Hi Everyone!

Today is a special day for our muslim friends around the world.

Eid ul-Fitr is the Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. In the Philippines, the day is a national holiday in recognition of the importance of the event to our Muslim citizens. Fitr means “to break” and symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period and of all sinful habits.

On the day of celebration, a typical Muslim family gets up very early and attends special prayers in mosques and in large open areas, stadiums, or arenas. The prayer is generally short, and is followed by a khutba (sermon by the Imam). The festivities start after the prayer with visits to the homes of friends and relatives and thanking the Creator for all blessings. The first Eid was celebrated in 624 CE by the Prophet Muhammad with his companions and relatives after the victory of the Battle of Badr.

 After a full month of Ramadan, a religious tradition of surrender and obedience to Allah where adult Muslims observe the difficult fasting from dawn-to-dusk fast, Eid ul-Fitr is indeed an important and joyful event with great religious significance. Muslims dress in holiday attire. After attending the special congregational prayer in the morning, worshippers greet and embrace each other in the spirit of peace, love, and brotherhood.

Eid ul-Fitr is a day of forgiveness, moral victory and peace, of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood, and unity. Muslims are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but are also thanking God for the help and strength that He gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control.

Here in the Philippines, with a majority Christian population, we have recognized Eid ul-Fitr as a regular holiday by virtue of Republic Act No. 9177 and signed on November 13, 2002. The law was enacted in deference to the Filipino Muslim community and to promote peace among major religions in the Philippines. The first public holiday was set on December 6, 2002. This year, the holiday is set for Wednesday, October 1, 2008.

Eid ul-Fitr is a time to come together as a community and to renew friendship and family ties. It is a time for peace as all Muslims in the world to devote the day to prayers for peace and well-being. We join our Muslim friends in these prayers. May the peace of the One God be felt throughout the land.

EĪd mubārak (Blessed Eid)!

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Hi Everyone!

Today is September 11th and Mama said that this is a special day. She said it is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States of America. Mama said that almost 3,000 people died that day. These were just not Americans but people from 87 countries. Dada said that at least 15 Filipinos died during those attacks.

Dada said that although this tragic event happened in the USA, it was an attack on all people around the world. He said that it was a “wake-up call” for all people to realize that they must learn to accept their differences and live together in peace.

This was an event that happened before I was born but Mama explained that it will have an effect on my life as I grow up. She said that we must pray today for all the people that were lost and remember that this was caused by a small group of people who believe that all people must live by their radical rules. In the end, they will fail.

So let us take a few minutes from our day to pray to God for the keeping of all the people that were lost that day and ask Him to watch over us each and everyday.

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Hi Everyone!

Well, I am happy to tell you that the flu has left our house. My Mama, sisters and I are over the flu and feeling a lot better. It was a hard few days and I hope that I don’t get the flu anymore.

This weekend, I was watching television and I saw that today there was a special day called Ramadan. I didn’t know what Ramadan was so I ask Mama what it is. Mama said that the best way for me to learn what it is all about was to look it up on the Internet. So Mama and I did some study on the Internet.

Ramadan is a special period of time (one month) that begins each year at a different time. This is because the religion of Islam uses a different calendar than us. This month is a period of time where Muslims do not eat, drink or smoke during daylight hours. They are required by their religion to be extra good to people and do things to help poor people. After the sun goes down is the time that they can eat and drink.

This special time is important to Muslims as it is a time each year to re-learn what it is to sacrifice and to know what it is like for poor people who don’t have food to eat. They believe that it brings them closer to God.

Muslims visit the Mosque every day during Ramadan, to pray together and study the Quran (Islamic Holy Book). As well as the five daily prayers that are said throughout the year, a special prayer called the Taraweeh or ‘Night Prayer’ is said during Ramadan. When the sun goes down at the end of the day the fast is broken with a meal called the iftar. After dinner, its customary to go out visiting friends and family who live nearby.

On the night of the 27th day of Ramadam, Muslims celebrate Laylat-al-Qadr or ‘Night of Power’. It is said that the Quran was revealed to Mohammed on this night , and God determines the world’s course for the coming year. Ramadan ends with a three day festival called Id-al-Fitr. It’s a time for friends and family to gather together in prayer, exchange gifts and indulge in large meals.

Mama said that almost 5% of the population of the Philippines is Muslim. That is almost 4 million people. Mama said that it is important to respect all religions of the world. She said that the common connection is a faith in a higher Being than us. She said Muslim people have a very strong belief in God and she said that is good.

I ask her about all the talk on the television that says Muslims are bad and they kill innocent people all around the world. Mama said that there is a truth to that but it is not all Muslims but only a small percent that believe in a different form of their religion. I hope that those bad people will stop what they are doing so we can all live in peace.

Well, I hope that all my Muslim friends will have a “Happy Ramadan.”

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Hi Everyone!

Today is a special day.

Today is the birthday of my “yaya” (nanny). Rita has been with me since the day I was born. She has been just like an ” Ate” (big sister) who has taken care of me day after day. She has help me learn things like my “ABCs” and counting my numbers. She has help me take my naps in the afternoon and she has taken me for walks outside. When Mama is working, Ate Rita plays games with me and helps me draw pictures.

I must admit that I have had to teach Ate Rita how to play video games but that is because I learned how to do those things from my big brother.

Ate Rita is really a good and kind person and she is very much a member of our family. She can never take the place of Mama but she is really like my oldest sister.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATE RITA! I love you.

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Hi Everyone!

Today is National Heroes’ Day (Araw ng mga Bayani) which is a public holiday in the Philippines on the 4th Monday of August each year.The Philippines, on this day, commemorates the “Cry of Pugad Lawin” by Filipino revolutionaries called the Katipunan led by its leader (Supremo) Andres Bonifacio.This was the beginning of the end for the Spanish occupation of the Philippines.

The Philippines, like all countries of the world, has had many heroes in its history. That got me to thinking about the definition of a hero. I ask Mama “what is a hero?” and she said that we will start by looking up the definition of the word. Webster’s Dictionary states: “a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength.”

Mama told me that this definition is not quite correct as it doesn’t truly define what a hero is. Mama said upon closer examination, many more different qualities than just the above mentioned become apparent upon reflection.. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero.

Mama said there is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country live people who have little resources or opportunities. All their lives they’ve expected to work hard and expected little or no success in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a strong determination to succeed work hard all of their lives with the single goal of rising up from their surroundings and circumstances to build a better life for themselves and their family; they are heroes. There are over 11 million Filipino Overseas Workers working in countries all around the world. They provide over 20% of the Gross National Income each and every year. They sacrifice there lives to provide much needed income to their families here in the Philippines. We call them our “modern day heroes.”

Mama said that everyone can be a hero each and everyday. She said that when we live our lives with the idea that we are here to help each other in every way possible we are heroes. When we help a older person across the street or give up our seat on a bus for an older person; we are a hero. When we help our friends with their homework when they are sick and can not attend school; we are heroes. I think that you get the idea. Mama said God teaches us that simple acts of kindness makes us better persons and that is really what being a hero is all about…being the best we can.

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Technorati Tags: heroes, National Heroes' Day, Philippine History, values

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