Christmas Wallpapers and Images and Photos

Thursday, 4 August 2011

About Ramadan, About Ramzan Id,About Ramzan,History Of Ramzan

Ramadan (Turkish:Ramazan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and intimacy with their partners during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and compliance to God. Muslims fast for the sake of God and to offer more prayer than usual. Compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards by about eleven days each year depending on the moon; thus, a being will have fasted every day of the calendar year in 34 years' time. Muslims believe Ramadan to be a favorable month for the revelations of God to humankind, being the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were exposed to the Islamic clairvoyant, Muhammad.

Coming with the new moon, the festival marks the end of 'Ramadan' - a month when Muslims fast throughout the day and eat only at night Prayers, feast and family get- together are the major highlights of the celebrations. It was during this month that the holy Koran was revealed. Eid means recurring happiness or festivity. Eid is famous in India with much enthusiasm and fervor and Muslims from all strata of life can be seen adorned in beautiful new clothes, visiting the mosques to attend Salatul Eid (Eid prayers). Greetings of "Eid-Mubarak" or "a blessed Eid" are exchanged.

A very important aspect of eid is the charity, which all the Muslims are expected to extend to the needy. Earlier, this was in the form of gifts in kind but now cash is given to the needy. The first Eid of the year is known as "Eid Al Fitr". Al Fitr literally means contravention of fast. Thus Eid Al Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawaal, the tenth month in the Muslim calendar, to mark the end of a month long fast during the month of Ramadan. As the third "pillar" or spiritual obligation of Islam, fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control. Due to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of bodily appetite during the daylight hours of fasting, a measure of dominance is given to one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of coming closer to Allah. Ramadan is also a time of intense worship, reading of the Quran, purifying one's behavior, giving charity and doing virtuous deeds.

The secondary objective of fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing compassion for the less fortunate, and learns to be thankful and grateful for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also advantageous to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits.

Eid Al Fitr is a day of joy and thanksgiving. On this day, Muslims show their joy for the health, strength and opportunities of life, which Allah has given them to fulfill their obligation of fasting and other good deeds during the month of Ramadan. It is considered unholy to fast on this day. It is also a day of forgetting old grudge and ill feelings towards other fellow men. The second important Eid celebration is called "Eid Al-Adha".

Although only the pilgrims in Makkah can participate in the Hajj fully, all the other Muslims in the world join with them by celebrating Eid Al-Adha, or "Celebration of Sacrifice." On the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims around the world rejoice this feast of commitment, compliance and self-sacrifice to Allah. They wear their nicest clothing and attend Salatul-Eid (Eid Prayer) in the morning. This is followed by a short sermon, after which everyone socializes. Next, people visit each other's homes and partake in festive meals with special dishes, beverages, and desserts. Children receive gifts and sweets on this happy time. In addition, like the pilgrims in Makkah, the Muslims, who can afford to do so, offer home animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. The meat is dispersed for expenditure to family, friends, and to the poor and needy. Prayers are offered in mosques and Idgahs and complicated festivities are held.

Wednesday, 3 August 2011

History of Christmas, About Christmas

The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions were famous centuries before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule log, the giving of gifts, carnival with floats, carolers who sing while going from house to house, the holiday feasts, and the church procession can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians.

Many of these traditions began with the Mesopotamian celebration of New Years. The Mesopotamians supposed in many gods, and as their chief god - Marduk. Each year as winter arrived it was believed that Marduk would do battle with the monster of chaos. To assist Marduk in his move violently the Mesopotamians held a festival for the New Year. This was Zagmuk, the New Year's festival that lasted for 12 days.

The Mesopotamian king would return to the temple of Marduk and swear his authenticity to the god. The civilization called for the king to die at the end of the year and to return with Marduk to battle at his side.

To spare their king, the Mesopotamians used the idea of a "mock" king. A criminal was chosen and dressed in royal clothes. He was given all the admiration and privileges of a real king. At the end of the celebration the "mock" king was naked of the royal clothes and slain, sparing the life of the real king.

The Persians and the Babylonians celebrated a similar festival call the Sacaea. Part of that celebration included the exchange of places, the slaves would become the masters and the masters were to obey.

Early Europeans believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and trolls. As the Winter Solstice approached, with its long cold nights and short days, many people feared the sun would not return. Special rituals and revels were held to welcome back the sun.

In Scandinavia throughout the winter months the sun would vanish for many days. After thirty-five days scouts would be sent to the ton tops to look for the return of the sun. When the first light was seen the scouts would return with the good news. A great festival would be held, called the Yuletide, and a special feast would be served around a fire on fire with the Yule log. Great bonfires would also be lit to rejoice the return of the sun. In some areas people would tie apples to branches of trees to remind themselves that coil and summer would return.

The ancient Greeks held a festival alike to that of the Zagmuk/Sacaea festivals to assist their god Kronos who would battle the god Zeus and his Titans. The Roman's celebrated their god Saturn. Their festival was called Saturnalia which began the middle of December and ended January 1st. With cries of "Jo Saturnalia!" the celebration would include masquerades in the streets, big festive meals, visiting friends, and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae (lucky fruits).

The Romans decked their halls with garlands of laurel and green trees lit with candles. Again the masters and slaves would exchange places. "Jo Saturnalia!" was a fun and festive time for the Romans, but the Christians though it an abomination to honor the pagan god. The early Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ child a solemn and religious holiday, not one of cheer and merriment as was the pagan Saturnalia.

But as Christianity spread they were alarmed by the ongoing celebration of pagan customs and Saturnalia among their converts. At first the Church forbids this kind of celebration. But it was to no avail. Eventually it was decided that the celebration would be tamed and made into a celebration fit for the Christian Son of God.

Some legends claim that the Christian "Christmas" celebration was invented to compete against the pagan celebrations of December. The 25th was not only sacred to the Romans but also the Persians whose religion Mithraism was one of Christianity's main rivals at that time. The Church eventually was successful in taking the merriment, lights, and gifts from the Saturnalia festival and brings them to the celebration of Christmas.

The exact day of the Christ child's birth has never been pinpoint. Traditions say that it has been celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ Child celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, choose December 25th as the observance of Christmas.

In the late 300's, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. By 1100, Christmas had become the most important religious festival in Europe, and Saint Nicholas was a symbol of gift giving in many European countries. During the 1400's and 1500's, many artists painted scenes of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus. An example of these works appears in the Jesus Christ article in the print version of The World Book Encyclopedia.

The popularity of Christmas grew until the Reformation, a religious movement of the 1500's. This movement gave birth to Protestantism. During the Reformation, many Christians began to consider Christmas a pagan celebration because it included nonreligious customs. During the 1600's, because of these feelings, Christmas was outlawed in England and in parts of the English colonies in America. The old customs of feasting and decorating, however, soon reappeared and blended with the more Christian aspects of the celebration.