Maha Shivaratri: Hindus fast and hold vigil for ‘Great Night of Shiva’

February 26, 2025 by Leave a Comment

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26: A day of fasting and worship is followed by a nighttime vigil for Lord Shiva, on the Hindu holiday of Maha Shivaratri. Lord Shiva is associated with several legends and renowned as the model of an ideal husband. On Maha Shivaratri, many Hindus believe that Lord Shiva performed the Tandava—the cosmic dance of creation, preservation and destruction.

After a full day of visiting temples, performing ritual baths for figures of Lord Shiva and fasting, Hindus begin a vigil that lasts the entire night.

LORD SHIVA: MARRIAGE AND LINGA

Many stories are shared as this holiday is celebrated by Hindus in India, Nepal, Trinidad, Tobago and other parts of the world. According to one legend, Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati, were married on this day. As the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvatai is regarded as ideal, married women pray for the well-being of their husbands and single women pray that they will find a husband like Shiva.

RITUALS AND CUSTOMS

After waking early for a ritual bath, Hindus begin the day by visiting the temple. At the temple, Hindus pray, make offerings and bathe figures of Shiva in milk, honey or water. Many devotees either fast or partake in only milk and fruit throughout the day. As evening falls, the worship continues, and hymns and devotional songs are sung to Shiva throughout the night. It’s believed that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on Maha Shivaratri—Lord Shiva’s favorite day—will bring absolution of sins, neutrality of the mind and assistance in liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.

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Ayyam-i-Ha, Nineteen-Day Fast: Baha’is celebrate days of ‘good cheer,’ prepare for New Year

February 24, 2025 by Leave a Comment

SUNSET MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24: Baha’is begin a period of special, “outside of time” days to correct their annual calendar

SUNSET FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28: Baha’is begin the 19-day month of Ala, which is a fasting month in preparation for the Baha’i New year

AYYAM-I-HA (DAYS OF HA)

Sacred days “outside of time” begin for members of the Baha’i faith as the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha, or Intercalary Days, commences. Until sunset on February 28, Baha’is mark a break in their 19-month calendar: the “extra days” are used to bring awareness to God’s oneness, along with a focus on charity and unity.

Ayyam-i-Ha—literally, the Days of Ha—plays on a double meaning of “Ha”: Ha, the first letter of an Arabic pronoun commonly used to refer to God, is used as a symbol of the essence of God in Baha’i writings; the Arabic abjad system designates the letter Ha as having a numerical value of five, which has always been the maximum number of days allowed for the period of Ayyam-i-Ha.

Baha’u’llah designated that Ayyam-i-Ha should be filled with “good cheer” and “joy and exultation”—for Baha’is, their kindred and for recipients of the Baha’is’ charity.

When the Bab began creating a calendar for the new Babi religion in the 1840s, intercalation (which is not practiced in Islam) was implemented to differentiate it from the existing Islamic calendar. When the Bab did not specify where the Intercalary Days should be inserted, Baha’u’llah—the one foretold of by the Bab—designated that they should be placed before the fasting month of Ala. Today, Baha’is still observe the Nineteen-Day Fast throughout the entire month of Ala. A New Year begins the day after Ala ends.

THE NINETEEN-DAY FAST

With the festive days behind of Ayyim-i-Ha, Baha’is enter the final month of the calendar year with the Nineteen-Day Fast. For the entire final month of the Baha’i calendar year—Ala, which lasts 19 days—Baha’is observe a sunrise-to-sunset fast. Many Baha’is regard the Nineteen-Day Fast as one of the greatest obligations of their faith.

Instituted by the Bab and revised by Baha’u’llah, the Nineteen-Day Fast is intended to bring a person closer to God. According to the Bab, the true purpose of the fast is to abstain from everything except divine love. Fasting guidelines, exemptions and more are in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Baha’u’llah’s book of laws.

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Meatfare, Cheesefare Sunday: Triodion and Lent preparations amp up for Orthodox Christians

February 23, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Photo by Gabriela Osinska, courtesy of Pexels

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 and SUNDAY, MARCH 2: Lent is quickly approaching for the world’s 2 billion Christians, and on February 23, Eastern Orthodox churches take the first steps toward their traditional Lenten fast with Meatfare Sunday (also referred to as the Sunday of the Last Judgment). After Meatfare Sunday, no meat may be consumed until Pascha (Easter).

One week later, Cheesefare Sunday will mark the discontinuation of partaking in dairy products until Pascha. For Orthodox Christians, Great Lent begins the day following Cheesefare Sunday, on Clean Monday—this year, March 3.

MEATFARE SUNDAY (THE LAST JUDGMENT )

On Meatfare Sunday, or the Sunday of the Last Judgment, emphasis is placed on the Second Coming and Last Judgment—a time when Christ (in the Gospel of Matthew) refers to coming in glory with the angels to judge the living and the dead. While the opportunity exists, the faithful are encouraged to repent. The parable of the Last Judgment points out that Christ will judge on love: How well one has shared God’s love, and how deeply one has cared for others.

Looking to cook up a delicious meat dish today?  Find recipes at Allrecipes, Southern Living and Food Network.

 

CHEESEFARE SUNDAY (AND FORGIVENESS)

Great Lent commences for Eastern Christians on the day following Cheesefare Sunday, on Clean Monday—but the faithful already are cleaning their slates today, by asking forgiveness and preparing to eliminate dairy from their diets until Pascha. (Dairy is permitted on Cheesefare Sunday, but not from the day following.) In the Orthodox church, this year, March 1 is Forgiveness Sunday (also known as Cheesefare Sunday).

On the search for dairy recipes? Find recipes from Eating Well, Food Network and Dairy Goodness, a recipe collection from the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Throughout Great Lent and until Pascha (Easter), Eastern Christians will fast from meat and dairy products and only consume oil and wine on occasion.

Starting on the evening of Forgiveness Sunday, the Vespers of Forgiveness will signal the first liturgy of Great Lent; the service will end when attendees ask forgiveness from both fellow congregation members and the priest. If you have Orthodox friends and colleagues, this is a moving liturgy to attend, as the process of forgiveness often is deeply personal for the faithful.

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Valentine’s Day: Americans to spend record $27.5 billion on international holiday of love

February 14, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Photo by alleksana, courtesy of Pexels

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14: Hearts, expressions of love and sweet confections are flowing around the world today, marking the arrival of Valentine’s Day.

In ancient Rome, the fertility festival Lupercalia was observed February 13-15, although historians cannot document specific historical links between Lupercalia and the modern Valentine’s Day. For that matter, history doesn’t document any romantic association with Valentine’s Day until the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer.

The embers of courtly love began glowing in the High Middle Ages, and by the end of the 18th century, Valentine cards were being produced and exchanged. Through the decades, Valentines evolved from lace-and-ribbon trinkets to paper stationery to a holiday involving more expensive gifts, chocolates and, more recently, jewelry. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent in the United States each year (not including the inexpensive Valentine cards exchanged among schoolchildren).

Looking for a gift guide? Yahoo has 17 gifts that ‘prove you’re smooth, not scrambling’; the Guardian has ’34 thoughtful ideas they’ll actually want.’ Today.com offers ’20 best Valentine’s gifts in 2025,’ and InStyle has ’23 Valentine’s Day finds [that] will arrive just in time.’

For couples: In early 2014, Pope Francis released an appeal entitled “The Joy of ‘Yes’ Forever.” Intended for engaged couples but suitable for anyone who is married, this is a perfect read for Valentine’s Day! Read it here.

2025 stats: According to the National Retail Federation, 56 percent of Americans plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year; 28 percent of those not celebrating still plan to mark the occasion. Consumers are expected to spend a record $27.5 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, up from last year’s $25.8 billion and slightly above the previous record of $27.4 billion, set in 2020 (per person, that stat is $188.81).

THE ‘REAL’ ST. VALENTINE(S): A HISTORY AND A DOZEN

Through the centuries, Christians have honored nearly a dozen St. Valentines, so any research into the history of the “real” St. Valentine quickly veers toward confusion.

The Encyclopedia Britannica states that St. Valentine is the “name of two legendary martyrs whose lives seem to be historically based. One was a Roman priest and physician who suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus and was buried on the Via Flaminia. Pope St. Julius I reportedly built a basilica over his grave. The other, bishop of Terni, Italy, was martyred, apparently also in Rome, and his relics were later taken to Terni. It is possible these are different versions of the same original account and refer to only one person.”

American Catholic magazine—one of today’s most popular sources of information for Catholic families—states: “Although the mid-February holiday celebrating love and lovers remains wildly popular, the confusion over its origins led the Catholic Church, in 1969, to drop St. Valentine’s Day from the Roman calendar of official, worldwide Catholic feasts. Those highly sought-after days are reserved for saints with more clear historical record. After all, the saints are real individuals for us to imitate. Some parishes, however, observe the feast of St. Valentine.”

So,  if conversation today heads in the direction of  the history of the “real” St. Valentine, you’re on solid ground to state the simple truth: “Yes, but no one knows for sure.”

FEBRUARY 14 AROUND THE WORLD

Albeit a relatively new addition to Asian culture, Valentine’s Day claims its biggest spenders in this region: Customarily, women in South Korea and Japan give chocolates to all male co-workers, friends and lovers on February 14, with men returning the favor two- or threefold on “White Day,” which occurs on March 14. Residents of Singapore spend, on average, between $100 and $500 on Valentine’s Day gifts, according to a recent report.

French and Welsh households commemorate Christian saints of love, and in Finland and Latin American countries, “love” extends to friends and friendships. Western countries most often acknowledge Valentine’s Day with greeting cards, candies and romantic dinner dates. However, in Islamic countries, many officials have deemed Valentine’s Day as unsuitable for Islamic culture.

VALENTINE RECIPES AND LINKS

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Our Lady of Lourdes: Christians pray, thousands of pilgrims travel to site for healing, more

February 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Our Lady of Lourdes

A stained glass window of Our Lady of Lourdes at Llandudno Catholic church. Photo by Lawrence OP, courtesy of Flickr

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11: In spite of advances of modern medicine, today’s Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes reminds us that millions of Christians around the world still look to Lourdes, after more than 160 years: those faithful believe that miraculous healing waters can be found in Lourdes, at a site where a young French girl first reported an apparition of the Virgin Mary on this day in 1858. Bernadette Soubirous was only 14 when she witnessed a series of apparitions, but she has since been canonized by the church—and millions of pilgrims flock to this site every year.

News bite: In December 2022, 60 Minutes investigated the story of Lourdes, including the rigorous medical testing that is a part of the site and has confirmed 70 cases as inexplicable miracles. Read the story here.

AN APPARITION: GUSTS OF WIND AND THE ‘IMMACULATE CONCEPTION’

On February 11, 1858, Bernadette Soubirous had gone to collect firewood with her sister, Toinette, and neighbor, Jeanne Abadie. Taking off her shoes to wade in water near the Grotto of Massabielle, Soubirous reported hearing the sound of two gusts of wind, though nothing around her moved except a wild rose in the grotto. At that time, Soubirous looked into the grotto. The 14-year-old reported seeing, in the grotto, a lady who wore a white dress and a blue sash, with a yellow rose on each foot. The lady asked Soubirous to pray the rosary with her.

Did you know? As Bernadette Soubirous reported the “lady” to have yellow roses on each foot, it remains common practice that pilgrims imitate this with Marian statues. 

Despite punishment from her parents over her reports, Soubirous returned to the grotto and witnessed the apparition again. After multiple encounters, the apparition instructed Bernadette to ask local clergy that a chapel be built at the grotto. When clergy demanded to know the apparition’s name, Bernadette was told: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” What Bernadette did not know is that, just three years earlier, Pope Pius IX had proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. As the impoverished daughter of a family little involved in the church, it was a most surprising event when Bernadette began telling her family and local religious figures that she had seen the “Immaculate Conception”—an official term that experts say she had no way of knowing.

LOURDES: PRAYERS, HEALING AND MIRACLES

Tradition has it that the apparition itself told Bernadette to dig in the ground to locate the spring, and from the very beginning, medical patients who drank this water reported miraculous cures. Today’s site of Our Lady of Lourdes is quite a complex operation: The site consists of more than 20 acres, 22 places of worship, a grotto and a sanctuary. The church officially recognizes 70 miracles, though upward of 7,000 pilgrims have claimed miracles from the Lourdes waters.

Looking for prayers for today? Check out Women for Faith and Family.

From its earliest days of receiving pilgrims, the grotto at Lourdes has housed an on-site Bureau Medical that welcomes any scientist in search of proof of the approved miracles. The Lourdes Medical Bureau continues to leave its records open to any medical doctor who specializes in the area of any cure.

Note: For pilgrims who can’t travel to France, many churches offer a Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes during February.

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Triodion: Eastern Orthodox Christians reflect, prepare during Lenten Triodion

February 09, 2025 by Leave a Comment

The interior of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo by Tzim78, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9: Although the Christian Lent—a preparation period before Easter—is still weeks away, Eastern Orthodox Christians are beginning a pre-Lenten spiritually reflective period today, in a span known as the Lenten Triodion.

With a focus on humility, this initial Sunday recalls the story from Luke 18:10-14, about two men Jesus described as they prayed. One man was proud of his righteousness and showed off as he invoked God’s blessing; the other man was a “tax collector,” sometimes called a “Publican.” According to Luke, this man “stood off at distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, ‘God have pity on me! I am such a sinner.’” Many believe that Jesus’s point, in this story, was that people should approach prayer with the utter humility of the tax collector.

TRIODION: SUNDAYS LEADING TO GREAT LENT

In this year’s Eastern Orthodox Christian (Gregorian) calendar, Feb. 16 is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, emphasizing the need for loving forgiveness; Sunday, Feb. 23 is the Sunday of the Last Judgment. Sunday, March 2 follows, with Forgiveness Sunday, and Great Lent commences the following day—on Clean Monday.

Did you know?

The name “Triodion” is the title of the liturgical guidebook followed in the weeks leading up to Great Lent.

Triodion is a liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches. The book contains the propers for the fasting period preceding Pascha (Easter) and for the weeks leading up to the fast. This particular page comes from a 1491 Triodion, published in “old church Slavonic” in Kraków, Poland.

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Black History Month highlight: The Heart of the African-American Labor Movement Beat in a Landmark Detroit Church

February 01, 2025 by Leave a Comment

The Rev. Charles Hill, pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit and a major figure in the American labor movement.

Black History Month 2025 highlights “African Americans and Labor”

FEBRUARY 2025—The founders of this special nationwide emphasis—The Association of for the Study of African American Life and History—is calling on all Americans to learn more this February about the many roles African-Americans played in the movement to protect and empower American workers. One way you can do that right now is by watching two videos—just a total of 10 minutes—about the role of the Rev. Charles Hill, the prophetic leader who brought together the influence of the African-American church and the power of the emerging labor movement for justice and inclusion.

These videos were produced by the Making Tracks nonprofit in Detroit, which is part of the larger MotorCities National Heritage Area.

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Care to learn more?

THIS WEEK, JOE GRIMM, founding director of the Michigan State University School of Journalism Bias Busters, has also written a column … (describe and link to what Joe writes) …

A HELPFUL GATEWAY TO FEDERALLY FUNDED RESOURCES—from the National Park Services to the Smithsonian—is hosted collectively by BlackHistoryMonth.gov where you’ll find easy links to a half dozen other major repositories of information, images and other historical records.

PLUS, NEARLY 20 MORE DOCUMENTARY VIDEOS focusing on Detroit’s connections between African Americans and the labor movement are indexed on this page within the Making Tracks website.

Click on the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page. (This is just one of many books we publish about peacemaking and overcoming our legacy of racism.)

Since 2007, our online magazine and our parent, Front Edge Publishing, have produced fair, accurate and balanced news about religious, cultural and racial diversity. We have published a series of books by international peacemaker Daniel L. Buttry that include inspiring stories of men and women (and even some children) who risked standing up for justice on behalf of their neighbors, despite bigotry.

We publish Friendship & Faith, a collection of true stories from women who courageously crossed boundaries of religion, culture and race to discover new friends on the other side of their often difficult journeys.

The Black Knight is the memoir of the oldest living African American graduate of West Point.

The work of Dr. Anni Reinking explores complex issues of multi-racial families as described in her wise and inspiring, Not Just Black and White. That link takes you to our 2019 coverage of the launch of Anni’s book. Then, in 2020, Anni followed up in our magazine by writing a two-part series for us: First, she wrote, “Dr. Anni Reinking reminds us it’s ‘Not Just Black and White’.” Then, she added a sidebar headlined: “Dr. Anni Reinking on ‘What can I do now?’” That story includes a list of practical ideas for readers.

Perhaps our most ambitious series of all is co-produced with the Michigan State University School of Journalism Bias Busters. That series includes a number of books about racial diversity, including one on African Americans and one on the Black Church.

 

 

 

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