Muslims, like adherents of other religions, have many of their holidays, which are an integral part of Islamic spirituality and culture. The Arabic name for such a solemn date is id, which means approximately the following: "return to a certain time." How are the main holidays of Islam characterized and how are they celebrated by the faithful adherents of the religion of the Prophet Muhammad?
General Principles
During any of the holidays of the Muslim calendar, believers, of course, pray. In addition, they remember their loved ones and pray for those of them who have passed away. As Islam prescribes, holidays should be held in the community so that each person can feel his involvement in the ummah.
Unlike Christianity, where there are thirteen main holidays, Muslims have only two such significant solemn dates: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The first holiday is timed to coincide with the end of the fast, and the second is dedicated tosacrifices. It is celebrated during the Hajj, that is, the pilgrimage to Mecca. In contrast to Fitra, which is called the Small holiday, Adha is called the Great, or Great.
Both of these holidays, as well as all other religious holidays of Islam, are celebrated in accordance with the lunar calendar, according to the tradition adopted in the Middle East. The Islamic reckoning begins on July 15, 622 CE. e. On this day, the Prophet Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina, which is called the day of the Hijra. The Muslim lunar year is shorter than the solar year by 11 days. This is due to the fact that Islamic holidays are not confined to the dates of the Gregorian calendar, according to which they annually shift in their celebration by eleven days. To even out this rhythm, every third year is considered a leap year.
Hijra
Hijra is, in principle, the first of the holidays that was established in the Muslim community. Organized festivities on this day were first initiated by Caliph Omar. And at its core, it represents the Islamic New Year, which opens the month of Muhharam. This holiday comes after the previous new moon.
The New Year involves for every Muslim a symbolic transition from Mecca to Medina. This means leaving behind all sins, failures and old habits and entering into a new life in accordance with the will of Allah.
Memory of Hussein
Ten days after the New Year, the memory of Imam Hussein is celebrated,former grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. He died in 61 AH in a battle with the troops of Caliph Yazid. This is a specifically Shiite day, it is not included in the main holidays of Islam, the list of which is the same for all intra-Islamic movements and confessions. On this day, Shiites wear mourning, arrange solemn processions, stage the events of Hussein's death, etc.
Eid al-Fitr
Fitr is the answer to the question of which holidays in Islam are most loved. It marks the end of the great Islamic fast of Ramadan. In folk tradition, it is also called the holiday of sweets. As noted above, this day is one of the two most important celebrations that Islam has. These holidays are called the Lesser and Greater, of which Fitr is the Lesser. It is called so only because its duration is three days, while the time of the celebration of the Great Adha holiday is four days.
The Fitrah celebrations are carefully prepared. Traditionally at this time they go to visit. Therefore, Islamic families prepare a lot of treats and decorate their homes. Like Christians at Easter, adherents of Islam give each other gifts and greeting cards.
Another obligatory feature of this holiday is charity. A donation is collected for poor and low-income families without fail so that the holiday does not bypass them.
When the time comes to end the fast, believers are called to prayer. In Islamic countries, drums are beaten, announcements are made on radio and television, guns are fired at the sky, and immediately the fun begins. First of all, a modest meal of dates,juice or milk breaks the fast. The meal ends with a ritual prayer called Maghrib. For the next three days no one works, no one studies. Everyone is just having fun, giving gifts, visiting friends and visiting relatives. The main fun begins on the first day at noon with a festive dinner. After that, visits to cemeteries and a prayer for the dead are provided, after which the general joy and celebrations continue for all three days.
Eid al-Adha
Adha is a Great celebration, a kind of calling card that personifies Islam. The holidays of Muslims are largely dedicated to the memories of certain events of sacred history. So Eid al-Adha marks not just the end of the Hajj, but is also a memorable celebration dedicated to the sacrifice of Issac by the prophet Abraham. The idea of sacrifice is key to this event, so Muslims slaughter sacrificial animals in memory of him. It can be a goat, a cow, or even a camel. But most often this role is played by sheep.
Muhammad's birthday
The main holidays of Islam, of course, are not complete without celebrating the birthday of the founder, which is called in Arabic Milad al-Nabi. Traditionally, this day is considered the 12th day of the Arabic lunar month of Rabia Awal. Date of birth according to the solar calendar (August 20) is not taken into account. It did not begin to be celebrated immediately, but only during the reign of the Abbasids. The sacramental meaning of this day is to remember and honor the memory of the prophet, to express his love to him,devotion and learn useful lessons from his life story.
Ascension Night
According to Muslim tradition, one night the prophet Muhammad was transferred by the mysterious power of Allah to Jerusalem. The archangel Jabriel (Gabriel), who accompanied him, also showed him hell and paradise, and after that the prophet appeared before Allah himself in the seventh heaven. The result of this revelation was the establishment of namaz - a prayer ritual that every devout Muslim must perform five times a day. This event is celebrated on the 27th day of the month of Rajab. Unlike many other solemn dates that Islam has, the birthday and ascension night celebrations do not provide for much fun. During them, suras from the Koran are mainly read and prayers are said. The Arabic name for this holiday is Laylat al-Mi'raj.
Night of Power
Laylat al-Qadr is a festive night on which the very first revelation of the Prophet Muhammad is remembered. It is celebrated in the holy month of Ramadan on the 27th. But in fact, this date is conditional, since there is no exact information about when this event took place. Therefore, in case of need, it can be celebrated on any of the nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. As a rule, the celebration is reduced to visiting the mosque and reading prayers throughout the night.
Blessing Night
This is another special night that Islam calls to celebrate. Holidays whose traditions are based on honoring the memory of life storiesprophet include this night as a special time to pray for the departed. It is celebrated on the full moon before the start of Ramadan, on the eve of Shaaban 15. The historical basis of this holiday is the time that the prophet Muhammad spent in prayer, preparing for fasting, which he kept in seclusion every year. Adherents of Islam believe that on this night, called Laylat al-Baraat in Arabic, Allah gives orders regarding all living people: who will die, and who will live, who will be forgiven of sins, and who will be cursed, etc. night, a special ritual meal is prepared and candles are lit.
Other holidays
The holidays listed above are the main ones for the Islamic world. They are celebrated by almost all believers at the same time. But there are also events that each family experiences separately. These days mainly include the birth of a child, the giving of a name, etc. Let's briefly touch on them.
Childbirth
When a child is born, it is a great joy for the whole family. In the Muslim world, this event has a strong religious connotation. Firstly, the child is considered a gift of Allah, and secondly, he is immediately initiated into the Islamic religion as follows: first, the so-called adhan is whispered into the baby’s right ear, that is, the call to prayer, starting with the formula “Allah Akbar”, and then in the left ear whispers iqama, that is, the command to stand up for prayer. Thus, a newborn child has the word "God" as the first word in his life, which is very important. This is the first initiationfaith. In the future, he will have a number of initiations.
Sacrifice and other holidays
After the birth of a child, it is required to bring a sacrificial animal as a gift to Allah - one for a girl and two for a boy. Animal meat is distributed to the needy and the have-nots.
Islam is a religion whose holidays in honor of the newborn are numerous. Among other of them, it is worth noting Tahnik - anointing the baby's mouth with juice with a wish of he alth; Akiku - ritual shaving of a child on the seventh day after birth; naming; Khitan - circumcision of a male baby; Bismillah - pronouncing a special incantation formula from the Koran over a child.
There are other festive, religiously colored days in private family life. But their scale is not large enough to dwell on them in detail in this article.
