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.
At the same time, many Asian American communities are starting to celebrate Tết or Lunar New Year as families across OC and the country are also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the origins of Black History Month.
100 Years of Celebrating Black History
Residents and students across the county are currently celebrating Black culture and history for the 100th anniversary of Black History Month’s origin.
Last week, Orange County’s Board of Supervisors proclaimed February 2026 as Black History Month.
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.
“Black History Month affirms what we’ve always known – 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,” she said at the supervisors meeting.
John Dunning, Jr., the pastor at the Starlight Baptist Church of Santa Ana, said the month wasn’t 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.
“Black 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,” said Dunning, who is also the Chief Operating Officer for the OC Transportation Authority, at this month’s public meeting.
Observed in February annually, Black History Month began as “Negro History Week” in the 1920s, founded by historian Carter G. Woodson to honor African American achievements.
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.
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.
“It’s 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,” he said in a Wednesday interview.
“Particularly in a time where there’s just a lot of things happening in our society, where people are being oppressed far and near and I think it’s the opportunity for us to rededicate ourselves to the struggle.”
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.
“Islam in America is as old as America itself,” he said, encouraging Muslim Americans to read the Autobiography of Malcolm X
“Black history is full of inspiring stories that kind of lift up the struggle of a people for human rights and dignity and there’s 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.”
Lent
On Wednesday, Catholics will also embark on a 40-day fast for Lent – abstaining from meat, praying and giving to charity.
Father Angelos Sebastian, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Orange 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.
“For us Catholics, Lent is a time when we enter into a deeper, spiritual time of renewal, reformation and revival,” he said “It’s definitely a time of reflection on the sufferings of Our Lord, and also for us to enter into those sufferings of Jesus.”
Like Ramadan, Lent starts on a different day of the year depending on a lunar-based calendar.
Ash Wednesday will mark the start of the 40-days of Lent.
“It’s 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,” Sebastian said. “This 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.”
Sebastian said he hopes Lent and Ramadan overlapping this year will bring people closer together despite their differences in faith.
“It’s a great time for the Christian community and also for the Muslim community to be more spiritual,” he said. “When 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.”
After Lent, Catholics will celebrate Easter with egg hunts, chocolate and church services.
Sebastian said Easter is one of the most important celebrations for Christians.
“It’s a Victory Day – 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,” he said.
Ramadan
On Wednesday, Muslims across the world – who are able to – will fast from food, drink and water from sunrise to sunset for about 30 days for the holy month of Ramadan.
Muslims believe Ramadan is the month the first verses of the Quran – Islam’s holy book – were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than a thousand of years ago.
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 Tết.
“Ramadan 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,” said Shaykh Abdullah Misra, the religious director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, in Wednesday phone interview.
Misra said the mosque – which celebrated its 50th anniversary last month – will host nightly gatherings to pray, break the fast and host motivational talks.
He said his favorite part of the month is getting closer to God.
“After you’ve 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,” Misra said.
Hudson said Ramadan is a time when Muslims strive to be at their best.
“It is a time where there’s 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,” he said
“The best is just seeing the community really come together, which kind of demonstrates our potential, if we carry that same energy throughout the year.”
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.
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.
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.
“That’s the real test of religion, not if you can love your own alone, but if you can love others as well,” Misra said.
After Ramadan, Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which translates to the “festival of the breaking of the fast” and commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Eid spans over three days.
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.
“After 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,” Misra said.
Tết: Year of The Fire Horse
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.
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.
One of the 12 Zodiac animals is generally commemorated each year along with one of the five Chinese traditional elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.
This is the year of the fire horse.
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.
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.
Korean New Year is called Seollal – a three day festival that marks the start of the Korean calendar.
In Tibet, it is called Losar. In Mongolia, it is called Tsagaan Sar.
In Vietnam, Tết Nguyên Đán, or Tết is a three-day celebration marking the beginning of the traditional Vietnamese calendar.
Orange County is home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside of Vietnam and typically hosts several Tết festivals and parades around the lunar new year.
Last week, Orange County’s Board of Supervisors recognized Feb. 17 as Lunar New Year.
Supervisor Janet Nguyen said the first day of Tết 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.
“It’s a time for colorful decoration, letting go of the past and stepping into a new year with optimism and gratitude,” she said at the meeting.
“It’s really a time for us to gather with families and friends, to bring fortune, to just talk about how we’ve been doing and just to check in with each other as well.”
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.
“May the year of the horse bring energy progress and good fortune to all our residents,” he said at last week’s supervisor meeting.
This weekend, Westminster will host its annual Tết Parade through the streets of Little Saigon on Saturday Feb. 21 at 8:30 a.m.
“The 2026 Tet Parade celebrates the Year of the Horse, and honors the values of hard work, bravery, and resiliency—qualities that are deeply woven into the fabric of our community,” said Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen in a news release.
“Over the past two decades, the annual Tet Parade has become an important piece in how we celebrate our community here in Westminster. It’s an event we are proud to host and look forward to attending all year long.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.