Religion and Festival - Page 3
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Muslim
'Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds! The compassionate, the merciful! Guide Thou us on the straight path.'
(Sura 1 of the 'Qur'an')
Muslim belief entails submitting one's life to the will of Allah as revealed by the Prophet Muhammad through the 'Qur'an' and to do so through a declaration of faith, regular prayer, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage.
The Prophet Muhammad was born in Arabia.
Muslims study the 'Qur'an' as the words of Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, and meet for prayers at a 'mosque'.
The crescent moon is a centuries-old Islamic emblem: sighting of the new moon heralding Eid-ul Fitr which is a very important event.
- Al-Hirja (New Year) 20th Jan
- Ashura (Fasting) 19th Jan
- Miraj-un Nabi 29th Jun
- Lailat Ul Bara'at 16th Aug
- Ramadan begins 2nd Sep
- Laylat el Qadr 27th Sep
- Ramadan ends 1st Oct
- Eid Ul Fitr 1st Oct
- Eid Ul Adha 8th Dec
Rastarfarian
'O thou God of Ethiopia, thou God if divine majesty, thy spirit come within our hearts to dwell in the parts of righteousness. That the hungry be fed, the sick nourished, the aged protected and the infant cared for.' (Rastafarian prayer)
Rastafarian belief entails revering 'Ras Tafari' (Emperor Haile Selassie 1) as a manifestation of God (Jah) and opposing all forms of oppression, sustaining these beliefs through self-discipline, meetings for drumming and prayers and by studying the bible.
'Ras Tafari ('Prince of the Tafari family') was born in Ethiopia.
Rastafarians study 'The Bible' and worship at Nyahbingi' meetings.
The lion is a symbol for Rastafarians of the Emperor Haile Selassie 1, one of whose titles was 'Lion of Judah'.
- Ethiopian Christmas 7th Jan
- Ethiopian Constitution Day 16th Jun
- Marcus Garvey's birthday 17th Aug
- Ethiopian New Years Day 11th Sep
- Crowning of Emperor Haile Selassie I 2nd Nov
Shinto
''In each and every new leaf, 1 see the 'kami' of spring.' (Japanese poet, Takahama Kyoshi)
Shinto belief entails venerating nature and establishing communion with the 'kami' - its spirits and deities - through prayer and ritual, so as to live harmoniously, peacefully and fruitfully with the natural world.
Whilst the origins of Shinto belief go back thousands of years, the revered Ise Shrine of Amaterasu, the 'kami' of the sun, was dedicated at this time.
Shinto worship takes place through 'matsuri' (observation of festivals) at a shrine.
The way into a Shinto shrine is through a 'torli', a gateway between the ordinary and the sacred.
