Neighbourhood Day (Ashura)

Jan-07 and Feb-07

As part of the interfaith community Affinity has introduced several events of great significance to our social calendar. The International Abraham conference, Mosque/Church/Synagogue visits, seminars and Iftar dinners just to name a few. Each year, the interfaith community and government departments look forward to the aforementioned events with great enthusiasm.

We believe that the introduction of additional yearly events will further strengthen the already concrete relationships that have developed over the last few years. That’s why the Affinity Intercultural Foundation have  just last week included an additional event on to our yearly calendar that has been welcomed with open arms by the interfaith community.

Day of sharing & celebrating “the Neighbourhood Day” through NOAH’S PUDDING-Ashura-

Observing a Middle Eastern tradition that celebrates the landing of Noah's ark, members and supporters of Affinity from various faith communities proposed the preparation of a sweet dish called Noah's Pudding to be served for guests and friends in the week January 27th to February 4th, 1007 (10th of Muharram in the Islamic Calendar).

Altogether 5 Neighbourhood Day events took place with a total of 255 Noah’s Pudding prepared for the attendees. The 5 events organised were as follows:

1. Polynesian Day at the “Michael Wendon Leisure Centre” in Miller (near Liverpool) on Saturday, 27th of January. There were approximately 100 people at this function. It was a day when the Polynesian community of Sydney got together to have a BBQ and the community leaders were very pleased with our attendance.
2. Thornleigh Uniting Church on Sunday, 28th of Jan. This day was during the Church Sunday Service and ~65 people attended.
3. Parramatta Catholic-Muslim Youth Encounters on Sunday, 28th of January at the Parramatta Catholic Diocese Head office in Parramatta, where around 10 people attended.

4. Auburn Uniting Church on Wednesday, 31st of January. This day was during the Church Wednesday Service and around 40 people attended.
5. Jewish North Shore Temple Emanuel in Chatswood. Around 40 people attended.

What is Ashura?

A fast-day among the Muslims observed on the tenth day of the month Muharram, and derived from the Jewish Day of Atonement, celebrated on the tenth of Tishri (Lev. xvi. 29, xxiii. 27).

The name is an Aramaic form of the Hebrew word "'Asor" (the tenth), still to be found in a liturgical poem for the Day of Atonement

History of pudding

It was thousands of years ago, a thousand years after Adam that a community was again on the threshold of a catastrophe.

For 950 years Noah called his people to the truth of belief in one God. One day God sent the Angel Gabriel to order Noah to build a ship. Inspired by God, he built it. God ordered him to take two of each creature, all of the believers, and his family, with the exception of his wife who had become a non-believer.

Supplies were loaded and the believers and animals boarded the ship. The water began to rise. As all of the none-believers were drowning along with their vices, a long and hard journey was awaiting Noah and the believers – a long, tumultuous journey. Days and days passed by, food became scarce, and they were facing starvation. No food by itself was sufficient to make a decent meal, so Noah gathered all of the food and mixed it together, producing a delicious meal.

As a result, the believers survived the famine. The very next day, the flood receded. Today we call the meal Noah prepared "Noah's Pudding" or "Ashura."

Ever since that day, Muslims prepare Noah's Pudding every year in the month of Muharram, according to the Islamic calendar. In remembrance of what Noah and his people went through, this pudding is made by mixing dry beans and wheat together, and is then shared with neighbours and friends.

Ashura prepared at home is shared with neighbours. Generally people who prepare Ashura send a bowl to each of the neighbours in their building. As tradition goes the residents of forty houses to your east, west, north and south are considered neighbours. One has the responsibility of maintaining good relations with their neighbours regardless of what their religion or beliefs may be.