The Oxford Dictionary defines the Religion as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. It is a collection of beliefs and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence.
Worldwide, there are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions, and according to Wikipedia, in 2010 about 84% of the world's population was affiliated with Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or some form of traditional folk religion.
Christianity was the largest religious group, representing 32% of the world’s population, followed by Islam, with 23%, respectively 1.6 billion religious people.
Also, on average, women are found to be more religious than men, and some people follow multiple religions at the same time.
The Origins:
The earliest archeological evidence of religious ideas dates back to the Lower Paleolithic, from around 3 million years ago periods until around 300,000 years ago.
Also, the oldest known religious texts in the world are the Pyramid Texts from ancient Egypt which date to between 2400-2300 BCE.
The Modern Ages:
The spread of Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, and to the Americas, Australia and the Philippines was mainly due to the European colonization, during the fifteen to nineteen centuries.
“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” -Martin Luther, 1483-1546, theologian and Church reformer.
Also, in the fifteen century, the invention of the printing press played a major role in the rapid spread of the Protestant Reformation.
Later, wars of religion such as the Thirty Years War broke out and ravaged central Europe starting with 1618.
By the late twenty century, religion had declined in most of Europe.
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There are different religions around the world, each having their own narratives, symbols, and sacred histories that are intended to explain the meaning and origin of life or the Universe.
However, the largest religions in the world generally belong to one of the two main subgroups:
- the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha’i, etc.)
- the Indian religions (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, etc.).
There are also East Asian Religions such as Taoism and Confucianism, or Indigenous, Traditional African, Iranian and the New Religious movements.
According to the Pew Research Center (pewresearch.org) and other international demographic databases, below is the list of most followed religions and their holidays, subsequently, the most influential in our world:
I. Christianity:
Christianity began two thousand years ago and is a faith based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Christians believe in the existence of the One God, who sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save them from all the evil and the hell. Also, the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross, His death and His resurrection were all with the intention to give eternal life and forgiveness to the believers who accept Christ as their Savior.
Christianity has currently more than 2.3 billion followers worldwide with its largest denomination the Catholic Church (1.2 billion Catholics globally).
In terms of percentages of Christians compared to a nation’s population, according to worldpopulationreview.com, East Timor comes out on top: 99.1% Christians out of 1.1 million residents. Also, in American Samoa, over 98% of its 70,000 residents practice Christianity.
Other nations with high concentration of Christians concerning the total population include Romania, Greece, Armenia, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico.
Christian Holidays:
The most important Christian holiday is Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus on December 25th or January 6th in some Orthodox Churches such as Russia, Georgia, Armenia.
As much as important comes Easter, a spring holiday that celebrates Christ's resurrection from the dead.
Then, Easter is immediately preceded by the Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. The forty days prior to Easter form the Lenten season, is a time of fasting and repentance.
Also, Christians respect and honor the saints and consider them to be the heroes of the Church. Some of them, such as St. Patrick and St. Valentine, with their celebrations now play a prominent role in popular western culture.
II. Islam:
Islam, the fastest growing religion, began in Mecca, in the seventh century.
“God, the supreme being, is neither circumscribed by space, nor touched by time” -Avicenna, 980-1037, Islamic Golden Age theologian and philosopher.
Today, according to the 2020’s list of largest religions in the world, it has more than 1.5 billion followers who believe that there is only one God, Allah, written and shaped in the Holy Book of the Qur’an.
Also, the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, lived between 570 to 632 among the historical figures who needed to understand the Muslim tradition.
There are two main groups of Muslims, the Sunnis (the largest in the world, including 85-90% of the Muslims) and the Shia, among them a few minor names such as Ibadi, Ahmadi and many others.
Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the major countries having the largest Muslim population.
Muslims Holidays:
Muslims have two major religious observances each year: Ramadan and the Hajj, and several holidays connected with each one. All Islamic holidays are observed according to the lunar-based Islamic calendar.
Ramadan:
Each year, the Muslims spend a month in daytime fasting. From dawn to sunset, they abstain from any food, drinks, smoking and marital relations.
This fast is a very important aspect of the Muslim faith, being one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
Laylat al-Qadr:
Toward the end of the Ramadan, the Muslims observe the "Night of Power" in commemoration of the time when the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad.
Eid al-Fitr:
At the end of the Ramadan, it is celebrated the "Festival of Fast-Breaking", generally celebrated by a ceremony, as well as the performance of the Eid prayer in an open, outdoor area or mosque.
On the day of Eid, fasting is prohibited.
Hajj:
Each year during the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar, millions of Muslims make an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad. This pilgrimage is known as the Hajj.
Eid al-Adha or Tabaski:
At the end of the annual pilgrimage, the Muslims celebrate the "Festival of Sacrifice." It includes a ritual of the sacrifice of a sheep, camel, or goat, an action meant to commemorate the trials of the Prophet Ibrahim.
III. Hinduism:
Although there is not much known about its foundation, Hinduism is considered the world’s oldest religion, generally believed that the faith developed over four thousand years.
Today it represents the 3rd most followed religion in the world, with more than one billion worshipers living in the different countries of the world.
Most Hindus live in South Asian countries such as India, Nepal and Indonesia. In India alone, it is estimated that 80% of the population is Hindu.
Recently, many forms of Hinduism have become popular in the West, such as yoga and the interest in the Chakras -energy points throughout the human body that are used to heal and improve health, both spiritually and physically.
Hindu Holidays:
The major Hindu holidays vary by region, as the faith is practiced differently in certain areas.
The two most notable ones are Holi and Diwali, celebrated by most Hindus all over the world.
Holi takes place in March, celebrating the spring and the color. During this holiday, there are festive street parties that take place where people throw colored powder and water at each other. Each color has a particular religious significance, with many people using medicinal herbs in their balls of powder.
Diwali, the festival of lights, takes place in late October and is considered a national holiday in India. Hindus in other regions of the world take Diwali off to celebrate with friends and family.
Some other Hindu holidays include days to celebrate the births of specific gods, like Shiva Ratri, Ganesha, Krisha.
Many people also celebrate Navarati, the feast of Shakti, which traditionally includes lots of dancing and partying as people celebrate the various aspects of the feminine.
IV. Buddhism:
Buddhism was founded by the spiritual teacher and religious leader Gautama Siddhartha, known as Buddha, 2500 years ago, in India.
Currently, Buddhism has more than 488 million followers around the globe and there are two main branches of its religion: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism.
The basic principles of the Buddhist belief system include the non-violence, as well as the moral purity and moral conduct. Also, the meditation, ritual and non-violence play an important role in the daily life of Buddhists.
In Tibet, adherents subscribe to a form of Buddhism known as Vajrayana, and in Japan, Zen Buddhism is the most practiced.
The main figure in the Buddhist world is undoubtedly the Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama, a former monk not only being the current and exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, but also a proclaimed peace activist.
Buddhist Holidays:
The Buddhist holidays are often a mix of secular and religious practices, and the way they are observed vary considerably from one tradition and culture, to another.
Vesak, Buddha's birthday is one of the major festivals of the year, being celebrated on the first full moon day in May, or the fourth lunar month which usually occurs in May or during a lunar leap year, June.
In some countries this has become an occasion to not only celebrate the birth, but also the enlightenment and parinirvana of the Buddha.
Parininirvana Day, also known as Nirvana Day, a Mahayana Buddhist holiday celebrated in East Asia, usually on February 15. On this day, some schools observe the death of the Buddha and his entrance into Nirvana.
Nirvana Day is a time for contemplation of the Buddha’s teachings.
Pavarana and Theravada marks the end of the Vassa retreat. Vassa, or "Rain Retreat", sometimes called the Buddhist "Lent", is a three-month period of intensive meditation and practice.
The retreat is a tradition that began with the first Buddhist monks, who would spend the Indian monsoon season together in seclusion.
Chinese New Year is not, strictly speaking, a Buddhist holiday, however, the Chinese Buddhists begin the New Year by going to a temple to offer incense and prayers.
In Tibetan monasteries, observance of Losar or the Tibetan New Year begins during the last days of the old year, when the Monks perform special rituals evoking protective deities and clean and decorate the monasteries.
The first day of Losar is a day of ceremonies of teachings, then the remaining two days are for a more secular festival. On the third day, old prayer flags are replaced with new ones.
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The world holds so many religions, but nowadays, probably the most important aspect of them all is the right and the freedom of choice when it comes to following your own beliefs, the principles you stand for in life.
While today there is still persecution and even death penalty for practicing your chosen religion, there are new faiths, cults, that have arisen worldwide over the past several centuries.
There were even created holidays such as the Religious Freedom Day or the World Prayer Day, applying to all religions and cultures, promoting the freedom of celebrating the individual religion.
Nevertheless, from Hindu’s Holi that takes place in March to Islam’s Eid al-Adha and Christianity’s Three King’s Day on January 6th, it’s important to take your time each year to connect with your spirituality, no matter the religious beliefs you hold.
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness” -Dalai Lama.
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