By Al Creighton
Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are often described as three great religions, and they are certainly dominant across the contemporary world and specifically in the anglophone Caribbean where they have contributed considerably to the shape and colour of the cultural landscape. A very fascinating development is that these three mighty traditions come together this weekend when four of their important holy days have met in a rare brand of unity.
The movements of the moon and the calendar conspired in 2008 to have the Islamic Youman-Nabi on Thursday March 20, the Christian Good Friday on March 21, Phagwah of the Hindus on Saturday March 22 and the Christian Easter Sunday on March 23 all closely follow each other on consecutive days. This coincidence of celebrations, faiths, messages, cultures, traditions and ethnicity very nearly brings together the whole world and almost all of Guyana in an act of spiritual rebirth for an unbroken four-day period, which should not be lost on anyone. It is a significant confluence of cultural expressions for the various ethnic celebrants of these religions who have been at each other’s throats for centuries, sometimes murdering each other in the name of their God. The impact of this fascinating concurrence should not be lost on Guyana, where the threat at this very moment of ill-will and disunity is well known. The fascination is greater because the potential combatants in each of their different religious celebrations and cultural colours are chanting and praying for the same thing.
Youman Nabi is known as the birthday of the Prophet Mohamed (On Whom Be Peace), but to the Muslims it is a bit more than that. It celebrates “the Advent of the Prophet” because of the new dispensation brought to mankind through his life and work. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the centre of Christianity, while Easter Sunday celebrates his resurrection. Phagwah is the Hindu spring festival of regeneration which has at its centre the story of King Hyranyakashipu, his sister Holika and his son Prahalad, which the festival symbolises. These are three festivals which are as different from each other as they are marked in their great similarities.
Each day is different. The Islamic festival is not one of the spectacular ones; it is much less dramatic than even other Muslim events – the pilgrimage to Mecca, the Haj, or the Qurbani, and is the quietest of the three neighbouring religious celebrations seen this weekend. Most of the activities were confined to the mosque, the home or the neighbourhood. While Good Friday itself is normally regarded as an extremely solemn day of asceticism, abstinence and the cessation of all entertainment, the crucifixion has traditionally been marked by widespread drama and ritual and the activities are certainly more spectacular than those of Youman Nabi. Strangely enough, while the Sunday is expected to be more celebratory since it is the day of Christ’s rising and conquest over death, dramatisation of the crucifixion has always been much more dramatic. However, Phagwah is by far the most flamboyant, spectacular and effusive as the mood is quite different from that of either the Christian or the Muslim activity. In addition, the day itself is preceded by an elaborate round of Chowtal, dancing and music, making it a festivity lasting more than a week, especially in rural areas. It was also preceded by yet another dramatic symbolic ritual – the burning of Holi. These differences, however, are not nearly as marked as the great similarities.
The significance of the advent of the Prophet Mohamed (OWBP) transcends Islam itself, since Muslims recognise his work as having changed the history of humanity, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. A new dispensation followed the advent, and this underlies the importance placed upon and the great respect accorded to Mohamed (OWBP), whose example and achievements are highlighted. He transmitted the Quran to the people and taught a number of vital messages. There is no one main message communicated in the celebration of the day; the theme is wide-ranging and there are several aspects of it.
One important tenet is the message of unity. This is relevant to the several divisions in the contemporary world and in particular to the prevailing situation in Guyana. Islam prides itself on its ability to bring diverse groups together and reference is made to the achievements of the Prophet (OWBP) in Mecca and Medina where groups of people were not getting on with each other. He reconciled the differences in Medina among Jews, Arabs and others; in unprecedented fashion, he constructed a constitution recognising the rights of all. In the last pilgrimage the Prophet (OWBP) also served to undercut racism and ethnic differences in his teachings about ethnic equality where Arabs, Jews and other groups were concerned.
In this regard, a most important theme in the messages is that of piety. The work of Mohamed (OWBP) stressed that no one is better than another on the basis of wealth, race or status. What matters most is obedience to the laws of Islam. Related to piety is the concept of deen, which signifies a way of life; how people relate to each other, to families and to other Muslims.
This element of piety is one of the many similarities which bind these different religious festivals. It is a quality of Christ and the role he plays in the Easter story. It is among the main lessons in the story of Prahalad whose piety is principally celebrated. He recognised his duty to God and refused to worship his father King Hyranyakashipu even at the risk of execution. He is rewarded for his piety, saved by a miracle when Holika drags him into the fire. The element of miracle is also essential to the Easter story mainly in the resurrection, but also in the reattachment of the soldier’s ear slashed off by one of the angry disciples. While the rising on Easter Sunday is the great Christian celebration that defines the holy festival, the smaller healing of the severed ear symbolises piety, forgiveness, and a demonstration that the arrest and crucifixion of Christ was part of a grand design for the salvation of mankind. By performing that minor miracle, Jesus showed that he had the power to prevent his arrest, but had no intention of doing it.
As the comparisons multiply, the overriding theme of all the festivals is the conquest of evil by good. In all there are the elements of rebirth, good example, sacrifice and lessons to humanity, as well as the factor of dramatization. The myths, stories and beliefs are all expressed through dramatizations which reflect and symbolise the themes and all have the added element of outreach. But of course, the extents of dramatization vary.
For Youman-Nabi the celebrants recite the Quran, make supplication and share food, which are all very integral parts of the expression. For the Muslims the sharing of food is important because it follows the example of the Prophet Mohamed (OWBP) and is a part of the outreach. Reaching to others outside of Islam is essential because of Mohamed’s own work in Medina and the contemporary emphasis on peace between Arabs and Jews. This may be related to ethnic divisions and threats of destablisation in Guyana.
To Muslims, even the very act of calling the Prophet’s name is, in a sense, a dramatisation of vital tenets of the religion as well as honour to him. He is accorded respect, regard and love so great that his name is not pronounced without the sending of blessings. This is dramatised in the recitation of his name, the Prophet Mohamed “May the peace and blessings of God be conferred upon him,” which, apart from honouring him, expresses in one speech act, the way people should relate to each other.
The other festivals go further in theatricals. Despite the reputation of quietude and prohibitions, Good Friday has generated extensive theatre, a complex corpus of drama and even spectacle. It was even the source of the rebirth of theatre in the western world following the decline of Rome and the Dark Ages. Liturgical drama in the church and passion plays developed, which dramatised the crucifixion. Today there are still several rituals and a street procession. The Roman Catholics take to the streets with a dramatisation of the trek to Calvary, one member playing Jesus carrying the cross, another in the role of Mary and others playing the remaining characters in that story. Elaborate theatrical rituals are related to this in other cultures. Wilson Harris employs one of these in his novel Companions of the Day and Night involving the Mexican passion play with the performance journey of The Fool.
Phagwah goes even further, since the entire festival is a symbolic dramatisation. It celebrates Spring, rebirth and new life in the frolic with coloured dyes, powder and water. This rejuvenation also captures the spirit of new life and joy over the triumph of good over evil in the defeat of the proud king. The festival is also known as Holi, and another part of its significance is played out in the symbolic burning of holi in reference to the miraculous destruction of the complicitous Holika. Even the ending of that story gives life to the idea of the preordained victory over evil in the way Hyranyakashipu is outwitted when he was deceived to believe he was invincible. The several stages of this great drama extend, as well, to the chowtals with their flavour of harvest and countryside celebrations in addition to the extensive dances on stage.
The idea of rebirth prevails in all three festivals. It is seen in the Muslims’ faith in a new dispensation after the advent of Mohamed (OWBP), very much the same as in the Christian belief in the new dispensation after Christ. Easter is also about sacrifice, which the Muslims emphasize in another festival, and in the Holi situation in which Prahalad was prepared to sacrifice his life to uphold his reverence for God. The recurring concepts of the triumph of good, an outreach to different groups of humanity and the necessity of unity are all prevalent themes in the convergence of four holy days in three great religions. This coincidence took place during what is known to Christians as ‘Holy Week’ culminating on the Easter weekend. But the uniting that is loudly suggested in this involves much more than a coming together of dates in the calendar.
