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 Topic initiated on Monday, January 4, 2010 - 11:05 AM 
Religious Festivals Jan 2010
Multifaith calendar for January 2010
All dates are shown using the Gregorian (Western) calendar. The calendar is accurate, but some dates may vary regionally because they are determined by the lunar calendar. Jewish festivals usually begin at sundown on the previous day.
Jan
Fri 1 Circumcision (Christian )
Marks the day when Jesus was circumcised.
New Year's Day (Secular )
The start of the Western calendar year
Oshogatsu (or Shogatsu) (Shinto )
Shinto New Year, one of the most popular occasions for shrine visits.
Festival of St Basil the Great (Christian )
St Basil is one of the great fathers of the Orthodox Church.
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Jan
Sun 3Epiphany (Catholic Church in England and Wales) (Christian )
The Catholic Church in England and Wales moves this festival to the nearest Sunday if it falls on a Saturday or Monday.
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Jan
Tue 5Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Nanakshahi calendar) (Sikh )
Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) was the tenth and last of the Sikh Gurus. He instituted the Five Ks and established the Order of the Khalsa.
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Jan
Wed 6Epiphany (Christian )
Celebrates the visit of the wise men (the magi) to the infant Jesus. In the East, where it originated, the Epiphany celebrates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. (Catholics and Episcopalians celebrate this separately: see Baptism of the Lord) Also known as Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day).
Christmas Day (Armenian Orthodox) (Christian )
Armenian Christians celebrate Christ's birth at Epiphany, except for Armenians in the Holy Land, who celebrate Christmas on January 19th.
Theophany (Orthodox) (Christian )
Orthodox churches mark the baptism of Jesus on this day.
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Jan
Thu 7Christmas Day (Ethiopian) (Rastafari )
Rastafarians believe Ethiopia to be their spiritual homeland, and a place to which they want to return.
Christmas Day (Orthodox) (Christian )
Most Orthodox churches use the Julian rather than the Gregorian version of the Western calendar. As a result, they celebrate Christmas 13 days later than other Christian churches.
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Jan
Sun 10First Sunday after Epiphany (Christian )
Epiphany takes place on the 6th of January, but most Christians celebrate it on the first Sunday after that date.
Baptism of the Lord (Christian )
Commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. Occurs on the first Sunday after Epiphany. Catholics and Episcopalians celebrate this holy day, but Eastern Christianity celebrates the baptism of Jesus at Epiphany.
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Jan
Wed 13St Hilary's Day (Christian )
According to tradition, "St. Hilary's is the coldest day of the year." St. Hilary was a fourth century Bishop of Poitiers.
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Jan
Thu 14Makar Sankrant (Hindu )
Makar Sankrant is one of the most important festivals of the Hindu calendar and celebrates the sun's journey into the northern hemisphere.
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Jan
Fri 15Seijin Shiki (Adults' Day) (Shinto )
Japanese who have reached legal adulthood (20 in Japan) in the previous year attend a shrine to give thanks.
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Jan
Mon 18 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (start) (Christian )
First celebrated in 1908. The days of 18-25 January (regardless of the days of the week involved) were originally chosen because they covered the days between the feast of St Peter and the feast of St Paul. Some churches and regions use a different week.
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Jan
Wed 20 Vasant Panchami (Hindu )
Dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning and Brahma's wife. The festival marks the beginning of Spring.
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Jan
Thu 21St Agnes (Christian )
Patron saint of girls, martyred at the age of 13.
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Jan
Mon 25 St Paul's Day (Christian )
Anglicans and Catholics celebrate St Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.
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Jan
Thu 28 St Thomas Aquinas (Christian )
Doctor of the Church and patron saint of students and theologians.
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Jan
Sat 30 Tu B'Shevat (Jewish )
The Jewish New Year for trees - For religious accounting purposes all trees have their anniversaries on this festival, regardless of when they were planted.
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Jan
Sun 31Birthday of Guru Har Rai (Nanakshahi calendar) (Sikh )
Guru Har Rai (1630-1661) was the seventh of the Sikh Gurus.
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Source:BBC |
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