Category: Annual Celebration

Ram(a) Navami (21 April) is a spring Hindu festival celebrating  the birth of Lord Rama, son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. Rama was an incarnation of Vishnu and the hero of the Ramayana, the Sanskrit epic of 24,000 stanzas. A continuous recital of the book takes place for about a week prior to the celebration … Continue reading “Rama Navami”

Vaisakhi (13 April) is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs and marks the beginning of the Hindu solar New Year. It was originally a harvest festival in the Punjab until it became Sikhism’s most important festival. Vaisakhi, also called Baisakhi, is the festival which celebrates the founding of the Sikh community, the Khalsa. In 1699, Sikhs … Continue reading “Vaisakhi”

Ramadan is expected to begin on Monday 12 April, following the sighting of the moon over Mecca. Lasting for 30 days, Ramadan will end on Tuesday 11 May, with the celebratory days of Eid al-Fitr starting on Wednesday 12 May. The auspicious month of Ramadan is a time for reflection, contemplation and celebration. Sawm is … Continue reading “Ramadan 2021”

The naming of the celebration as Easter appears to derive from the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility, Eostre or Eostrae. The only reference to this goddess comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede, a British monk who lived in the late seventh and early eighth century. Easter, also called Pascha … Continue reading “Holy Week and Easter Sunday”

Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, in the Christian tradition marks the beginning of Holy Week and is the Sunday before Easter, commemorating Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Holy Week is a solemn week focusing on the final days of Jesus’ life, culminating in Easter Sunday, the most important holiday in Christianity. The biblical account of Palm … Continue reading “Palm Sunday”

Pesach (Passover) 2021, which begins at sundown on 27 March, ending on the evening of 4 April, is a festival of freedom commemorating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and their transition from slavery to freedom. It is one of the most important Jewish holidays. Passover, called Pesach, gets its name from when the Israelites were … Continue reading “Happy Pesach (Passover)”

Holi (20-29 March), also known as the “festival of spring”, the “festival of colours”, and the “festival of love” is a popular ancient Hindu festival signifying the triumph of good over evil. Holi celebrates the arrival of spring, the end of winter, the blossoming of love, and for many it’s a festive day to meet others, … Continue reading “Holi (20-29 March)”

Nowruz (starts 20 March) is the national New Year festivity celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, and the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Turkey and Syria, and throughout Central Asia. Described by 11th-century Persian astronomer and poet Omar Khayyam as “the renewal of the world”, Nowruz dates back thousands of years. It is not known exactly how far … Continue reading “Nowruz – Iranian New Year”

St. Patrick’s Day (17 March) observes of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing and drinking. He was born to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century and is believed to have died on … Continue reading “St Patricks’ Day”

Maha Shivaratri (11 March) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The festival celebrates the grand marriage of the lord of destruction, Shiva, with the goddess of fertility, love and beauty, Parvati, who is also known as Shakti (power). It is a major festival in Hinduism. This festival is solemn … Continue reading “Maha Shivaratri”