A Rare and Sacred Convergence

This year is a powerful moment of spiritual alignment, as Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Hindus (as well as some Buddhists and Baha’is) are all fasting around the same time, each for their own sacred reasons.

Who is Fasting and When?

• Christians (Lent) – March 5 to April 18, 2025

  • A 40-day period (excluding Sundays) leading to Easter, focused on fasting, prayer, and repentance. Some abstain from meat, sugar, alcohol, or specific comforts.

• Muslims (Ramadan) – March 1 to March 30, 2025

  • Ramadan is a month-long journey of dawn-to-dusk fasting, abstaining from food, drink, and physical needs to cultivate purification, gratitude, and devotion.

  • More than an act of self-restraint, it is a symbolic death of the ego, a humbling of the self in the presence of God. Through hunger, thirst, and discipline, the fasting soul learns detachment from the material world, preparing for the ultimate return to the Divine.

• Jews (Fast of Esther & Passover Preparations) – March 13 & April 12-20, 2025

  • The Fast of Esther (March 13) is a one-day fast before Purim, and Passover includes removing leaven and fasting on certain days. It commemorates the fast undertaken by Queen Esther and the Jewish people in the Book of Esther when they sought divine intervention to save them from destruction.

  • The Fast of Esther symbolizes self-sacrifice and surrender, mirroring Esther's courage in risking her life for her people. It also represents the idea that before experiencing divine joy (Purim), there is a moment of spiritual refinement and preparation.

• Hindus (Chaitra Navratri) – March 30 to April 8, 2025

  • A nine-day period of fasting and devotion to honor the Divine Mother (Goddess Durga and her nine forms), where some abstain from grains, meats, or specific foods.

  • Each day is devoted to a different form of the Divine Feminine (Navadurga), symbolizing a journey from tamas (ignorance) to rajas (activity) to sattva (purity and wisdom). Just as Durga defeated the demon Mahishasura in a legendary battle, devotees use these nine days to fight their inner demons—ego, greed, anger, attachment—through prayer, meditation, and discipline.

• Buddhists (Theravāda Uposatha Days & Mahāyāna Fasting) – Various days in March-April

  • Many Buddhists fast on full moons and sacred days, focusing on detachment and spiritual clarity.

  • In Theravāda Buddhism, Uposatha is a set of sacred observance days that occur on the new moon, full moon, and quarter moon days of each lunar month. These days are meant for intensified practice, including fasting, meditation, and deepening ethical discipline.

• Baha’is (Nineteen-Day Fast) – March 2 to March 20, 2025

  • A sunrise-to-sunset fast leading up to the Baha’i New Year, emphasizing spiritual renewal. Like all other faith, it is a time of spiritual renewal, detachment from material comforts, and deepening one’s connection to God.

A Rare and Sacred Convergence

This alignment is a profound reminder that, despite differences in belief, millions across the world are practicing self-discipline, prayer, and devotion at the same time. It’s a living expression of Rumi’s wisdom:

"There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground."

It also turns fasting into something greater than an individual or even a single faith’s practice. It becomes a global wave of spiritual deepening. A time when people of many traditions are collectively humbling themselves, purifying their hearts, and seeking a closer connection with the Divine.

This makes our journey even more powerful. we are tapping into a rare moment when the world is collectively fasting, praying, and seeking together.