Faith space

Charlotte jumps out of bed and draws the curtains. Easter Day! She gave up chocolate for Lent, but now she can eat it again: hurray! There will be a delicious lunch for all the family, and then an ingenious Easter egg hunt. But is there something else they need to do? Yes, of course - go to church.

For Christians, the Easter weekend is the most important time of year. But often it is a season of huge significance for two other world religions too. This year is a case in point, since Easter coincides with both Ramadan and Passover.

None of these festivals has a fixed date: each follows a different calendar based on the cycles of the Moon. It is not unusual, however, for them to overlap.

For Christians, Good Friday is a solemn day commemorating the death of Jesus. According to the Bible, he allowed himself to be crucifiedNailed to a cross. as a way of expiatingMaking amends for wrongdoing. the sins of the world.

But on the following Sunday his body was found to have vanished from the tomb it had been buried in. He appeared to his followers as a living man, [proving his claim to be the son of God. His promise that those who believed in him would also experience life after death is what makes Easter a time of celebration.

Easter also marks the end of Lent, a period of 40 days in which Christians are expected to devote themselves to prayer, give to the poor and to some extent deprive themselves of food.

These are also characteristics of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Fasting for Muslims, though, is more extreme: they are not supposed to eat or drink between dawn and sunset. When evening comes, families and friends come together for a meal called iftar.

Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, along with faith, prayer, charity and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is seen as a way of focusing thoughts more intensely on Allah, or God. But children, old and ill people, pregnant women and travellers are exempt.  

Ramadan commemorates the month in which the QuranThe holy book of Islam, whose words are believed by Muslims to have been passed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of visions spanning 23 years. was first revealed to the Prophet MuhammadMuhammad, born in 570 in Mecca, is the founder of Islam. . It ends with a festival called Eid al-Fitr, which translates as the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. Children may be given presents and clothes.

For Jews, Passover lasts a week. At its start families and friends gather for a service combined with a meal called a Seder (Order).

During the meal, an account is read of their ancestors' escape from slavery in Egypt. This says that when Egypt's ruler, the Pharaoh, refused to free them, God sent ten plagues to punish the country.

The tenth brought the death of the Egyptians' eldest sons. But God told the Israelites to mark their doorposts with lamb's blood so that the angel of death would "pass over" their houses and spare their children.

The Israelites left Egypt in such a hurry that the bread they were baking did not have a chance to rise. To commemorate this, the Seder includes flat bread called Matzah.

Jesus, as a Jew, drew on this tradition. In the Bible his execution is an echo of the Passover sacrifice of a lamb.

Yes: Without it we would live empty lives centred around worldly things like material possessions. And studies show that religious people are generally happier and healthier and live longer than others.

No: Religion belongs to a more superstitious age. We live in a scientific one and can establish rational explanations for how the world works. Many non-religious people have perfectly fulfilling lives.   

Or... Religion plays a vital part in keeping societies together - it encourages people to trust each other and engage with their local community. Discussing it helps us understand how others think.