Easter, Passover and Ramadan overlap for the first time in 33 years

SALT LAKE CITY — Members of three major faiths are celebrating holy seasons simultaneously this year. Easter, Passover and Ramadan take place this month for the first time in 33 years.

Passover commemorates God, through Moses, leading the Jews out of Egypt to freedom.

Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection and promise of life eternal.

In Islam, Ramadan brings a renewal of faith in Allah or God and helping those in need.

In 2022, for the first time in more than three decades, billions of believers of these three faiths throughout the world will mark a Holy Season in April.

Three religious leaders in Utah hope the faithful will make this a time of unity.

Friday, April 15 begins the sacred observance of Passover.

“This year in particular, a lot of us will be thinking of the Ukrainians during our Passover Seders,” said Rabbi Samuel Spector.

Spector prepares new members of his Congregation Kol Ami.

“It’s been an inspirational story for us every year, reminding us that each of us has had that experience of coming out of our personal Egypt and trying to achieve a tomorrow that’s better than our today.”

The choir and congregation of Calvary Baptist Church will once again rejoice on Easter, April 17, or as they call it “Resurrection Sunday!”

“We serve a God that is risen, that has died for our sins, crucified, buried, but lives. And because He lives, we have the victory as well,” said Rev. Oscar Moses, pastor at Calvary Baptist Church.

Not all Christians today, Moses says, understand the true meaning of Easter.

“My desire for the congregation at Calvary, and for others, is one thing — to know Christ and the power of His Resurrection.”

This year, the month-long observance of Ramadan began on April 2.

Muslims often share their evening meals, called Iftar, with people of other faiths.

“We try to increase our spirituality. It is a time of reflection,” said Zeynep Kariparduc, who is now the chair of the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable.

Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Kariparduc now loves learning other beliefs.

“I became aware of the beauty other faiths and, you know, religions,” she said. “I started implementing those teachings into my life.”

She says this year, people of faith need to go beyond tolerance.

“Love and accept those persons in your life as an individual, as a human being, as children, as a child of the God.”

Moses said, “The underlying theme that runs concurrent all throughout Judaism, Christianity and Islam is atonement — man being at one with God.”

Spector added, “It’s a reminder to us of each other’s humanity, and it’s an opportunity as each of us experiences our own holiness to be able to recognize the holiness in each other.”

With the convergence of Passover, Easter and Ramadan, there is hope, they say, that this Holy Season is a time of uniting in common beliefs and being at peace.