Happy New Year!!!...Hmmmm in November 2011??

Coincidentally this year 2 communities (religion) also known as 'The people of the Book' celebrates their New Year today. The Catholic Community starts their New Liturgical Year (Missal of the Year B & Weekdays of Year 2) with the season of Advent and the Muslim Community with Awal Muharram (1st Month of the Islamic Calender) which coincides with Maal Hijrah i.e. Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina.

Both these celebrations calls for renewal and change and brings out the sense of anticipation (waiting). I hope in the next few days, I'll blog to explain about the season of Advent.
For now, lets just look at Muharram and Hijra. Wikipedia explains that; Muharram is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. Since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar. The Islamic year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian year for this reason the Islamic new year does not come on the same day of the Gregorian calendar every year.

Muharram is so called because it is 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, excluding Ramadan. Some Muslims fast during these days. The Hijra (هِجْرَة) is the migration or journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE.

Happy New Year my dear Catholic and Muslim friends. God bless you all.