Happy Everything!

March 21, 2008 9:17 AM

In a coincidence that happens less than once in a millennium, over half the world is celebrating a holiday. It is Good Friday; the Jewish festival of Purim, where getting drunk is often an obligation; the Persian new year of Narouz; Eid Milad an Nabi which the birth of the Prophet celebrated by some Sunnis; and Small Holi for Hindus, among many others.

Some recipes to celebrate with.

And why is this day so special? This is a rare overlap because while the holidays are all tied to spring, they all use different methods to determine their dates: Good Friday requires an incredibly elaborate formula, Purim falls on different days depending on whether your city has walls, and there are separate Hindu, Zoroastrian, and Islamic calenders as well.

posted by blahblahblah (34 comments total)

And yet the spring equinox was yesterday, the 20th, not today. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
posted by Asparagirl at 9:23 AM on March 21, 2008

Maulid an Nabi is not tied to Spring, but to the Islamic lunar calendar that is offset back11 day each solar year. But it's neat anyways that there is a confluence.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:24 AM on March 21, 2008

back 11 days, even
posted by Burhanistan at 9:24 AM on March 21, 2008

No doubt tonight Bill O'Reilly will loudly complain that nobody wished him a happy Good Friday.
posted by Bromius at 9:26 AM on March 21, 2008

And yet, I'm still at work.
posted by turaho at 9:26 AM on March 21, 2008

And yet the spring equinox was yesterday

That takes care of the other half the world.
posted by Miko at 9:32 AM on March 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Good Friday past.
posted by Mblue at 9:38 AM on March 21, 2008

Thanks for the post!
posted by Roach at 9:39 AM on March 21, 2008

And it's an official holiday in Mexico, Benito Juarez's birthday, a Mazatec indian that made it to president, and is responsible for the separation of church and state! Good Friday and Juarez's birthday the same day, how sweet.
posted by Dr. Curare at 9:44 AM on March 21, 2008

"Speaking in Israel yesterday, McCain referred to the Jewish holiday Purim as 'their version of Halloween.'"
posted by ericb at 9:49 AM on March 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

It's not Good Friday for about 275,000,000 Orthodox, as well as any other Christians following a Julian-based calendar.
posted by longdaysjourney at 9:55 AM on March 21, 2008

And I didn't get a single card. Fuck ya'll, too. All three billion.
posted by absalom at 9:58 AM on March 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

Let Jesus into your Wii
posted by Burhanistan at 10:02 AM on March 21, 2008

It's Purim?! I mean I was gonna get drunk anyway but now I can claim I'm doin for God!
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 10:06 AM on March 21, 2008

I'm chewing a chocolate egg in your honour.
Getting drunk sounds more exciting though.
posted by jouke at 10:33 AM on March 21, 2008

And yesterday was Mister Rogers' birthday!

It's sad how I know that even though I never watched the damn - I mean darn - show.
posted by bettafish at 10:34 AM on March 21, 2008

I'm pretty sure that Easter and the equinox, at least, can never fall on the same day, because Easter comes after the first full moon on or after the equinox. But happy everything else.
posted by sy at 10:40 AM on March 21, 2008

Good Friday past.

Starring Ice Cube?
posted by mannequito at 11:05 AM on March 21, 2008

Good Friday really isn't "celebrated" in the same sense as those other holidays. It is the most solemn day of the year in most Christian traditions, and is the only day of the year where celebrating Mass is forbidden in the Catholic tradition.
posted by A Long and Troublesome Lameness at 11:33 AM on March 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Nice observation; I hadn't realised this confluence.
posted by carter at 11:41 AM on March 21, 2008

Also the Old Ones and Skexees merge today too
posted by poppo at 12:00 PM on March 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

The Baha'i Naw-Rúz falls on 3/21 also.
posted by unixrat at 12:11 PM on March 21, 2008

I bought a children's illustrated Bible for my niece today. The harried cashier bagged it without scanning it through the register, but after a loooong second, I told him that he hadn't charged me for it.

I'm pretty sure it was the make-or-break on deciding whether I'm going to hell or not.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 12:11 PM on March 21, 2008

And it's my birthday! Celeberate that!

More like Great Friday, amirite! Sorry, not trying to be LOLXianist.
posted by schyler523 at 12:49 PM on March 21, 2008

Alvy, relax.
I was the cashier, and I was giving it to you, thinking "A guy buying an illustrated Bible on Good Friday? How can I possibly charge him for it? This is a make-or-break decision as to whether or not I ascend to the next level of being during the upcoming Singularity!

And I was not harried; I was late for my 15-minute break.
posted by eclectist at 12:50 PM on March 21, 2008

Purim and Holi are a GREAT combo. Drunken color tossing, and Barfi to boot? Sacrilicious!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:59 PM on March 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Happy holidays EVERYONE.
posted by monospace at 1:09 PM on March 21, 2008

[NOT SUNNIIST]
posted by Eideteker at 1:19 PM on March 21, 2008

It's Gaura Purnima!
posted by [@I][:+:][@I] at 1:22 PM on March 21, 2008

ericb writes "'Speaking in Israel yesterday, McCain referred to the Jewish holiday Purim as "their version of Halloween."'"

I might not be voting for McCain, but that doesn't make what he said ridiculous ... I'm Jewish, and I've described it that way myself. You dress up, get sweets, have a party. It's not very serious in terms of religion. Seems quite similar to me.
posted by Araucaria at 3:45 PM on March 21, 2008

Aha, now I read your link in more detail. Hmm, sounds like he knows nothing about the holiday, was briefed minimally by Lieberman, and misinterpreted the explanation. Lieberman took the fall for him, quite gracefully, gave him a followup briefing, and McCain gave a clarification. Seems that the real story is that McCain has virtually no knowledge of *any* of the parties in the middle east and is relying on Joe every step of the way.
posted by Araucaria at 3:51 PM on March 21, 2008

Had no idea of this happening in less than once in a millennium. Thanks for highlighting that fact blahblahblah!
posted by hadjiboy at 10:01 PM on March 21, 2008

*throws bucket full of pink coloured water on AV*
posted by hadjiboy at 10:03 PM on March 21, 2008

<hick&gt .... I really do have a hiccough problem right now..
posted by porpoise at 10:28 PM on March 21, 2008