Page 40 - 2021 Almanac

11th March Isra and Mi’raj
This festival is in two parts. The first part, the Isra or the ‘Night Journey’, starts on
the evening before the day of celebrations. Muslims remember the Prophet Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to heaven. Muslim people believe the Night Journey started when the Angel Gabriel took the Prophet Muhammad to Jerusalem
on a winged horse, where he met and prayed with prophets including Moses and Jesus.
The second part is the Mi’raj, which
means ‘ladder’ in Arabic. This was when the Prophet
Muhammad was carried up to heaven by Gabriel where he spoke to Allah (God), who told the Prophet that Muslims should say their prayers five times a day. At Isra and Mi’raj, Muslim people say prayers during the night and Muslim cities keep their lights on all night.
14th March Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day (or Mothering Sunday) always
falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent, three
weeks before Easter Day. It was originally a
Christian festival, and it has now become a day for people to say thank you to their mothers or carers. Why not make a card or promise jar
(p. 41) to show your mother or career how much they mean to you?
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