Celebrating Cultures across the University of Birmingham
Parinirvana Day, or Nirvana Day is a Buddhist holiday which commemorates the death of Buddha and is celebrated on 15 February [it is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the Bhutanese calendar] (and by some on 8 February). This day – also known as Nirvana Day – is celebrated because it … Continue reading “15 February Parinirvana Day”
The first reference to St Valentine’s Day being for lovers came in Geoffrey Chaucer’s 1382 poem Parlement of Foules, when he wrote “For this was on St Valentine’s Day when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.” The Long Engagement by Pre-Raphaelite artist Arthur Hughes was given to the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in … Continue reading “14 February – St Valentine’s Day”
Join us for a week of celebrations to mark the beginning of the year of the Rat! The celebration of the Lunar New Year is one of the most important festivals for many cultures across the world, most notably in China. The festival is dominated by iconic red lanterns, loud fireworks, massive banquets and parades. It … Continue reading “Spring Festival Celebrations – Year of the Rat – Chinese Lunar New Year 2020”
Join the University of Birmingham’s India Institute to celebrate the ‘Spirit of Diwali’ at this lunchtime concert. Performances exclusively curated for the event by Sampad Arts include: Opening lively dhol drumming on Chancellor’s Court Indian dance performance by BBC Young Dancer 2019, Aishani Ghosh Kathak duet performance by Shyam Duttani and Tulani Kayani A contemporary … Continue reading “Spirit of Diwali Concert”
I remember when the UBISOC Community Iftar in the Green Heart was just an idea that we were discussing on the table in one of our meetings. That’s how it started, an idea, but who would have thought that it would be arguably one of the biggest events ever held by a student group. But … Continue reading “Community Iftar Blog by Sayf Khan”
Well what can I say? The biggest event in the ISOC’s history only just came and went the other day! The Community Iftar: over 400 people joined together to break their fast under the night sky. The feeling was one of unity and celebration. The unity of people from all walks of life and a … Continue reading “Community Iftar Blog by Rayhan Ahmed”
Exciting news, the videos from our Chinese/Lunar New Year celebrations for Spring Festival are now live! These videos can now be found on the University of Birmingham Youtube channel, and we’ve embedded them below: Long Video: Short Video: We’d like to thank Jason (Jun Zhang), Menghan Tian, Hui Liang, Mingxiang Xia and Xiaoxuan Mu once … Continue reading “Chinese/Lunar New Year Celebration Videos”
The UoB Cultural Calendar are proud to announce that we will be collaborating with the UoB Islamic Society for their upcoming commemoration of Ramadan! Every year the Islamic Society organise a Ramadan Project, which provides a free Iftar and Taraweeh to staff, students, and the local community everyday of Ramadan in the Multi-faith Chaplaincy. This … Continue reading “The Ramadan Project 2019”
Contributed by Kajol Desai You’ve probably heard of a “colour festival” or been on a “colour run”, maybe even celebrated something similar in a club or at a rave, but have you ever wondered where these celebrations of colour originate? When you scrape back the packaged events you may have attended, looking instead for the … Continue reading “Holi: The Festival of Colours”
Last Friday the University of Birmingham celebrated International Women’s Day. The day commemorates and celebrates the achievements, history, and political activism of women across the world. The day is a period to reflect on women’s suffrage, as well as a time to engage with inequalities and disparities that effect women in society today. To commemorate … Continue reading “International Women’s Day – A Retrospective”
