A Chicago spring full of holy days
By Sidney Madden | @sidney_madden_
💮 HOLY DAYS IN CHICAGO
For the first time in more than 30 years, several spring holy days are overlapping.
And Cook County is more religiously diverse than many parts of the U.S., according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
Here’s how people across Chicago can celebrate:
☪️ Ramadan is a sacred month in Islam, celebrating when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Many Muslims fast, pray, and reflect during this time. Since Islam follows a lunar calendar, Ramadan starts and ends with crescent moon sightings. It ends in early May this year.
▪️ Check out these spots for suhoor or iftar, pre- and post-dawn meals.
▪️ Pray and break fast at Pilsen’s Ta’leef Community Collective.
▪️ Bring kids to the Mecca Center in Willowbrook for nightly educational programming.
✡️ Passover begins Friday, and is the weeklong holiday commemorating ancient Jews’ escape from slavery in Egypt.
▪️ Go to Seder feasts at the Bucktown Wicker Park Chabad Jewish Center or Base Loop in West Loop.
▪️ Head to Temple Sholom in Lakeview for services and sing-alongs.
✝️ Easter commemorates Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Many Christians will celebrate Sunday, but some Orthodox Christians will celebrate next week.
▪️ Take the kids to egg hunts in Mount Greenwood Park and Mandrake Park, or a bunny fun run in Uptown.
▪️ Get your Easter brunch, or shop an Easter–Passover bake sale at Muse Coffee Studio on the Near West Side.
That’s not even ALL the spring holy days: This week, some Sikhs and Buddhists celebrate new years and Jains remember their last spiritual teacher.
Religious or not, this can be an opportunity to connect with Chicagoans of different faiths. South Side religious groups organized an interfaith trolley tour visiting sacred spaces in Hyde Park and Kenwood next week. It is sold out, but you can tag along in your car.
🎧 For Ukrainians, Easter eggs go beyond the holiday. Artist Anna Chychula tells us about the history of pysanky, a form of Easter egg decorating, and its significance this year while war in Ukraine wages on.
📰 NEWSFEED
▪️ The Chicago Police Department has reached some compliance with 70% of court-ordered reforms in the federal consent decree, issued in the aftermath of Laquan McDonald’s murder. [WTTW]
▪️ The secret agreement between feds and ex–Ald. Danny Solis is public. In it, prosecutors agreed to level and later dismiss one charge of bribery against Solis due to his “substantial assistance.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
▪️ Loretto Hospital CEO George Miller is leaving his role as the FBI investigates the safety-net hospital after executives gave vaccines to friends and family instead of Austin residents last year. [Block Club Chicago]
▪️ Your grocery bill has probably gone up: Food is 10% more expensive in the Chicago area than it was a year ago. [WBEZ]
▪️ “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” winner Alaska Thunderf*ck and Eurovision winner Netta are among the headliners at Pride Fest 🌈
▪️ See this free one-person show about what it means to be undocumented at DePaul University in Lincoln Park at 6 p.m.
🎤 KARAOKE STORYTELLERS
Karaoke Storytellers is THE place to be. Don’t believe me?
✅ Their headliners are some of the best in town — ahem, comedian Lisa Beasley and musician Bianca Shaw.
✅ City Cast’s Jacoby Cochran is hosting, and everyone and their mom is a fan of our host.
✅ Try some Chicago trivia, and you could win City Cast merch!
Come watch local performers share stories AND break out into song at Schubas in Lakeview this Sunday at 7 p.m.
💙 CITY CAST HIRING SPREE
We’ll soon have newsletters and podcasts in cities from Portland to Pittsburgh and from Denver to DC.
Here are some open positions:
📥 Newsletter writer in Boise
🎙️ Part-time hosts in DC & Vegas
🎧 Audio producers in Pitt & Denver
Tell friends and fam to check out those jobs and more on our website!