Every thirty years the dates of Easter, Passover, and Ramadan overlap. These holidays belong to three different religious groups: Christians,  Jews, and Muslims. 

Easter is the Christian holiday celebrating when Jesus was resurrected from the dead. During this time many families exchange candy and other sweet treats, eat large dinners, and just spend time with loved ones. This year it was celebrated on April 9th but every year the date changes, always occuring in the spring. Lent, the 40 days preceding Easter Sunday,  holds special significance within the church as well as the Sunday before Easter called Palm Sunday. There are many traditions and religious practices associated with the holiday as it is one of the most important ones in Christianity.

Passover is a Jewish holiday that began on April 5th and ended on the 13th this year. The date changes from year to year because it is based on the Hebrew calendar, not the Gregorian calendar. To add, Passover is the celebration of Moses freeing Jewish slaves and leading them to Israel thousands of years ago. During this time, Jewish people remove specific types of food from their homes and eat matzo instead of bread. The first two nights of Passover are when families gather for the seder dinner which has a variety of traditional and religious practices. All in all, Passover celebrates religious stories from thousands of years ago.

Ramadan is a month-long Muslim holiday, this year it began on March 22nd and ended on April 20th. The holiday celebrates when the Islamic holy book was revealed to Muhammad. During this time Islamic people fast from sunrise to sunset.  Each day,  fasting is often broken with a meal that is shared with family and friends and nightly religious services. In short, Ramadan is mostly celebrated through the fasting of food and drink during the day and a variety of cultural traditions.

This year the dates of all three religious celebrations overlapped. This only happens once every 30 years, with the next time occurring in 2053. They all represent religious meanings and are widely celebrated with friends and family. Overall, all three religions are always celebrated with family and friends centered around meals and other traditions.