Its not just Muslims who are fasting today...
Although 10th of Ramadan is known for something completely different in Egypt, this day is also Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.
Yom Kippur always happens on the tenth day of the month of Tishri in the Jewish calendar, and given that the Jewish calendar and the Islamic calendar are both solar based, Tishri happens to sync up fairly closely with the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Wikipedia has a really good page explaining the background of Yom Kippur and how it is celebrated by Jews across the world today. Israel comes basically to a complete standstill, with all businesses shut, and practically everybody indoors, fasting.
There seem to be a lot of links between Islamic and Jewish holy days. The first day of Ramadan is also the important Jewish holiday Rosh Hashana, and I may be wrong, but I think I remember a Jewish holiday sync'ing up with Eid al-Adha as well.....
Yom Kippur always happens on the tenth day of the month of Tishri in the Jewish calendar, and given that the Jewish calendar and the Islamic calendar are both solar based, Tishri happens to sync up fairly closely with the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Wikipedia has a really good page explaining the background of Yom Kippur and how it is celebrated by Jews across the world today. Israel comes basically to a complete standstill, with all businesses shut, and practically everybody indoors, fasting.
There seem to be a lot of links between Islamic and Jewish holy days. The first day of Ramadan is also the important Jewish holiday Rosh Hashana, and I may be wrong, but I think I remember a Jewish holiday sync'ing up with Eid al-Adha as well.....
2 Comments:
You're right there are a lot of common festivities between both religions and I guess this is because in Islam we're celebrating some major events that happened to all messengers of God from whom some are believed to be Jewish.....like Ashura, which is the 10th day of the first month in the Higri - Islamic calender - were both Muslims and Jews celebrate exactly in the same way, by fasting from dusk till sunset!! and the first day of Islamic pilgrimage - Hajj - is Hanukkah for Jews, 10 days before Eid Al-adha
tom, just a correction. Islam uses a lunar calender not solar. I am sure thats what you meant, but just to clarify to the audience
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