Lent and Ramadan: A Comparison

Lent and Ramadan: A Comparison

Introduction

Lent begins a day before Easter. The date of Easter is set by the Catholic Church on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring. This is not a fixed date schedule and varies generally from early March to late April. Lent begins 47 days before Easter. The first day is Ash Wednesday, and is followed by the Mardi Gras, a holiday. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a lunar calendar, like the one that was used in Arabia at the beginning of Islam. The year of the lunar calendar consists of 12 months of 29 to 30 days, the first day of each month is calculated from the observation of the moon (this is not the same day in every part of the world).

Lent is a religious aspect in the religion Christianity and Ramadan is the sacred aspect of the religion, Islam. There is a similarity in both the religious aspects that both the people care about the ones who do not have much with them and make sure that they take care of them. This gives them the blessings of God and ensures that they are pious in the eyes of God.

Discussion

Lent in Christianity

Lent is meant to remind Christians that according to the Gospel, Christ spent forty days in the wilderness, forty days in prayer and fasting to resist the temptations of the devil before the beginning of his public life. In the Middle Ages, the fast of Lent was to take only one meal a day and no meals on Friday and Saturday before Easter Sunday. There was no meat meal, but fish was allowed. This tradition is disappearing. Nowadays, Christians, whether Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, consider Lent as a spiritual exercise in which you must curb material desires, without being obliged nevertheless to comply with a code of conduct.

Christians know that Lent is a period of preparation for Easter. As the Hebrew people had lived in the desert for forty years before reaching the Promised Land and the Christian people accept a test of forty days to prepare for the new life that Christ offered again. It is; therefore, a process of repentance for sins and refusals (McDonald, 2011). More recently, the focus has shifted i.e. deprivation in the food and drink were softened, the emphasis is made stronger on the inner conversion and sharing (Roy, 2005). This is a time of sharing material and people give time, give a hand, give a sandwich, and give some money to the underpriviledged.

Ramadan in Islam

Ramadan is a holy and sacred month in Islam. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and Muslims are required to abide by this pillar. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are required to fast i.e. they are not allowed to drink or eat throughout the day. This is a sacred month as the Holy Book of Muslims was revealed in this month. According to the Quran ...