Category: Annual Celebration

Pesach (Passover), which begins at sundown on 15 April, ending on the evening of 23 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 enslaved … Continue reading “Pesach (Passover)”

Vaisakhi 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 from all over the … Continue reading “Vaisakhi 14 April”

Rama Navami is a spring Hindu festival celebrates 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 and, on … Continue reading “Rama Navami 10 April”

Nowruz is the Iranian New Year, also known as the Persian New Year, which begins on the spring equinox (21 March), marking the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar calendar. This is one of humanity’s oldest holidays, which predates the Persian Empire and can be traced back 5,000 years to … Continue reading “Nowruz – Iranian New Year”

Saint Patrick’s Day, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, “the Day of the Festival of Patrick”, is a cultural and religious celebration for the foremost patron saint of Ireland (c. AD 385–461). Tradition says that he spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted “thousands”. Patrick’s efforts against the druids were eventually turned into an allegory in … Continue reading “St Patricks’ Day”

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is that it is the International Day to End Violence against Women. We must #ENDviolence! It offers an opportunity to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history … Continue reading “International Women’s Day 8 March”

Books aren’t just for bedtime 3 March 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of World Book Day which was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe on the first Thursday in March.This year’s theme is ‘You are a Reader’. It is the … Continue reading “World Book Day”

Hinamatsuri, also called Doll’s Day or Girls’ Day, is a special day in Japan. It is celebrated on 3 March of each year, with platforms covered with a red carpet which are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形, hina-ningyō) representing the Emperor and Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian. Hinamatsuri is one of the five seasonal … Continue reading “Hinamatsuri”

Maha Shivaratri (1 March) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. It 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). A major festival in Hinduism, this festival is solemn and marks a remembrance of … Continue reading “Maha Shivaratri”

The National Day of Wales is St. David’s Day and is observed on 1 March, the traditional date of his death in 589 AD. Saint David (known as Dewi Sant in the Welsh language) was a Celtic monk born towards the end of the fifth century and was Archbishop of Wales. He spread the word … Continue reading “Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! (Happy St. David’s Day)”