Tag: Important dates

What is Good Friday

Good Friday is an important religious holiday observed by Christians all over the world. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of humanity. The holiday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday and marks the end of the Lenten season.

The origin of Good Friday dates back to the early days of Christianity when it was first observed as a day of mourning and repentance. It is believed that Jesus was arrested and put on trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who sentenced him to death by crucifixion. The crucifixion took place on a hill called Golgotha, outside the city walls of Jerusalem.
The story of Jesus’ crucifixion is recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. According to the Gospels, Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who led a group of soldiers to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was then taken to the high priest Caiaphas and questioned by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council of elders. He was accused of blasphemy and sentenced to death by the Roman authorities.
Jesus was then taken to Golgotha, where he was crucified alongside two thieves. He was nailed to a wooden cross and left to die. According to Christian tradition, Jesus died on the cross after several hours of agony, during which time he uttered the famous words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Good Friday is a solemn and reflective day for Christians. Many churches hold special services, including the reading of the Passion of Christ, a recounting of Jesus’ suffering and death. In some churches, the service ends in darkness, symbolizing the darkness that fell upon the earth when Jesus died.
Christians also observe Good Friday by fasting and abstaining from meat. The day is a time for reflection, prayer, and repentance. Many Christians also participate in the Stations of the Cross, a devotional practice that involves walking the path of Jesus’ final hours, stopping at 14 stations along the way to meditate on his suffering and death.
In some countries, Good Friday is a public holiday, and businesses and schools are closed. It is a time for families to gather, and many traditional foods are eaten, including hot cross buns, a sweet bread marked with a cross, and fish, which is a traditional Lenten food.
In conclusion, Good Friday is a significant religious holiday for Christians, marking the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. It is a time for reflection, prayer, and repentance, and is observed with solemnity and reverence around the world. Christians believe that Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrifice for the sins of humanity, and that through his death and resurrection, they can have eternal life. Good Friday is a powerful reminder of the importance of faith, sacrifice, and redemption in the Christian faith.

Gandhi Jayanti

 By: Astha Raghav. 

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on October 2 every year to mark the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi. Known as the ‘Father of the Nation’, the ideologies, struggles and kindness of Gandhi drove India to its independence. One of the most prominent leaders of India’s independence movement, Gandhi was the man behind non-violent civil disobedience.

This year will mark the 152nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the entire world observes this day as ‘Gandhi Jayanti’. It is a national holiday in India to honour the legendary leader without whom India wouldn’t have tasted independence. The United Nations also observe Gandhi Jayanti as ‘International Day of Non-Violence’ every year.

Gandhi played a key role in India’s freedom movement and his philosophies towards India have impacted people’s lives. His method of non-violence inspired many civil rights movements in the world and he also fought to bring significant changes in society.

Who was Mahatma Gandhi?

Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar in Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi is considered as the nation’s tallest leader of the independence movement. As a child, he always expressed his feelings about patriotism and united India with his thoughts and ideologies to fight for freedom.

He successfully led India’s non-violent movement against the colonial British empire. He went to South Africa to study law and led nationwide campaigns for farmers and labourers and also fought against caste  of athall age groups discrimination and was vocal about expanding women’s rights. 

Thank You!

Himalayan Day

 

By: Astha Raghav 

The Himalayas, or Himalaya are a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet’s highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 peaks exceeding 7,200 m (23,600 ft) in elevation lie in the Himalayas. By contrast, the highest peak outside Asia (Aconcagua, in the Andes) is 6,961 m (22,838 ft) tall.

A section of the Himalayan mountain range showing Mount Everest and surrounding peaks as seen from the International Space Station looking south-south-east over the Tibetan Plateau. Four of the world’s fourteen eight-thousanders, mountains higher than 8000 metres, can be seen, Makalu (8462 m), Everest (8850 m), Kanchenjunga (8586 m), and Lhotse (8516 m). The Himalayas abut or cross five countries: Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, and Pakistan. The sovereignty of the range in the Kashmir region is disputed among India, Pakistan, and China. The Himalayan range is bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges, on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, and on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Some of the world’s major rivers, the Indus, the Ganges, and the Tsangpo–Brahmaputra, rise in the vicinity of the Himalayas, and their combined drainage basin is home to some 600 million people; 53 million people live in the Himalayas. The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia and Tibet; many Himalayan peaks are sacred in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Lifted by the subduction of the Indian tectonic plate under the Eurasian Plate, the Himalayan mountain range runs west-northwest to east-southeast in an arc 2,400 km (1,500 mi) long. Its western anchor, Nanga Parbat, lies just south of the northernmost bend of the Indus river. Its eastern anchor, Namcha Barwa, lies immediately west of the great bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The range varies in width from 350 km (220 mi) in the west to 150 km (93 mi) in the east.

Thank You!