| ¹ |
Culmination of the Haj
or Holy Pilgrimage. |
| ² |
The lunar Islamic Hijra
calendar is made up of 12 months, each month alternating between
29 and 30 days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per
year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of the moon
and annually moves 11 days backward through the seasons. |
| ³ |
Easter, a Christian
holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first
Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the
Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday
and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using
the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the
much older Julian calendar and celebrate 13 days later. |
| *¹ |
The Birthday of the
Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the 12th day in the month of Rabi'l
of the Islamic calendar. |
| *² |
The Ascent of the Prophet
Mohammad is celebrated on the 27th day in the month of Rajab of
the Islamic calendar. |
| *³ |
Ramadan (the month of
fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the
ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days.
Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country,
depending on the first appearance of the moon. |
| **¹ |
Feasting that officially
marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for 3 days. |
| **² |
Christmas celebrates
the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date
at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church
calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13
days later on January 7. |