Christians, Muslims and the Chinese all observed the start of some of their most important holidays in the same time period this year, with the rare overlap of Lent, Ramadan and Chinese New Year.

Lent is a Christian celebration that began with the observance of Ash Wednesday on February 18, marking the observance of the period of 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus Christ spent in the desert.

For Christians, the 40-day observance is a period of reflection and renewal up to the end of Easter holidays, usually marked by an abstention from meat and other vices.

Ramadan, expected to begin between February 17th – 19th this year, is a month-long period of daily fasting observed by the Muslim community where they abstain from eating, drinking and engaging in sex from dawn until sunset to focus on worship. Ramadan is also a period of reflection, worship and renewal.

Lunar/Chinese New Year, celebrated on February 17th this year, is a Chinese practice that celebrates the start of a new year on the Lunar calendar and is marked by a focus on preparation and renewal for the upcoming year.

The overlap of all three is extremely rare, as they are all governed by different calendars, with some news agencies reporting the last occurrence as in the 1800s.

In this file photo A man walks out of a shop selling<br />Chinese new year decorations in Hong Kong on February 5,<br />2015. The Chinese lunar new “year of the sheep” begins on<br />February 19. (PHOTO: AFP)

In this file photo Palestinians gather outside the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City on March 22, 2023 as Muslim devotees prepare for the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)