StudyingIslamUK
UNITED KINGDOM
|
 Topic initiated on Monday, October 5, 2009 - 10:16 PM 
Religious Festivals Oct09
Saturday 3 October
Jewish Sukkot
Sukkot or The Feast of Tabernacles, commemorates the years that the Jews spent in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, and celebrates the way in which God took special care of them under impossible conditions. Sukkot lasts for seven days, and work is not permitted on the first two days.
Friday 9 October
Jewish Hoshanah Rabbah
The 7th day of Sukkot.
Sikh Birthday of Guru Ram Das (Nanakshahi calendar)
Guru Ram Das (1534-1581) was the fourth of the Sikh Gurus.
Saturday 10 October
Jewish Shemini Atzeret
Shemini Atzeret can be translated as "the assembly of the eighth (day)." In Israel the festival is combined with Simchat Torah.
Sunday 11 October
Jewish Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah means "Rejoicing in the Torah." This holiday marks the completion of the yearly cycle of weekly Torah readings.
Tuesday 13 October
Christian St Edward's Day
Edward the Confessor was King of England 1042 - 1066. He built Westminster Abbey where there is a shrine to him - and where the saint is also celebrated on January 5 each year, the anniversary of his death.
Saturday 17 October
Hindu Diwali
Diwali, the festival of lights, is the most popular of all the festivals from South Asia. It is an occasion for celebrations by Hindus as well as Jains and Sikhs.
Jain Diwali
Diwali, the festival of lights, is the most popular of all the festivals from South Asia. It is an occasion for celebrations by Hindus as well as Jains and Sikhs.
Sikh Diwali
For Sikhs, Diwali is particularly important because it celebrates the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, and 52 other princes with him, in 1619.
Tuesday 20 October
Bahai Birth of the Bab
Celebrates the birth of the precursor of the founder of the Baha'i faith.
Saturday 31 October
Pagan Samhain (Hallowe'en)
Samhain (pronounced 'sow'inn') marks the Feast of the Dead. Many Pagans also celebrate it as the old Celtic New Year (although some mark this at Imbolc).
Christian Hallowe'en (All Hallows' Eve)
The night before All Saints' Day (All Hallows' Day). Its origins date back over 2000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. It was celebrated as a Christian festival by the 8th Century.
Edited by: studyingislamuk on Sunday, October 11, 2009 5:44 PM |
|