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This is a weekend for Holy Days in more than one tradition. The calendars of a variety of religious traditions mark special days on this weekend. As I researched this weekend I discovered that it is a once-in-a-millennium convergence of holidays across all major religious traditions.
Not once-in-a-lifetime, but once-in-a-millennium.
In the Christian tradition:
It is Easter weekend, with Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday (together with Maundy Thursday) forming the most important days in the Christian liturgical calendar. It is during this period that the Last Supper is recalled, at which the first Communion was established. The next day, Friday, we recall the suffering and death of Christ. Saturday we wait, suspended between grief and joy. Sunday we celebrate the resurrection. Most of us are familiar with this holiday.
In the Jewish tradition:
This is the time of Purim..
CE Rachelle Mee-Chapman has given us a great overview of Purim, in her column earlier this week.
However, there are a number of simultaneously occurring holidays in other spiritual traditions which may be less commonly known to the average North American.
In the Hindu tradition:
This is the weekend of Holi, a joyous and raucous celebration. Theer are several stories that describe the origin of this celebration – from the miraculous saving from burning of Prahlad, a prince who worshipped Vishnu despite the objections of his family, to an association with the love between Lord Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu) and Radha. According to legend, the young Krishna complained to his mother Yashoda about why Radha was so fair and he so dark. Yashoda advised him to apply color on Radha's face and see how her complexion would change. Both these stories lead to one of the main events of Holi – and that is the joyous and random spraying of anyone and everyone with colored powders and tinted water. Religionfacts.com tells us
Holi is spread out over two days (it used to be five, and in some places it is longer). The entire holiday is associated with a loosening of social restrictions normally associated with caste, sex, status and age. Holi thus bridges social gaps and brings people together: employees and employers, men and women, rich and poor, young and old. Holi is also characterized by the loosening of social norms governing polite behavior and the resulting general atmosphere of licentious merrymaking and ribald language and behavior. A common saying heard during Holi is bura na mano, Holi hai ("don't feel offended, it's Holi").
In Buddhist tradition:
This weekend brings Magha Puja Day (Fourfold Assembly or "Sangha Day") Magha Puja Day is observed to commemorate an important event the Buddha's teaching life. Buddha gave an important teaching to the assembled monks on that day called the 'Ovadapatimokkha' which laid down the principles by which the monks should spread the Buddhist teachings.
The history of this dayaccording to urbandharma.org:
After a retreat, Buddha went to Rajagaha city where 1250 Arahats (Enlightened saints) who were the Buddha's disciples, without prior appointment, returned from their wanderings to pay respect to the Buddha. They assembled in the Veruvana Monastery with the two chief disciples of the Buddha, Ven. Sariputta and Ven. Moggalana.
The assembly is called the Fourfold Assembly because it consisted of four factors: (1) All 1250 were Arahats; (2) All of them were ordained by the Buddha himself; (3) They assembled by themselves without any prior call; (4) It was the full moon day of Magha month (March).
The style of celebration of this day can vary by country and Buddhist community.
In Muslim tradition:
Mawlid al-Nabi is celebrated.
Mawlid al-Nabi celebrates the birthday of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. It is fixed as the 12th day of the month of Rabi I in the Islamic calendar.
This site tells us:
The Mawlid al-Nabi was first observed around the thirteenth century and was preceded by a month of celebration. The actual day of Muhammad's birthday included a sermon, recitation of litanies, honoring of religious dignitaries, gift giving, and a feast. The festival spread throughout the Muslim world and is celebrated in many countries today. However, some conservative sects (e.g., the Wahhabiyah) consider the celebration to be idolatrous.
And, finally, The festival of Noruz (spelling and punctuation vary widely, as does the cause for the day – from the destruction of an evil demon among Kurdish people to a commemoration of the equinox among some other national groups).
Wikipedia says:
Today, the festival of Nowruz is celebrated in many countries that were territories of,
