances are primarily based on totally different calendars and components that decide when the vacations happen. Easter is widely known on the primary Sunday following the complete moon that happens on or after the spring equinox. Good Friday marks the crucifixion of Jesus, God’s messiah, below the Roman governor of Judea to atone for humanity’s sins.
Passover happens in the course of Nisan, a month within the Hebrew calendar, on the primary full moon, placing it in proximity to Easter. The vacation begins at sunset and consists of seder, a particular meal meant to remind Jewish folks of the hardship they endured in Egypt.
Ramadan is Islam’s holiest month utilizing the lunar calendar. Because the calendar follows the cycles of the moon, not like the Gregorian calendar generally used within the West, Ramadan falls on totally different instances every year.
During Ramadan, Muslims imagine God revealed the sacred textual content of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad, the primary verses of which had been handed down on “The Night of Power” (Laylat al-Qadr in Arabic). Muslims abstain from meals or drink from daybreak to sundown for the complete month and are inspired to ponder their relationship with God.
The American Islamic College in Chicago introduced it can mark the overlap of the vacations by organizing an interfaith trolley subsequent week to go to varied faith-based organizations. The occasion will even acknowledge Baha’i, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist holidays.
However, on Friday greater than 150 folks had been injured after Israeli safety forces clashed with Palestinians in Jerusalem.
“My heart is full of pain this morning as I watch the scenes coming out of Jerusalem,” Mustafa Farooq, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said on Twitter. “As I know our shared communities are celebrating Passover, Ramadan, and Good Friday, if there is one thing that gives me hope, it’s that my friends in every community want peace.”
Newsweek reached out to the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies (ICJS).