EmbRACE Update - Worldwide Festivals 🌍

Each month we will be sharing information on the many celebrated Worldwide Festivals. Developed by our very own EmbRACE Working Group Colleague, Mandy Kaur, have a read of the latest update below which includes March's dates. 😊 

Spring is near and with it, we have lots of exciting things to look forward to, so I hope you enjoy March’s Edition.

 

1^st March 2022  – Al Isra Wal Mir’aj - The Miraculous Night Journey  

 

This night commemorates a beautiful story of when the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sleeping in Mecca, awakened by an Angel who told the Prophet (pbuh) that he must come with them. They approached an incredible creature, the Al Buraq which had powerful wings. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) mounted the Buraq and it travelled as fast as the speed of light, transcending to the heavens where he was met by Allah (God). Allah instructed Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) that all Muslims should perform the daily prayer Salah 50 times a day, after explaining the difficulties of  praying so often, it was agreed that it be reduced to five times a day. It is said that each prayer would count as ten prayers, that means after praying five times a day you are rewarded as though having prayed fifty prayers. Prayer is seen as daily communication with Allah. Salah encourages self-discipline and keeps Muslims in close contact with Allah. This gives them the strength to remain committed to living a good and purposeful life.  

 

2^nd March 2022 – Ash Wednesday – The first day of Lent  

 

Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Lent is marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. On Ash Wednesday, officially known as the Day of Ashes, Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. During a Mass, a priest places the ashes on a worshiper's forehead in the shape of a cross. The ceremony, which also can be performed by a minister or pastor, is meant to show that a person belongs to Jesus Christ, and it also represents a person's grief and mourning for their sins. It is more common these days for believers to surrender a particular vice such as favourite foods or quit some bad habits. Whatever the sacrifice, it is a reflection of Jesus' deprivation in the wilderness and a test of self-discipline.

 

3^rd March 2022 - Losar – Tibetan New Years Festival 

The colourful Losar Buddhist festival begins on Thursday March 3 and ends on Saturday March 5 – which coincides with the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. Traditions during this time include cleaning the house in preparation for the New Year, with special attention focused on the kitchen, as the place where food is prepared. The hostess of the house will prepare a special soup, known as Guthuk, which is eaten during these days and consists of nine ingredients including meat, rice, noodles, wheat, peas, yak cheese, peppers, sweet potato and radishes. It is also traditional to place ingredients inside dough balls – including chillies, wool, rice, salt and coal – and hand them out to people. The ingredients a person finds in their dough ball are meant to be interpreted as a comment on their character; if for example, they find white ingredients inside it is taken as a good sign – but finding coal is the equivalent of finding a lump in your Christmas stocking, as it means the person has a ‘black heart’. Tibetans will also attempt to ward off evil spirits on the first day of Gutor by lighting special torches at night, while the second day sees people visiting monasteries to pray and make donations to the monks.

 

3^rd March 2022 – Hinamatsuri – Japanese Girls Day 

Japanese Girls' Day, otherwise known as Doll's Festival—is celebrated on March 3 to pray for the health and happiness of young girls in Japan. Hinamatsuri, the name of the celebration in Japan, is marked by families displaying a set of hina dolls in the house and serving special food delicacies that are ceremonially beautiful and delicious. Traditionally, parents or grandparents of a newborn girl buy a set of hina dolls for the baby, unless they have special dolls that are inherited from generation to generation. Hinamatsuri is also called Momo no Sekku, which means a festival of peach blossoms. 

 

17/18^th March 2022 - Holi – Festival of Colours 

One of my personal all-time favourite festivals is Holi, the festival of colours is as vibrant and lively as in the pictures. Holi is not only known as the festival of spring but there is a popular tale behind this celebration that marks the triumph of good over evil. The story describes a king who became very greedy and powerful and with it, he commanded people to worship him like a God. The king had a son called Prahlad who disobeyed the king and worshipped Lord Vishnu instead, this made his father very angry and so the king along with his sister Holika who had magical powers which made her immune from fire both plotted to get rid of Prahlad by luring him into a great bonfire. Holika marched into the flames. Her magic powers kept her from being harmed, but now Lord Vishnu was watching over Prahlad, as he had done many times before. Praying to his god, Prahlad followed her into the fire. As the flames grew higher, Lord Vishnu took away Holika’s magic powers and granted them to Prahlad instead. On the day of Holi, entire streets and towns turn red, green and yellow as people throw coloured powder into the air and splash them on others. Each colour carries a meaning. Red, for example, symbolizes love and fertility while green stands for new beginnings. People also splash water on each other in celebration. Water guns are used to squirt water, while balloons filled with coloured water are also flung from rooftops. Later in the day, families gather together for festive meals. It is also common to distribute sweets among neighbours and friends.

 

18-20^th March 2022 – Hola Mohalla – ‘Mock Fight’ 

 

Although the date coincides with the Hindu festival Holi it is very different, this Sikh festival last 3 days and was started by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles to train the army. The first Hola Mohalla was celebrated in AD 1670 and is now celebrated as a form of liberation for Sikhs where they perform ‘Gatka’ (Indian martial arts), use powder colours, perform acrobatics on their horses and provide ‘Langar’ (communal Kitchen) providing food to all. This year's celebrations will be particularly important for Sikhs around the world after seeing the largest farmer protests in the world which successfully saw the farmer acts revoked. It is likely to also be a day of remembrance following the passing of the activist Deep Sidhu, who was a prominent figure during the protests and stood for solidarity against the oppression that Sikhs in India often face. 

 

Other fun and exciting things in March!

• Mardi Gras in New Orleans – Celebrated for many reasons, be sure to check out some pictures of this fun and colourful carnival

• March 8^th – International Women’s Day

• March 17^th – St Patrick’s Day

• March 27^th – The Clocks go forward! Yipeee!

 

If you’re celebrating a wonderful festivity this month, why not send in a picture to be featured in next month's story! Please send to Embraceworkinggroup@midcounties.coop