Holidays during the Pandemic
During the spring of 2020, many religious organizations worked to celebrate holidays virtually. Below are descriptions of several celebrations Ramadan, Easter, and Passover.
Ramadan online
Muslims in the United States celebrated Ramadan from approximately April 23-May 23, 2020. The annual holiday is typically observed by fasting during daylight hours, with family or community celebrations to break the fast at sunset, along with prayer services.
In her article “Coronavirus and Ramadan,” Nadda Osman explores “how the Muslim month of fasting will differ this year.” Though Muslims may observe Ramadan entirely at home, shelter-in-place restrictions may be spiritually challenging, according to Dawud Walid.
In the region, the Muslim Community of the Quad Cities posted dailiy Quran recitations to use during Ramadan on FB; the Islamic Center of Peoria will also provide recorded and livestreamed materials. In Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, Muhsen, a non-profit organization founded in 2013 to “advocate, educate, train and implement programs and services nationwide to improve access to Masajids for Disabled and Special Needs individuals as well as acceptance and inclusion by the community in all aspects of their daily lives,” provided online reflections on Mondays during Ramadan.
Internationally, the Open Iftar project, described as “the UK’s largest community event in Ramadan,” since 2013 has brought together people “from all walks of life, different faith backgrounds and none,” to break the fast together; this year the sponsoring organization distributed “Open Iftar” packages.
Easter Online
Most Christian churches with streaming capacity (see our list here) celebrated Easter online in 2020, and many had other Holy Week events online as well. See also this list of Chicago-area services including radio, television, and live-streamed services, a longer list of services across the country, and this list of other events in the US and elsewhere, including opera singer Andrea Bocelli's live Easter performance at the Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy.
In addition to broadcasting services on the radio, television, and internet platforms, some churches gathered in novel and creative ways: a church in near St. Louis organized a drive-in service.
Passover online
East End Temple (Reform), Manhattan: "Let's connect for what could be the World's Largest Virtual Seder!" (April 9, 2020, 5-6:30 p.m.)
Rachel Kraus, "How to Host a Passover Seder on Zoom," Mashable, April 7, 2020
Virtual Seder Advice, Interfaith Youth Core, Rabbi Ben Berger, Hillel International
Virtual Seder: YouTube Channel describing different online seder practices