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Advent (Christian) |
A four-week period for reflection, prayer, and preparation for celebrating
the birth of Jesus. Christians also look forward to the second coming of Christ.
Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year. |
All
Saints' Day(Christian) | A day on which Christians
honor their saints. |
Ascension Day(Christian) |
A day to remember Jesus' ascension into heaven after his resurrection. |
Ascension
of the Baha'u'llah(Baha'i) | A day to remember
the death of the founder of the Baha'i faith. |
Ash
Wednesday(Christian) | The beginning of the
forty-day season of Lent. Many people go to worship, where their foreheads are
marked with ashes as a sign of repentance for their sins. |
Ashura(Islam) |
A feast day observed by some Muslims to remember creation, the time when Noah
came out of the ark, and the time when the baby Moses was saved from Pharaoh. |
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Baisakhi (Sikhism) |
A day to remember the founding of the Khalsa, the Sikh brotherhood. It is also
the Sikh New Year. |
Basant Panchami (Hindu) |
A day to celebrate the arrival of spring. Saraswti, the goddess of wisdom and
knowledge, is worshiped and people bring her many flowers. Women dress in yellow,
the color of spring. A popular activity on this day is the flying of kites. |
Birth
of the Bab (Baha'i) | The birthday of the founder
of the Baha'i faith, Mirza Ali- Muhammed, who was born in 1819. |
Birth
of the Baha'u'llah (Baha'i) | The birthday of
the teacher and Messiah of the Baha'i faith. |
Bodhi
Day (Buddhist) | A day on which some Buddhists
celebrate the time when the Buddha sat under a bodhi tree and vowed to stay there
until he reached enlightenment. |
Buddha Day
or Vesak Day (Buddhist) | A day some Buddhists
remember the birthday of the Buddha. Others celebrate the birth, enlightenment,
and death of the Buddha on one day, called Visakha Puji. |
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Christmas (Christian) | The
day on which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. |
Day
of the Dead (Christian) | A day on which Mexican
Catholics visit cemeteries and decorate the graves of loved ones. |
Day
of the Fourfold Assembly (Buddhist) | Also called
Maghapuja and Dharma Day. On this day the Buddha preached the Principal Teaching
of Buddhism to 1,250 monks. They were to follow his teachings and pass them on
to others. |
Declaration of the Bab (Baha'i) | A
day to remember the declaration by Ali Muhammad in 1844 that he was the anticipated
"Coming One" of all religions. |
Diwali
(Hindu) | The Festival of Lights, dedicated to
Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity. Diwali is also called Deepaavali, which means
"an array of lamps." Hindus also remember the return of Lord Rama
from exile. People exchange gifts, decorate their homes with lamps, and set off
fireworks. |
Diwali (Sikhism) |
The Festival of Lights, also celebrated by Hindus. Sikhs celebrate it as the
return of Guru Hargobind to Amritsar after he was released from the Gwalior jail. |
Dussehra
(Hindu) | A festival celebrating the victory
of good over evil. Lord Rama defeated the demon Ravan, and the goddess Durga also
defeated a demon. It comes after the nine-day celebration of Durga Puja (worship)
and Navaratri, a time for worshiping other Hindu goddesses. |
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Easter (Christian) | The
most holy day of the year for Christians. It is a day to remember and celebrate
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. |
Eid
al Adha (Islam) | The Feast of the Sacrifice,
the most important feast of Islam, which comes at the end of Hajj, the pilgrimage
to Mecca. Eid al Adha is a three-day festival during which Muslims remember
Abrahma's willingness to obey Allah's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Animals
are sacrificed, and the meat is given to the poor. |
Eid
ul Fitr (Islam) | A three-day feast marking
the end of Ramadan. It is a festival of thanksgiving to Allah for the joys of
celebrating Ramadan. |
Epiphany (Christian) | A
day to remember that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Some Christian churches honor
the visit of the wise men to the child Jesus. Others remember the baptism of Jesus. |
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Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu) | A
festival honoring Ganesh, the Hindu god who removes obstacles and brings good
luck. |
Good Friday (Christian) |
A day on which Christians remember the suffering, crucifixion, and death of
Jesus. |
Guru Gobind Singh's Birthday (Sikhism) |
A day on which to celebrate the birthday of the tenth and final guru, or teacher.
Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa, the Sikh brotherhood. |
Guru
Nanak's Birthday (Sikhism) | A three-day celebration
to remember and honor the founder of the Sikh religion. |
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Hajj (Islam) |
The pilgrimage to Mecca, to be made once in a lifetime by every Muslim who
is physically and financially able to do so. |
Hanukkah
(Judaism) | The Festival of Lights, a time to
remember when the Maccabees recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C.E. It
also celebrates the miraculous time when the oil for the consecrated lamps lasted
for eight days, even though there was only enough oil for one day. |
Holi
(Hindu) | A spring festival commemorating the
god of pleasure, sometimes called the Festival of Colors. People enjoy showering
each other with colored water and smearing red and green powder on each other. |
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Installation of the Guru Granth Sahib
(Sikhism) | A commemoration of the day in 1708
when Guru Gobind Singh, the last human guru, made the Sikh scripture which is
known as "Guru Granth Sahib, the eleventh guru." |
Intercalary
Days (Baha'i) | Four days (five in a Leap Year)
that come before the nineteenth month of the Baha'i calendar. They balance out
the year, just as February 29th does in the western calendar during a Leap Year.
The Baha'i calendar has nineteen months of nineteen days each. |
Janamashtmi
(Hindu) | The celebration of the birthday of
Lord Krishna. It is also called Sri Krishna Jayanti. Hindus pray in the temple
all night long. Many sweet dishes are made, and many milk products - Lord Krishna's
favorite childhood food - are given in offerings. |
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Lag B'Omer (Judaism) |
The thirty-third day of Omer. (A "lag" is the number 33 in Hebrew;
"omer" is a measure.) Jews count the days from the second night of Passover
until Shavu'ot. On Lag B'Omer the mourning practices of the days of Omer are lifted. |
Lailat
al Miraj (Islam) | A day on which Muslims remember
Muhammad's night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and his ascension into heaven. |
Lailat
al-Quar
(Islam) | "Night of Power"
- a special night during Ramadan on which Muslims remember when the prophet Muhammad
received the first revelation from Allah. On Lailat al-Quar, Muslims often stay
up all night at home reading the Qu'ran and praying. |
Lohri
(Hindu) | The Hindu New Year, when bonfires are
lit in India and people celebrate. |
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Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) | The
great night of Shiva on which Hindus fast, pray, and worship the god Shiva. |
Makar
Sakranti / Pongal (Hindu) | In some parts of
India this celebration is called Mangal Sakranti. In other parts it is called
Pongal. It is the only solar holiday in the Hindu calendar. People wear new clothing
and eat sweet foods. Some use white rice powder to draw designs on the ground. |
Martyrdom
of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikhism) | A time to remember
when the sixth guru (teacher), Guru Arjan, was killed, and to honor him for his
contributions to and compiling of the Sikh scriptures. |
Martyrdom
of Guru Tegh Bahadur (Sikhism) | A day to remember
the day on which Guru Tegh Bahadur was killed. |
Martyrdom
of the Bab (Baha'i) | A day to remember the execution
of Ali Muhammad in 1850 by Persian leaders. |
Mawlid
al-Nabi (Islam) | A day on which some Muslims
celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. |
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Navaratra Dashara (Hindu) | The
Nine Nights, a festival of the divine mother, honoring Durga, wife of Shiva, and
seeking her blessing. It is a time to remember the days of Lord Krishna and is
also called the Durga Puja. |
Naw Ruz (Baha'i) | The
day of the spring equinox, a time to consider ways to grow spiritually and to
experience new life. It is the end of a month of fasting, a joyous time of celebration,
the New Year for Baha'is. |
New Year's Day
(Buddhist) | On this day, Buddhists in North
America attend a special service in the local temple. |
New
Year's Eve(Christian) | Some Christians have
Watch Night services on the night before New Year's Day. |
Nirvana
Day (Buddhist) | A day on which some Buddhists
remember the death of Buddha. Other Buddhists remember the birth, enlightenment,
and death of Buddha on separate days. |
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Palm or Passion Sunday (Christian) | This
marks the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem. It is the beginning of Holy Week,
also called Passion Week. |
Pentecost (Christian) | A
day on which Christians remember when God's Holy Spirit came to the disciples
in the form of rushing wind and tongues of fire. Many people are baptized or confirmed
on this day. |
Pesach or Passover (Judaism) | An
eight-day celebration to remember the delivery of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. |
Purim
(Judaism) | A day of remembering the time when
Jews were saved from being killed in Persia, a story told in the book of Esther.
Purim is a time of sharing with the poor, as well as a wonderful celebration
with good food and lots of fun. |
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Ram Navani (Hindu) | A
day to remember the birthday of Lord Rama. People tell stories and go to the temple
to act out the wedding of Lord Rama and his wife, Situ. |
Rama
Krishna Jayanti (Hindu) | The birthday of Sri
Krishna, or Lord Krishna. |
Ramadan (Islam) | The
holiest period of the Islamic year, during its ninth month. It is a time to remember
when Muhammad received the divine revelation recorded in the Qu'ran. During Ramadan,
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset each day. |
Reformation
Day (Christian) | A day on which Christians remember
the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther
posted a statement of belief on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. |
Ridvan
(Baha'i) | The most holy festival for Baha'is.
It is a time to remember when Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i faith, declared
that he was God's messenger for this age. |
Rosh
Hashanah (Judaism) | The Jewish New Year, a time
to reflect, ask forgiveness for sins, and pray. The story of Abraham is read,
the shofar (ram's horn) is sounded, and special foods are prepared and enjoyed. |
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Seventeenth of Tammuz (Judaism) |
A day of fasting to remember the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem, before
the First Temple was destroyed. |
Shab e-barat
(Islam) | A nighttime event observing the Muslim
belief that the fortunes of people are registered in heaven. Blessings in the
name of Muhammad, his daughter, and her husband, are said over sweet dishes and
other food. |
Shavu'ot (Judaism) | A
celebration Moses' descent from Mt. Sinai with the books of the law, or Torah.
Shavu'ot is also called the Festival of Weeks or Pentecost. Plants and flowers
are used to decorate for this celebration. |
Shemini
Azterot (Judaism) | The day after the eighth
day of Sukkoth. In some synagogues, ceremonies are held in honor of the beginning
of a child's Jewish education. |
Shrove Tuesday
(Christian) | The day before Ash Wednesday. Some
Christians call this Carnival or Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), and have a big celebration.
Others go to a pancake supper at church. |
Simchat
Torah (Judaism) | A day to celebrate the reading
of the Torah. The last portion of the Torah is read, followed by the first chapter
of Genesis, to remind Jews that the Torah is a never-ending circle. |
Sukkoth
(Judaism) | The Feast of the Tabernacles, a time
to celebrate the harvest and remember the time when the people of Israel wandered
in the wilderness and lived in tents. |
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Three Kings Day (Christian) | A
day on which some Spanish-speaking Christians celebrate the visit of the wise
men to the child Jesus. |
Tisha B'Av (Judaism) | A
day of fasting to remember the destruction of the First Temple in 516 B.C.E. by
the Babylonians and the Second Temple in 70 C.E. by the Romans. It means "the
ninth day of the month of Av" and is the end of a three-week period of mourning
that begins with the Seventeenth of Tammuz. |
Trinity
Sunday (Christian) | A day on which Christians
honor their belief in one God with three natures: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. |
Tu
B'Shevat (Judaism) | The New Year for Trees,
one of four Jewish New Year days and the first day of the year for tithing the
fruit of trees. Tu is the number 15 in Hebrew, so this is the fifteenth day of
the month of Shevat. |
Twelfth Night (Christian) | The
end of the season of Christmastide, the twelve days of Christmas. |
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Ullambana (Buddhist) | A
day to make offerings on behalf of ancestors. Korean and Chinese Buddhists call
it Happy Buddha Day. |
Visakha Puji (Buddhist) | A
day on which some Buddhists celebrate the three most important events in the life
of the Buddha: his birth, his enlightenment, and his death. Other Buddhists
celebrate these three events separately as Vesak Day, Nirvana Day, and Bodhi Day. |
Vivekanana
Jayanti (Hindu) | The birthday of Swami Vivekanana,
the man who brought Hinduism to North America. |
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Yom Hashoah (Judaism) | Jewish
Holocaust Day. A day to remember the six million Jews killed by the Nazis. Many
non-Jews also observe this day. |
Yom Kippur
(Judaism) | The Day of Atonement. This is the
holiest day of the Jewish year, a time when Jews fast and repent of their sins. |
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