Stuttgart, Germany - Christian, Jewish, and Muslim holidays were honored at the Dec. 8, 2012, meeting of the House of Religions in Stuttgart. Hubert Arnoldi, Chairman of UPF-Stuttgart and the House of Religions in Stuttgart, greeted the 35 guests and invited them to join in coffee and various Christmas snacks.
Christoph Wenzel inspired the audience with a lively song titled “Christmas Time,” and then the main program began.
Ludwig Scharnreithner, born and raised in Austria, spoke about the central tradition of Christmas being the celebration of the birth of his savior, a celebration of love and peace. The time leading up to Christmas is known as “Advent,” and Christians see this as a time to prepare for the birth of Jesus, their savior, and to prepare for the second coming of Christ.
After a short period of questions and answers, Christoph Froehner played three musical pieces from South America on his flute.
Ursula Roehm explained about her mother, who was raised in the Jewish tradition and converted later in life to Christianity. She remembers the Hanukkah celebration in the house of her grandmother, with its nine candles, a festive meal, and special traditional songs. This celebration originated in the miracle after the Maccabaean Revolt when the lamp in the Temple was able to burn for eight days with almost no oil, enabling the Temple to be continuously sanctified.
After a short break for questions and answers, Samir El Midani, former chairman of the Muslim Chapter in Stuttgart, explained about the Feast of Sacrifice (Eid-ul-adha) in his religion. He quoted from the Bible about Abraham, Sara, and her servant Hagar. The Qur'an reports that Hagar and Ismael experienced miracles in the desert near Mecca and that God tested Abraham by asking him to offer Ismael on the altar. He then chanted this passage from the Qur'an. The miracle of Ismael being saved from death by the goat that God sent to be the offering in his place is celebrated during these three days. Every family is asked to slaughter a goat and give most of it away to the poor.
The program ended with questions and answers and a group photo.
An offering of 130 Euros was collected and will be sent to a children´s hospital in North Korea.