All Faiths Calendar
-- 3/27/00
Selected observances for March and April
MARCH 2-20
Baha'i Nineteen Day Fast
The Baha'u'llah, founder of the Baha'i Faith, determined that the religion's calendar would be divided into 19 months of 19 days each, with four Intercalary Days. During the entire month of Ala ("Loftiness"), Baha'is around the world fast each day from sunup to sundown. (Baha'is who are pregnant, nursing, elderly, infirm or under the age of 15 are exempt from the fast.) The fast is a time of meditation and spiritual preparation. It concludes with the festival of Naw Ruz, or the New Year, which coincides with the spring equinox on March 21. Naw Ruz is a joyous time of celebration, when work is suspended.
Recommended Reading:
Oneworld Publications recently reissued Moojan Momen's classic The Baha'i Faith: A Short Introduction in paperback (Oct. 1999). Also in October, Element released Peter Smith's informative A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baha'Ã Faith, part of the Concise Encyclopedias of World Faiths series.
MARCH 21
Purim
Hebrew calendar: Adar 14, 5760. The Biblical Book of Esther recounts the story of Haman, a would-be destroyer of the Jews in the inter-temple period, and Esther, the Jewish queen who prevented the slaughter of her people. Although some scholars regard the Book of Esther as historical fiction, its theme of Jewish triumph over anti-Semitic persecution has resonated with Jewish experience through the centuries. Esther's victory is vividly commemorated in the carnivalesque celebration of Purim, which involves the donning of masks or costumes and general merry-making. Purim is the most playful and lighthearted of the Jewish holidays, with special foods, songs and gift-giving adding to the festivity.
Recommended Reading:
In January, Jason Aronson released Haman and the Jews: A Portrait from Rabbinic Literature, which traces rabbinic sages' interpretations of the story of Haman through the centuries.
APRIL 20-27
Passover (Pesach)
Hebrew calendar: Nissan 14“22,5760
Passover, or Pesach, began in ancient times as a spring nature festival, and gradually morphed into a memorial of the Jews' springtime deliverance from the land of Egypt, where they were slaves. During Passover, Jews eat unleavened bread to remember how speedily they had to leave Egypt; they had no time to leaven their bread properly. Families hold Passover seders, or special dinners, on the first two nights of Passover to recall the mass exodus. The seder features, among other dishes, bitter herbs to commemorate the harsh life of slavery. Seders may stretch late into the night as families read and discuss the Haggadah, or Passover liturgy. Passover lasts for eight days, with observant Jews not working or sustaining usual activities during the first two and the last two days.
Recommended Reading:
In April 1946, Jews in the displaced persons camps around Munich held special seders celebrating their first Passover after liberation. The Haggadah they used, which integrated the traditional story of Israel's exodus from Egypt with the horrifying, raw memories of Holocaust atrocities, has been re-published after more than half a century. A Survivors' Haggadah (Jewish Publication Society, Mar.) reproduces pages from the original liturgy, including compelling, disturbing woodcuts by Hungarian refugee Miklos Adler. In lighter fare, Rahel Musleah's Why on This Night? A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration (Simon & Schuster, Feb.) encourages children to become active participants in the Passover seder.
APRIL 23
Easter
(Celebrated by Eastern Orthodox Christians on April 30)
The holy day of Easter culminates 40 days of Lenten penitence, as Christians remember the ministry and suffering of Jesus. Easter, in contrast, is a joyful festival, commemorating Jesus' resurrection on the third day after his crucifixion. Whereas in the early church, Easter Saturday was as important as Easter Sunday, often featuring midnight baptisms and other rites, contemporary observance focuses almost wholly on Easter Sunday. In American history, Easter was for many 19th-century Christians a more important commercial holiday than Christmas, with Easter bonnets, Easter parades and lavish window displays marking the season.
Recommended Reading:
Ideals presents the handsome coffee-table book A Treasury of Easter Celebrations (Mar.), a collection of information about Easter observances around the world. Christian songwriter Michael Card offers A Violent Grace, a thoughtful, forceful gift book about Christ's suffering (Multnomah, Mar.). For children, Eerdmans reissues Brian Wildsmith's beautifully illustrated The Easter Story, formerly out of print (Jan.).
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