Diversity Blog

Cultural & religious observances header image. A photo in the upper left hand corner is a stained glass image of Mary holding Jesus. The photo in the upper right hand corner is a woman wearing a burqua standing near a fence. The image on the bottom left corner is a monk, and the image on the bottom right corner is a mandala sand painting.

Cultural and religious observances – October 18-24, 2021

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Mawlid

Malaysian Muslims participate in a parade known as Mawlid
Malaysian Muslims particiate in a Maulidur Rasul parade in Putrajaya, also known as Mawlid the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad at Putrajaya Putra Mosque. Image credit: wikimedia.org

Culture/religion: Islamic
Date: October 19

Mawlid commemorates the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on 12 Rabi’ al-awwal, the twelfth day of the third month in the Islamic calendar. In predominantly Muslim countries, Mawlid al-Nabi is a public holiday.

Many Muslims do not celebrate this holiday, as they feel it puts too much emphasis on the prophet as human and distracts from the true divine source of revelation. On the other hand, many Muslims see this festival as a way of teaching their community about the prophet’s way of life.

Some Muslims celebrate in private homes, while others decorate mosques with lights and hold large festive gatherings.

Sources:

Birthday of the Prophet: Mawlid al-Nabi, The Pluralism Project at Harvard University