Many Canadian workplaces give their employees a calendar with a list of public holidays. One date however that would virtually never appear on such a calendar in Canada but might in other countries is November 1, All Saints Day. While in North America as a whole All Saints Day (for those who actually know what it is) is a religious rather than legal holiday, as Christians we can appreciate the meaning and beauty of that day no matter where we live.

All Saints Day traces its beginnings to the latter part of the third century AD. It was originally known as All Martyrs Day to honour those who had died for their Christian faith, but it was later extended to include all the faithful departed..

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Eid ul-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى ‘Īd al-’Aḍḥā) is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for God. It is one of two Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate. Like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha also begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khuṭba).

Eid ul-Adha is three days long and starts on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar. This is the day after the pilgrims in Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.


Other names for Eid ul-Adha

Eid-ul-Adha (Adha Eid) is also known as Hari Raya Haji/Iduladha/Aidiladha/Qurbani/Qurban in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore; Eid el-Kbir in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya; Tfaska Tamoqqart in the Berber language of Jerba; and Tabaski or Tobaski in some parts of Africa; Babbar Sallah in Nigeria and West Africa; Ciidwayneey in Somalia and Somali speaking regions of Kenya and Ethiopia.

In India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan it is also called Eid ul-Azha, goat is the major sacrificial animal in those countries. In Bangladesh it is called either ঈদ-উল-আজহা Id-ul-Azha or কোরবানী ঈদ Korbani Id. In South Africa it is also called Bakri Eid (or simply Bakrid in India).

In Turkey it is often referred to as the Kurban Bayramı or "Sacrifice Feast". Similarly, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Bulgaria it is referred as Kurban Bajram. In Kazakhstan, it is referred to as Kurban Ait. In Kurdish it is called Cejna Qurbanê[1]. This Eid is for 3 and 1/2 days. Also known as the bigger Eid because it is a day longer than Eid-ul-Fitar.

Traditions and practices

Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing and perform the Eid prayer (Salatu'l-`id) in any mosque. Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels, cows, and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's (Abraham's) sacrifice. The sacrificed animals, called "udhiya Arabic: أضحية", have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. At the time of sacrifice, Allah's name is recited along with the offering statement and a supplication as Prophet Muhammad said. According to the Quran a large portion of the meat has to be given towards the poor and hungry people so they can all join in the feast which is held on Eid-ul-Adha.The remainder is cooked for the family celebration meal in which relatives and friends are invited to share. The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid ul-Adha by the concerted effort to see that no impoverished Muslim is left without sacrificial food during these days. Coming immediately after the annual hajj ends with the celebration of the Day of Mount Arafat. Eid ul-Adha is a concrete affirmation of what the Muslim community ethic means in practice. People in these days are expected to visit their relations, starting with their parents, then their families and friends. (Arabic audio with English meaning).

In the name of Allah بسم الله
And Allah is the greatest والله أكبر
O Allah, indeed this is from you and for you اللهم إن هذا منك ولك
O Allah accept from me اللهم تقبل مني

Distributing meat among people is considered an essential part of the festival during this period, as well as chanting Takbir out loud before the Eid prayer on the first day and after prayers through out the 4 days of Eid, see about Takbir in "Traditions and practices" of Eid ul-Fitr.

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Eid ul-Fitr or Id-Ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īd al-Fiṭr), often abbreviated as simply Eid, is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Fiṭr means "to break the fast" and therefore symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. On the day of the celebration, a typical Muslim family is awake very early and then after praying the first normal everyday prayer, is required to eat in a small quantity, symbolizing the end of Ramadan. They then attend special congregational prayers held only for this occasion in mosques, in large open areas, stadiums or arenas. The prayer is generally short, and is followed by a sermon (khuṭba). Worshippers greet and embrace each other in a spirit of peace and love after the congregational prayer. After the special prayers, festivities and merriment are commonly observed with visits to the homes of relatives and friends to thank God for all blessings.

For Muslims, Eid ul-Fitr is a joyous occasion with important religious significance, celebrating of the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral victory, peace of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Muslims celebrate not only the end of fasting, but also thank God for the help and strength that they believe he gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control. It is a time of giving and sharing, and many Muslims dress in holiday attire, and compare the spirit of the holiday to the "Christmas spirit" recognized by Christianity.

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Christmas is an annual holiday that marks the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas celebrations often combine the marking of Jesus' birth with various other traditions and customs, many of which were influenced by ancient winter festivals. Christmas traditions include the display of Nativity scenes, Holly and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) on Christmas Eve. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill, giving, compassion, and quality family time.

Christmas Day falls on December 25. It is preceded by Christmas Eve on December 24, and in some countries is followed by Boxing Day on December 26. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6, while some Eastern Orthodox Churches (old rite or old style Orthodox) celebrate Christmas on January 7, the date on the Gregorian calendar which corresponds to 25 December. The date as a birthdate for Jesus is merely traditional, and is not widely considered to be his actual date of birth.[1]

Christmas is celebrated in most countries around the world, owing to the spread of Christianity and Western culture. Various local and regional Christmas traditions are still practiced.

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Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity). It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which his followers believe occurred on the third day after his death by crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33 (see Good Friday).

Easter also refers to the season of the church year, lasting for fifty days, from Easter Sunday through Pentecost; and, in the Roman Catholic Church, to the eight-day feast beginning on Easter Day called the Octave of Easter.


Etymology

In most languages of Christian societies, other than English, German and some Slavic languages, the holiday's name is derived from Pesach, the Hebrew name of Passover, a Jewish holiday to which the Christian Easter is intimately linked. Easter depends on Passover not only for much of its symbolic meaning but also for its position in the calendar; the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples before his crucifixion is generally thought of as a Passover Seder, based on the chronology in the Gospels.Some, however, interpreting "Passover" in John 18:28 as a single meal and not a seven-day festival, interpret the Gospel of John as differing from the Synoptic Gospels by placing Christ's death at the time of the slaughter of the Passover lambs, which would put the Last Supper slightly before Passover, on 14 Nisan of the Bible's Hebrew calendar. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "In fact, the Jewish feast was taken over into the Christian Easter celebration."

The English and German names, "Easter" and "Ostern," are not etymologically derived from Pesach and according to the 8th century Christian monk and historian Bede are instead related to ancient name for the Anglo Saxon goddess, Eostre, who was celebrated during Eosturmonath, equivalent to April/Aprilis Bede wrote in Latin:

"Eosturmonath, qui nunc paschalis mensis interpretatur, quondam a dea illorum quae Eostre vocabatur et cui in illo festa celebrabant nomen habuit."

Translated: "Eosturmonath, which is now interpreted as the paschal month, was formerly named after the goddess Eostre, and has given its name to the festival."

In most Slavic languages, the name for Easter either means Great Day or Great Night. For example Wielkanoc and Velikonoce mean Great Night or Great Nights in Polish and Czech, respectively. Великдень (Vělikděn') and Вялікдзень (Vjalikdzěn') mean 'The Great Day' in Ukrainian and Bulgarian respectively.

Position in the church year


Western Christianity
In Western Christianity, Easter marks the end of the forty days of Lent, a period of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter which begins on Ash Wednesday.

The week before Easter is very special in the Christian tradition: the Sunday before is Palm Sunday, and the last three days before Easter are Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent Saturday). Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday respectively commemorate Jesus' entry in Jerusalem, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are sometimes referred to as the Easter Triduum (Latin for "Three Days"). In some countries, Easter lasts two days, with the second called "Easter Monday." The week beginning with Easter Sunday is called Easter Week or the Octave of Easter, and each day is prefaced with "Easter," e.g. Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, etc. Easter Saturday is therefore the Saturday after Easter Sunday. The day before Easter is properly called Holy Saturday. Many churches start celebrating Easter late in the evening of Holy Saturday at a service called the Easter Vigil.

Eastertide, the season of Easter, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of Pentecost, seven weeks later.


Eastern Christianity
In Eastern Christianity, preparations begin with Great Lent. Following the fifth Sunday of Great Lent is Palm Week, which ends with Lazarus Saturday. Lazarus Saturday officially brings Great Lent to a close, although the fast continues for the following week. After Lazarus Saturday comes Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and finally Easter itself, or Pascha (Πάσχα), and the fast is broken immediately after the Divine Liturgy. Easter is immediately followed by Bright Week, during which there is no fasting, even on Wednesday and Friday.


Nicholas Roerich. Russian Pascha.The Paschal Service consists of Paschal Matins, Hours, and Liturgy,which traditionally begins at midnight of Pascha morning. Placing the Paschal Divine Liturgy at midnight guarantees that no Divine Liturgy will come earlier in the morning, ensuring its place as the pre-eminent "Feast of Feasts" in the liturgical year.

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Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala was a military engagement that took place on 10 Muharram, 61 AH (October 9 or 10, 680 CE) (Persian: هجدهم یا نوزدهم مهر ماه 51 شمسی‎) [1] [2] in Karbala, in present day Iraq, between Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali and a military detachment from the forces of Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph. Although the party of Husayn ibn Ali was small and the war didn't take much time, many notable members of the Muhammad's family were involved in it.
This battle is central to Shi'a Muslim belief. The death of Husayn is mourned by an annual commemoration, Ashurah.

Battle based on Islamic traditions

Background
After the passing on of Prophet Muhammad, there was some dissension in the Muslim community as to who should succeed him. The majority of the Muslims accepted the rule of the caliph Abu Bakr and then of the caliphs Umar ibn al-Khatthab, Uthman ibn Affan, and Ali bin Abi Talib. However, Shi'a've believed that Ali ibn Abi Talib, Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, who had lived with Prophet Muhammad since he was a child, was the better choice....... more click on heading

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Muharram (Arabic: محرم ) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sanctified months of the year. Fighting in this month is looked down upon and is often put to the side in respect for Islam. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar.

The first day of Muharram is the start of the Islamic New Year. The Festival of Muharram takes place during this month. The shia Muslim celebrate it in a different way in which they commemorate the Battle of Karbala and consider this a month of sadness and mourning. The commemoration reaches its climax on the tenth day of Muharram, known as Ashurah.

This is the day Husayn ibn Ali, the grand son of the prophet Muhammad was martyred along with his family members and friends in the Battle of Karbala. This day is important in relegions other than Islam also. It is, for example, related by the jews to the time of Moses when he crossed the Red Sea escaping from the Pharaoh. Sunni Muslims often fast on this sacred day.

This month of Muharram also has traditions which have no support from Islamic teachings. For example, the celebration of the Muslim new year, and the partying and card giving, etc, associated with it is considered to be a bidah and even haraam to all Shia muslims because they feel it is a time to mourn and it is haraam to express any happiness.

Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word ‘haram’ meaning forbidden. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months. This month is most sacred to the Shi’a Muslim community and heavy mourning activities on the first ten days of the month are observed by Shi'a Muslims to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad. Some Muslims fast during these days but the shia muslims do not fast as they consider fasting a sign of happiness. The tenth day is called Ashurah, meaning, ‘the tenth’, and it is a day of voluntary fasting. The shia just stop eating and drinking but do not fast till the evening. The Sunni Muslims also fast during Muharram and on the ninth and the tenth day or the tenth and the eleventh day as recommended by the Prophet Muhammad during his lifetime.

Islamic Events
On 1 Muharram, the Islamic New Year is observed by some Muslims.
On 1 Muharram, Shi'ite Muslims begin the observance of the Commemoration of Muharram which marks the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala. Imam Husayn entered Karbala.
On 7 Muharram, access to water was banned on Husayn by Yazid's order.
On 10 Muharram, the Day of Ashurah is commemorated by Muslims as the anniversary of the martrydom of Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. But the Shi'ite Muslims attach much greater importance to this day.
On 25 Muharram, Fourth Imam Ali ibn Husayn was martyred.
On 27 Muharram, Mesum was martyred.

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Karbala (Arabic: كربلاء‎; BGN: Karbalā’; also spelled Kerbala, Kerbela, Karbila) is a city in Iraq, located about 100 km southwest of Baghdad at 32.61°N, 44.08°E. In the time of Hussayn ibn ˤAlī's life, the place was also known as al-Ghadiriya, Nainawa, and Shathi'ul-Furat. The estimated population in 2003 was 572,300 people. It is the capital of Al Karbala Province. Shīˤa Muslims consider Karbala to be one of their holiest cities after Mecca, Medina and Najaf. The city is best known as the location of the Battle of Karbala.

Etymology
There are many theories as to the meaning of the name Karbala. Many believe its origin is from the old Assyrian language, composing two syllables: "Karb"; meaning "near", and "ala" (corrupted from "Iyle" an Aramaic word) standing for "God."[1][2][3][4] Others, like geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi believe the name to be derived from the Arabic language, meaning "soft earth" (corrupted from karbalat.)[5] Some also believe the origin may be Persian formed from the words Kaar, meaning "work", and bolo, meaning "the higher".

About the city
The city is one of Iraq's wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. It is made up of two districts, "Old Karbala," the religious centre, and "New Karbala," the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings.... more click on heading

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