Virus disrupts Passover, Easter, Ramadan, Vaisakhi
Faith communities find creative ways to observe holidays as authorities implore everyone to stay home this long weekend
For Nasreen Khan and her family the month-long Ramadan holiday that starts this month is going to look much different from years past.
“My children are already disappointed we won’t be breaking our fast in our community every night,” said Khan, whose family as members of the Masjid Al-Salaam would normally observe the holiday by fasting until sundown and then breaking the fast and performing the communal Tarawih prayers at the Burnaby mosque.
And seniors in the community who usually spend Ramadan, which this year begins around April 23, preparing the food for the gatherings and for the Eid al-Fitr feast to mark the end “now they will be sort of out of jobs,” she said.
Nasreen, her husband, Shaheem, their children Nylah and Shoayb, and Shaheem’s parents, Mehtab and Aslam, are among the millions of British Columbians whose religious observances are affected by stay-at-home orders.
Also this month are the nine-day Jewish Passover, beginning Wednesday, and Christianity’s holiest of days, Easter, on Sunday.
The Sikh Vaisakhi festival and parades in Vancouver on April 18 and in Surrey on April 25 have been cancelled because of COVID-19.
Last year 500,000 took in the Surrey parade.
B.C. provincial health officer Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Premier John Horgan had a conference call with religious leaders Tuesday and Henry said in her daily address to gather even in groups smaller than the maximum of 50 would put the vulnerable elderly at risk of becoming infected.
“We protect them (the elderly) by connecting safely from a distance,” she said.
Henry also is “really imploring people” this long weekend to avoid all non-essential travel, including to cottages, because smaller communities aren’t equipped to deal with extra sick people or medical emergencies.
Religious leaders are preaching the stay-at-home order, and worshippers are getting the message to pray at home with only immediate family or online.
Nasreen said praying at home is difficult because “not all of us have the Holy Qur’an memorized. We depend on the imams who do have it memorized to lead us and we follow behind.”
And she said: “I can’t imagine celebrating Eid without having people over to our house and getting together” with other Muslims. But, “we have as a family found being isolated has drawn us closer to God. It’s making us more grateful,” she said.
An important part of Passover for religious Jews is the communal two-night Seder dinner that involves special foods and special prayers.
“It’s a holiday that’s is very much marked by gathering,” said Ezra S. Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Vancouver.
He said families used to going to a synagogue are going to have to lead their own Seder dinners this year.
“For many people, this will be one of the first Seders they’ve ever done,” said Shanken, who was on his way to deliver to a family a “Seder in a box” from a caterer.
Roman Catholic Archdiocese spokeswoman Melissa Godbout said the order means the cancellation this weekend of baptisms or receptions for 500 adults and First Holy Communion for 2,700 children.