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Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month offasting, in

which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and indulging in anything

that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim

patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramadan is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake ofAllah,

and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins,

pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves

through self-restraint and good deeds. As compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan

vary, moving forward about ten days each year as it is a moving holiday depending on the moon.

Ramadan was the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic

Prophet Muhammad.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is observed on the first day of the seventh

month of the Hebrew calendar. It is the start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar. It is the

New Year for people, animals, and legal contracts. Jews believe Rosh Hashanah represents either

analogically or literally the creation of the World, or Universe.

Both of these festivals- Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan- are times to repent sins. Family

and friends come together during both of these holidays to celebrate in harmony. These religious

holidays mark a new beginning for every person. People look forward to a bright beginning to

open up another chapter in their lives.

The significance of Rosh Hashanah is also its being the Day of Judgment. According to

Jewish belief, throughout the year God judges all human beings, and by the time of RoshHashanah he decides whether they deserve to be inscribed in "The Book of Life" or not. Those

who are inscribed in this book are rewarded with a new year of happiness. After RoshHashanahthere are ten more days in which a person can change his or her behavior enough for God tochange his initial decision. Therefore, on the first day of the holiday it is customary to go to a

lake or a river and symbolically "cast away" your sins into the water. In addition, Jews do soul

searching and ask for forgiveness for anything that they have done wrong in the past year.

During the Ramadan, Muslims practice fasting for a month which is intended to be an exacting

act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God. The

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fasting also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, sacrifice, as well as sympathy for those

who are less fortunate, intending to make Muslims more generous and charitable. In other words,

Ramadan is the time for Muslims to forgive and develop a sense of community among

themselves.

The significance of celebrations for Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan is that unknowingly

we all share the same values. We all want to purify our souls and our deeds in the past. By

casting off our sins, we feel psychologically refreshed. Other culture should also know about

different religions and their celebrations because as a whole we are human being and there is no

segregation. We need to learn why our culture has such significant festivals during such time.