(RNS and NPR) — During the holy month of Ramadan, many Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. This year, due to the alignment of lunar and solar calendars, Ramadan coincides with Lent, when Catholics and Orthodox Christians give up certain foods, and the 19-day Baha’i fast that leads up to spring.
Why do so many faith traditions call for giving up food? Here’s a rundown.
‘One of the only universal religious practices’
One reason for the spread of fasting is the cross-pollination of Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Christianity and Islam. However, other traditions sprung up independently, said Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, who teaches anthropology and religion at Northeastern University in Boston.
“Creating taboos or creating restrictions or celebrations around food makes sense because it’s the one thing, besides like sleep and sex, that we have as sort of universals,” she said. “Either we abstain from them, or we indulge in them.”
Fasting traditions are also part of religious practices for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, often having overlapping purposes across those faiths.
For ancient Mesopotamian Babylonian cultures, fasting acted as a kind of repentance, and in Jewish tradition, fasting is a form of teshuva, or atonement, said Daniel Azim Pschaida, who teaches comparative religion at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
Muslims break their fast together by sharing an iftar meal in the courtyard of Jama Masjid on the first Friday of the …