Id-e-Milad, Good Friday, Holi

Posted by Harsh Nevatia Mar 12, 2008

Working at my desk today I noticed three red-letter days on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd of March. 20th is Id-e-Milad, a Muslim holiday, 21st is Good Friday, a Christian holiday, and 22nd is Holi, a Hindu holiday. India perhaps is the only country in the world where these three important days of different faiths are all public holidays. And this speaks volumes of the way Indians have assimilated diverse cultures and religions.

But this is not what has prompted this blog because these three occasions are public holidays every year. I was amazed at the coincidence that they fall on consecutive days. It must be remembered that each falls on different dates each year according to the Gregorian calendar. In my memory it is the first time they are occurring on consecutive days. During the extended week end Indians would do well to ponder over how important it is to maintain communal harmony and to participate in religious occasions of other faiths. Meanwhile here is a brief write up on the three holidays.

Id-e-Milad is observed as the birth and death anniversary of the Prophet Mohammed. It falls on the twelfth day of Rabi-ul-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic Calendar. During the twelve days preceding Id, sermons on the deeds of the Prophet are delivered in mosques.

Good Friday is observed as the anniversary of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It falls on the Friday before Easter. This is a day of mourning.

Holi essentially celebrates the onset of spring. In most parts of India it is celebrated by applying colors on each other. The name derives from that of the she-demon who was burnt in the flames when she tried to kill the devotee Prahlad.