World Religious Project
Christianity
Christmas
Another christian ritual is being baptized. A baptism is where a person under goes into water as a rebirth. Baptisms are one of the major commandments that Jesus commands all Christians to do.
The holy book of Judaism is the Torah.
The major Jewish holiday is Hanukkah. Hanukkah is 8 days long and is also known as the Festival of Lights and the feast of dedication.
Hanukkah's dates change every year but this year (2013) will start on November 27th and end on December 5th. The most important part of the Hanukkah celebration is lighting the menorah. The menorah holds 9 candles and every new day of Hanukkah they light a new candle. The ninth candle on the menorah is to light the other 8 candles or just for an extra light.
The jewish house of worship is called a synagogue.
When a jewish couple gets married they have to go through a ritual. First the groom and the bride signs a contract protecting the marriage. Then the groom receives a silver dollar. Then the groom gives the bride her ring under a canopy then they break glass by stomping on it.
Hinduism
There really is no specific holy book for hinduism, however there is a particular scripture considered by all sections of hindus and that is the Vedas.
In the hindu faith there are more holidays than there are days in a year, but the one of the many that is celebrated by most hindus all over the world is Diwali. The timing of this holiday differs from year to year because it is based on the Hindu lunar calendar but is mostly directed in the fall. The festival celebrates the good over the evil. During the festival people light rows of lights to commemorate the heroic figures in indian mythology that would triumph over evil forces.
Some hindus ignore the gods altogether and seek realization through intense meditation.
Buddhism
The sacred book of buddhism is called the Tipitaka.
The biggest and the most important day of the buddhist religion happens every year on the full moon of may. When buddhists all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. It has become known as Buddha day.
Something that buddhists practice is Mudras. Mudras basically go hand in hand with meditation. Mudras are sacred hand gestures that are used to evoke ideas or buddhas in the mind during buddhist meditation or ritual.
Islam
Islamic people believe that god has 4 main functions, creation, sustenance, guidance, and judgment. They also believe that the overall purpose of humanity is to create a moral lifestyle.
The islamic holy book is called the quran.
One of the major islamic holidays is Ramadan. Ramadan occurs on the ninth month of the islamic calendar and is looked at as a month of fasting. While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations; in some interpretations they also refrain from swearing.
Islamic people are expected preform a ritual of purification. This includes the washing of hands, arms and feet with water before every set of prayer.