Samvatsari outstation friends and relatives asking their forgiveness. Being the holiest day of the Jain calendar, many Jains observe a complete fast on this day. While "Samvatsari" and "Kshamavaani" are typically associated with Shwetambar sect and Digambara respectively, there is no major difference between the two days and both are observed as Forgiveness Days. Rather, the two are usually used interchangeably. However, a major difference between the two is that despite both "Samvatsari" and "Kshamavaani" falling on the last day of Paryushan, they are in fact two different days. This is because the Paryushan festival for the two sects itself commences
Religion in the Middle East (Sunni), 12% Alawite, 5% Druze, and other Islamic sects, 10% Christian (various sects), and there is some Jewish representation (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo). Religion in Turkey is represented by 99.8% Muslim (mostly Sunni and approximately 20% are Alevi), and 0.2% other (mostly Christians and Jews). Originally a militarily secularized government, under the relatively new president Erdogan, religious freedom for Muslims has become much more accessible in Turkey. There has been a growing religious resurgence in Turkey and more and more citizens find significance in their religious identities. The previous laws disallowing the Hijab, religious headscarf, in