Holiday of Holidays
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar, Islamic holidays "move" each year. Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. For the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink, including water, from dusk till dawn. Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, "Festival of Breaking the Fast" is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations. At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their finest clothes, decorate their homes with lights, give treats to children, to donate to charity and to spend time with friends and family.
Ramadan
Channukah
Channukah is a Jewish holiday commemorating the
success of the Chashmonai revolt and the reopening of
the temple in 167 BC following the restrictions imposed
by the Seleucid empire in the kingdom of Israel. Three years later the Chashmonais succeeded in freeing Jerusalem and the temple mount from the Greeks and the converting Jews. The re-opening of the temple was done after it was purified by the Maccabees. The miracle of the oil jar – when the Greek took over the temple they profaned all the temple oils and no more than a day’s supply could be found but by miracle it was enough to burn for 8 days. To remember this miracle we light up a Channukia with eight candles.