Hello there! Welcome back to It’s Time to Celebrate! March is a busy month this year across the globe, but I have decided to explore a few holidays celebrated by those in my community.
St. Patrick’s Day is usually recognized as a holiday in America, although not a federal holiday. But besides wearing green and seeing decorations of leprechauns and shamrocks, I never really knew the true reasoning behind the holiday.
St. Patrick’s Day is (obviously) a holiday honoring Saint Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland and is credited with bringing Christianity to the country, according to History.com. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade (which is now what the holiday is largely popular for) was actually held in the Spanish colony of Florida in 1601. Following the influx of Irish immigrants after the Great Potato Famine in 1845, the Irish became an established community in America. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were one of the ways that the Irish were able to combat discrimination and celebrate their heritage. Today, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York is one of the oldest civilian parades in the world and brings out around 3 million people on average.
Besides St. Patrick’s Day, another holiday celebrated around the world in March this year is Ramadan, observed by two of my good friends, Alya Bedawi and Dana Hussein, who are Muslim. Ramadan is usually a month long and based on the lunar calendar. This year it is between March and April and began on the evening of March 10. Those who observe Ramadan fast during the month-long period, from sunrise to sunset every day.
Alya and Dana explained that one of the main reasons for this practice is to be able to better understand the struggles those less fortunate are going through, like not having enough to eat. Dana elaborated on this, explaining: “It teaches us self-control and it’s like a time of self-reflection. It also really humbles everyone and puts everyone, despite your financial situation or wherever you are, on the same level.”
Muslims usually begin fasting once they hit puberty, Dana describes, and she believes it has gotten easier as she has gotten older. Because school starts so early for high school students, Dana explains that she usually eats breakfast anyways before the sun rises and eats dinner usually around the time the sun sets, so her fast really just feels like skipping lunch. At sunset, dates are eaten to break your fast before dinner, a dinner that is usually very high in protein and vitamins, Alya describes.
Alya also explains that she finds fasting difficult because you are also not supposed to drink water throughout the day, not just abstain from eating. “[No] water for me is the worst part, because my mouth gets so dry,” she said.
Although the practice provides additional difficulties throughout the day, both Alya and Dana believe that Ramadan is definitely worth it. “Over time you get used to it,” said Dana. “So now it’s not really hard for me.”
Another religious holiday that is celebrated this month is Easter, which is on the 31st of March. Easter is the end to the 40 days of Lent and is one of the two “big” holidays my family and I celebrate as Christians. On Easter Sunday, my family and I usually go to church in the morning and eat dinner with my extended family in the evening. My sister and I are also always visited by the Easter bunny and we get to open up some small presents and candy that morning as well.
I think I almost like Easter better than Christmas because it not only feels like a happier holiday than Christmas (celebrating Jesus’ resurrection), but also because it has always kind of signified the beginning of spring for me. Spring Break is always usually around Easter so this is probably why, but also it is usually a bit later in April so the weather is usually nice. (Hopefully, it will start feeling like Spring by Spring Break this year.)
Anyways, that’s all I have to say this month! No matter what you celebrate, I hope everyone is celebrating the new life and warm weather that is about to be in full spring in the coming months!
