3 faiths, 3 celebrations, 1 date

Not many noticed that one moment last week, three different faiths celebrated three different special events at the same time. It is not very often that this happens and it’s heartwarming to imagine people from diverse beliefs commemorating their special days simultaneously. I am talking about the celebration of Chinese New Year, the eve of the Islamic New Year, Muharram, and Ash Wednesday.

Amid shouts of kung hei fat choi, the Chinese ushered in the New Year on Feb. 9. We certainly have a huge Chinese community. Even before the Spanish colonizers came, Chinese traders had already settled in Manila and Sulu in droves. Moreover, our country extends to the southern tip of China, which makes the Philippines highly accessible to them. And with intermarriage, the Chinese population grew outside Parian. Chinese legends and the influence of Buddhism use animals to symbolize Chinese years. The year 2005 is the Year of the Wooden Rooster.

Chinese New Year revelry is contagious, spreading to major department stores and business establishments. Like the New Year’s Eve we’re used to, Chinese New Year is celebrated with fireworks to welcome the new year and ward off evil spirits.

Colorful dragon and lion dances were featured, being festive traditions in their native China. The dragon is believed to be the embodiment of power, dignity, luck, strength and success, while the lion is also an important Chinese totem symbolizing power, majesty and courage–also capable of warding off evil spirits.

It was the time for tikoy and wearing red clothing for luck and angpao giving, that little red envelope with cash in it. Even the non-Chinese flock to Binondo to join in the festivities, using this opportune time to brush up on their knowledge of feng shui and collect those lucky charms.

Although the universally used Gregorian calendar of Pope Gregory XIII was adopted in China in 1912, traditional Chinese feast days continue to follow the lunar calendar. The New Year coincides with the first new moon.

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Also based on the revolution of the moon is the Islamic calendar. On Feb. 9, at the same time the Chinese celebrated their new year, the Muslims commemorated the eve of their Islamic New Year. Their New Year is called Amon Jadid. The Islamic calendar also consists of 12 months, but unlike our 365 days, theirs only has 354. If we call our first month January, the Muslims call the first Islamic month Muharram.

In contrast to the merriment in the Chinese communities, the members of the Muslim communities mark the beginning of their new year in a quiet, somber way: No fireworks, no feasts. Instead, our brother Muslims gather in mosques for special prayers and readings. During this relatively low-key event, they reflect on the passing of time and their mortality.

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The first day of the Islamic New Year is the day when hijra occurred – that was in 622, the year Mohammed (peace be upon him) fled Mecca for Medina. It was also the time that Mohammed (peace be upon him) received the first of many revelations from God, which were generally ignored as the leaders of Mecca discouraged him from preaching this new religion with a threat of violence.

The teaching goes that when Mohammed was reflecting on the hills of Medina, the angel Gabriel appeared to him to tell him that he was God’s chosen messenger.

Following Mohammed’s example, our Muslim brothers, when they celebrate the new year, reflect on their personal hijra, or how they can lead a good life for Allah and leave a bad one behind, to achieve a better life based on the teachings of the Qur’an.

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Another day of contemplation was Ash Wednesday. Like the Chinese New Year and the Islamic New Year, this year’s Ash Wednesday was celebrated on Feb. 9. If the Chinese and Muslims celebrate their traditions based on their own calendars, so do we Christians based on our religious traditions on the liturgical calendar.

Our Dies Cinerum, or Day of Ashes, marked the beginning of the lenten season, a 40-day period commemorating the great mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ. Aside from Catholics, Protestants and Anglicans celebrate Ash Wednesday, too. It is generally a season of repentance and soul-searching, of fasting and abstinence.

On Ash Wednesday, we flock to our churches and from burned blessed palms of the previous year’s Palm Sunday, the priests and laymen mark a cross with their thumbs upon the forehead of each member of the congregation. While placing the ashes on the forehead, they cite the Gospel of Mark: "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel." The faithful are therefore admonished to be sorry for their sins and are reminded of their obligation to change their lives for the better. In other religions, the minister quotes the Book of Genesis: "Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return." This truth causes the faithful to contemplate their mortality.

There is really no clear indication of when the tradition began. Some quarters say it is a practice inherited from the Jews, dating back to around 960, while others say that Ash Wednesday originated during the papacy of Gregory the Great (590-604). What is certain is that the use of ashes for atonement and sorrow is cited in both the Old and New Testaments.

Different from the revelry of the Chinese New Year celebration, Ash Wednesday is more like the Islamic New Year: It is the period of self-examination, penitence and sacrifice to start the journey to Holy Week with deep reflection.

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I don’t know how often our calendars coincide and see an overlap of events like this, but what I know is that when the Chinese New Year, a day of revelry, overlaps with Ash Wednesday, a day of penance and sobriety, there is no cultural dilemma. The diocese acts with pastoral sensitivity and issues special dispensation from Church disciplines.

Considering the time differences, somewhere in the world, different faiths commemorate different special days via different ways. The only thing similar is that they were all held on Feb. 9.