Lest you’ve been missing installations of “Kelsey’s Educational Blogs” in my rambling rantings of the past few weeks, have I got a treat for you, kids. Today we’re going interfaith, exploring the wonderful Jewish and Muslim celebrations of Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan. My desk calendar says that today is the first day for both (although my Presbyterian Planning Calendar claims that Rosh Hashanah began yesterday and Ramadan begins tomorrow), so we can safely say that both begin sometime this week.

My first stop on the quest was www.jewfaq.org, the Judaism 101 site. According to this site, Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, the first and second days of the month of Tishri. For Jews, the new year is a time of deep religious significance. Observant Jews attend synagogue during this holiday, where a special prayer book called the machzor is used to encompass the expanded liturgy. The custom of blowing the shofar (a trumpet-like ram’s horn) comes from the Scriptural basis for the holiday, Leviticus 23:24:25—“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the people of Israel saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall present the Lord’s offering by fire.”

The holiday also encompasses several other popular customs. Jews eat apples dipped in honey, signifying their desire for a sweet year. Many people also empty their pockets into a flowing body of water during the first day, a practice symbolic of casting off one’s sins to start the new year.

In my high school World History class, Mr. Simonson taught us that Ramadan was one of the five pillars of Islam. Unlike most Christian religious celebrations, which have been largely secularized in the past century, Ramadan maintains its religious significance. For it is in the month of Ramadan that Muslims believe Allah gave the first verses of the Qur’an to Muhammad (on Laylat al-Qadr, or the “Night of Power,” one of the last ten days of Ramadan). To mark this time, all able Muslims over the age of twelve will eat and drink nothing (not even water) during daylight hours from now until November 3. Muslims eat before sunrise, and then break the fast in the evening each day.

The fast compels Muslims to remember the suffering of the poor, as well as their fellowship with others observing Ramadan around the world. Many mosques sponsor a community iftar (break fast) in the evenings, as well as optional prayers. The month is also an opportunity to practice spiritual discipline—the fast includes a more focused attempt to follow Islam’s moral teachings, and to practice purity of thought and action. The basic purpose of Ramadan is to actively bring one’s self closer to Allah.

Ramadan ends with one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Fitr, or “Festival of Breaking the Fast.” In addition to contributing to mosques and the poor at this time, people celebrate by dressing up, attending prayers at the mosque, giving gifts to women and children, and visiting with family and friends. Reconciliations are emphasized. But one thing in particular is forbidden during this celebration—fasting.

So that’s what our monotheistic cousins are up to these days. I would encourage you, if you know Jews or Muslims, to learn more from them about these holy days rather than just relying on my second-hand knowledge. I certainly don’t intend to misrepresent them in any way, but I may have done so out of ignorance.

And think about how we as a Christian community can reclaim the religious significance in our own holidays. As I read about Ramadan, for instance, I thought about the original fasting element of Lent. Or what about lighting the candles and praying during Advent? We often have a tendency to eschew what we see as empty rituals. But maybe we should instead see them as a framework to help us push out the clutter and distractions, and focus on God in our lives.

“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all people.” --Acts 2:46-47a

Kelsey