Friday, December 18, 2009

Islamic New Years

It is the Islamic New Years today, Dec.18th, 2009; or in the Muslim calendar ... Muharram 1,1431 A.H.. It is not really celebrated as the other Islamic holidays, such as the two Eids .

As stated in the infoplease.com  web site...  "The Islamic New Year:
The month of Muharram marks the beginning of the Islamic liturgical year. The Islamic year begins on the first day of Muharram, and is counted from the year of the Hegira (anno Hegirae) the year in which Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina (A.D. July 16, 622).
The Islamic new year is celebrated relatively quietly, with prayers and readings and reflection upon the hegira."
Here is what Wikpedi has to say about the New Year of the Islamic calendar .In Libya it isn't an official holiday , therefore it passes quietly . Some family's have a dinner together , others pray at the mosque .

The Day Of Ashura is another important Islamic day . This year it will come on December 27, 2009 . Ashura falls on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Sunnis, Ashura commemorates the exodus of Moses from Egypt, and is usually observed by completing an optional fast as practiced by the Prophet Muhammad. For Shias it marks the tragic anniversary of the death of the Prophet's grandson, Husain at the hands of Ummayyad ruler, Yazid. The day is marked with mourning and even enactments of the tragic event and fasting .

6 comments:

Containers said...

Thanks for the article.It is informative for all the Muslims espically.Hope so i will get the further updates in future.

Thanks,
Containers
www.boxtcontainers.com

Meme said...

u know most of libyan celebrate ashura more than the islamic year..
maybe because ashura started to be like haloween??
sana hejreya sa3eeda.

khadijateri said...

My husband says you are supposed to put 'jeer' on the doorstep on New Years Day in the morning.. I've never seen anyone do it in the 20 years I've been here. Have you ever heard about this tradition before?

on the edge said...

Hey ! Thanks for the comments everyone !

Khadijateri , I asked Moe about the jeer. He said that in his family they didn't do that . When I asked him WHY some one would do that , he didn't have a clue. So ask your husband more about the WHY and let us know , ok ?Moe said jeer was white wash ?

I may not have understood what he was trying to tell me , since today isn't a good day for talking , for him .

I do remember seeing his mother burning myrrh at the door as each one left the house , to ward off the evil eye.She would recite some Quran as she did it .

may said...

salam 3lakoom

sana hejrya moobarkh

thank u 4 nice post

may

Anonymous said...

Definately remember the Jeer on each corner of door ways, an old tripolitanian tradition. My wife's family say hers put powder instead!
Don't know what the significant unfortuately.