{"id":181476,"date":"2026-02-17T14:20:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/181476\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:20:13","slug":"a-holiday-convergence-in-orange-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/181476\/","title":{"rendered":"A Holiday Convergence in Orange County"},"content":{"rendered":"

Muslims and Christians are expected to start fasting this week as the holy month of Ramadan and the 40-days of Lent kick off simultaneously this year marking a rare overlap between the two faiths.<\/p>\n

At the same time, many Asian American communities are starting to celebrate T\u1ebft or Lunar New Year as families across OC and the country are also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the origins of Black History Month.<\/p>\n

100 Years of Celebrating Black History<\/p>\n

\"\"People walk through the OC Black History Parade in Anaheim, Calif. on Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: BRIAN GUEVARA, Voice of OC<\/p>\n

Residents and students across the county are currently celebrating Black culture and history for the 100th anniversary of Black History Month\u2019s origin.<\/p>\n

Last week, Orange County\u2019s Board of Supervisors proclaimed February 2026 as Black History Month.<\/p>\n

Deidre Harris, President of the NAACP of Orange County, said the centennial year of the celebration is about honoring the past but also about continuing to protect civil rights for future generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack History Month affirms what we\u2019ve always known \u2013 Black history is American history. It is woven into the very fabric of our democracy. It reminds us that progress was never accidental. It has been the result of organized advocacy, courageous voices and communities united in purpose,\u201d she said at the supervisors meeting.<\/p>\n

John Dunning, Jr., the pastor at the Starlight Baptist Church of Santa Ana, said the month wasn\u2019t just about celebrating achievements but also time to reflect on how those achievements were accomplished in a country that did not always fully live up to its own ideals of equality.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack History reminds us that progress has always depended upon people who refuse to give up on the idea that they could become better than what they were, better than hatred, better than injustice, better than fear,\u201d said Dunning, who is also the Chief Operating Officer for the OC Transportation Authority, at this month\u2019s public meeting.<\/p>\n

\"\"DAT Krew Academy dancers at the 43rd Annual OC Black History Parade and Unity Festival. According to its website, the hip-hop performing arts academy serves as a \u201csafe haven for at-risk and inner-city youth\u201d in Bakersfield. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC.<\/p>\n

Observed in February annually, Black History Month<\/a> began as \u201cNegro History Week\u201d in the 1920s, founded by historian Carter G. Woodson<\/a> to honor African American achievements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The celebration was timed to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass in February, expanding to a month-long commemoration in 1976.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Khalid Hudson, who graduated with a degree in African American World Studies from the University of Iowa, said the month is an opportunity to share what he has learned with his children and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an important time for my family where we just kind of remind ourselves of who we are and who are the shoulders that we stand upon,\u201d he said in a Wednesday interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cParticularly in a time where there\u2019s just a lot of things happening in our society, where people are being oppressed far and near and I think it\u2019s the opportunity for us to rededicate ourselves to the struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson, who is also the Advocacy Manager for the Council of American Islamic Relations chapter based in Orange County, said CAIR is doing a series on social media about Black Muslim History in America.<\/p>\n

\u201cIslam in America is as old as America itself,\u201d he said, encouraging Muslim Americans to read the Autobiography of Malcolm X<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack history is full of inspiring stories that kind of lift up the struggle of a people for human rights and dignity and there\u2019s prominent Muslims that were a part of that struggle. Anyone that practices Islam here in America should be familiar with that history and see that they also have a responsibility to join that fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lent<\/p>\n

\"\"The inside of the Christ Cathedral on March 29, 2023. After being purchased by the Diocese of Orange in 2012, it\u2019s interior has undergone extensive renovations. (CREDIT: Jack Sundblad)<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Catholics will also embark on a 40-day fast for Lent \u2013 abstaining from meat, praying and giving to charity.<\/p>\n

Father Angelos Sebastian, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Orange<\/a> and Pastor at Saint Kilian Church in Mission Viejo, said in a Wednesday phone interview Lent commemorates the 40 days Jesus Christ fasted and prayed in the desert after his baptism.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us Catholics, Lent is a time when we enter into a deeper, spiritual time of renewal, reformation and revival,\u201d he said \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a time of reflection on the sufferings of Our Lord, and also for us to enter into those sufferings of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Ramadan, Lent starts on a different day of the year depending on a lunar-based calendar.<\/p>\n

\"\"People pray at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel inside of the Christ Cathedral on March 29, 2023. In the center is a tabernacle, with each of the four sides depicting a different part of the life of Christ. (CREDIT: Jack Sundblad\/VOICE OF OC)<\/p>\n

Ash Wednesday will mark the start of the 40-days of Lent.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an invitation to repent over our sins. When we put ashes over our forehead, the faithful are invited to begin this spiritual journey of renewal,\u201d Sebastian said. \u201cThis is a time to repent over our own failures, our own shortcomings, and walk with Jesus as he suffers for us and enter into this deeper spiritual renewal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sebastian said he hopes Lent and Ramadan overlapping this year will bring people closer together despite their differences in faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great time for the Christian community and also for the Muslim community to be more spiritual,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we are spiritual, we are closer to the Lord and any person who is close to God will only have love and respect and compassion for fellow human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Lent, Catholics will celebrate Easter with egg hunts, chocolate and church services.<\/p>\n

Sebastian said Easter is one of the most important celebrations for Christians.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a Victory Day \u2013 the victory over sin, the victory over death, the victory over darkness and Satan. That God has conquered us, and He invites us to share in that victory and in the glory of the resurrection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ramadan<\/p>\n

\"\"Members during prayer at the Santa Ana Islamic Center on May 7, 2021. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Muslims across the world \u2013 who are able to \u2013 will fast from food, drink and water from sunrise to sunset for about 30 days for the holy month of Ramadan.<\/p>\n

Muslims believe Ramadan is the month the first verses of the Quran \u2013 Islam\u2019s holy book \u2013 were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than a thousand of years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first day of fasting depends on the sighting of the new moon and starts on a different day each year because the Islamic calendar is lunar based like T\u1ebft.<\/p>\n

\u201cRamadan is a holy month in which the final testament of God to humanity came down, called the Quran, and is a month of fasting, prayer and reflection designed to spiritually elevate, detox and teach the believer about empathy, gratitude and God consciousness,\u201d said Shaykh Abdullah Misra, the religious director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, in Wednesday phone interview.<\/p>\n

Misra said the mosque \u2013 which celebrated its 50th anniversary last month \u2013 will host nightly gatherings to pray, break the fast and host motivational talks.<\/p>\n

He said his favorite part of the month is getting closer to God.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter you\u2019ve denied some of your bodily pleasures and needs for the day, you feel somewhat clearer in your prayers, and you are ready to open your heart a bit more to the divine being,\u201d Misra said.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Orange County Islamic Society in Garden Grove on March 12, 2023. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n

Hudson said Ramadan is a time when Muslims strive to be at their best.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a time where there\u2019s more intentionality about being a community. It is a time where people are recognizing and embracing the stranger and we leave a lot of our hang ups,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best is just seeing the community really come together, which kind of demonstrates our potential, if we carry that same energy throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson said he became Muslim about 25 years ago when he was in college learning about Black history and its intersections with Islam, adding he fasted the month of Ramadan before he took his shahada declaring himself a Muslim five months before the 9\/11 terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n

He also said that Ramadan and Lent overlapping is an opportunity for Muslims and Christians to break bread together even if they fast in different ways.<\/p>\n

Misra said fasting for God is an elevated experience and that he hopes Ramadan and Lent coinciding will create more empathy between communities from different faiths.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the real test of religion, not if you can love your own alone, but if you can love others as well,\u201d Misra said.<\/p>\n

After Ramadan, Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr<\/a>, which translates to the \u201cfestival of the breaking of the fast\u201d and commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan<\/a>. Eid spans over three days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Usually it is celebrated with acts of charity, giving gifts to kids, getting dressed up to pray at the mosque in the morning, gatherings and breakfast. Some in the community equate Eid to Christmas.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter 30 days of fasting and spiritual discipline, Eid is a festival and a celebration of all the things that God has given us and our time with family and community is something we cherish by holding a prayer on the day of Eid and giving money to those who are less fortunate so they can enjoy their holiday as well,\u201d Misra said.<\/p>\n

T\u1ebft: Year of The Fire Horse<\/p>\n

\"\"Lion dancers performing during the 2025 Westminster Tet Parade on Feb. 1 to celebrate Lunar New Year. The lion dance is performed to bring good fortune and ward off evil spirits. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n

This week also marks the start of the new year for many Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese families in Orange County known as the Lunar New Year.<\/p>\n

Lunar New Year starts with the first new moon between the end of January and February on the Gregorian calendar used in the U.S. and changes on a yearly basis following the Chinese lunar calendar.<\/p>\n

One of the 12 Zodiac animals<\/a> is generally commemorated each year along with one of the five Chinese traditional elements \u2013 Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is the year of the fire horse.<\/p>\n

While many Asian communities celebrate Lunar New Year, it is known by different names and the traditions and customs to celebrate the new year varies in different parts of the world.<\/p>\n

In China, Lunar New Year is called the Spring Festival or Chun Jie is a 15-day celebration and marks the beginning of the traditional Chinese calendar as well as the start of spring.<\/p>\n

Korean New Year is called Seollal \u2013 a three day festival that marks the start of the Korean calendar.<\/p>\n

In Tibet, it is called Losar<\/a>. In Mongolia, it is called Tsagaan Sar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Performers during the 2025 Westminster Tet Parade on Feb. 1. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n

In Vietnam, T\u1ebft Nguy\u00ean \u0110\u00e1n, or T\u1ebft is a three-day celebration marking the beginning of the traditional Vietnamese calendar.<\/p>\n

Orange County is home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside of Vietnam and typically hosts several T\u1ebft festivals and parades around the lunar new year.<\/p>\n

Last week, Orange County\u2019s Board of Supervisors recognized Feb. 17 as Lunar New Year.<\/p>\n

Supervisor Janet Nguyen said the first day of T\u1ebft\u00a0 people like to set the tone for the new year, get together with friends and family and people give each other red envelopes with money.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a time for colorful decoration, letting go of the past and stepping into a new year with optimism and gratitude,\u201d she said at the meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really a time for us to gather with families and friends, to bring fortune, to just talk about how we\u2019ve been doing and just to check in with each other as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fountain Valley City Councilman Ted Bui said the annual celebration is about hope for the new year and about bringing families together through traditions passed down by generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay the year of the horse bring energy progress and good fortune to all our residents,\u201d he said at last week\u2019s supervisor meeting.<\/p>\n

This weekend, Westminster will host its annual T\u1ebft Parade<\/a> through the streets of Little Saigon on Saturday Feb. 21 at 8:30 a.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 2026 Tet Parade celebrates the Year of the Horse, and honors the values of hard work, bravery, and resiliency\u2014qualities that are deeply woven into the fabric of our community,\u201d said Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen in a news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past two decades, the annual Tet Parade has become an important piece in how we celebrate our community here in Westminster. It\u2019s an event we are proud to host and look forward to attending all year long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.<\/p>\n

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