The festival literally means "nine nights” and is celebrated differently in various parts of India with prayer, elaborate pandals, folk dances, displays of dolls, sharing of sweets and bonfires. It symbolizes the triumph of good over evil; for example, it commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura and the restoration of […]
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. This holiday begins the period of the High Holy Days, which are widely observed by Jews around the world. Traditions include eating apples dipped in honey and blowing the shofar (ram’s horn). Most Jews attend synagogue on these two days and the preceding evening. More Information Holiday Greeting: […]
Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi who abandoned a life of luxury for a life devoted to Christianity after reportedly hearing the voice of God, who commanded him to rebuild the Christian church of San Damiano. His angry father disowned and disinherited him because Francis sold some goods from his father’s warehouse and used […]
Yom Kippur is the Day of Attonement. The focus of this holiday is on contemplation repentance. Jews are taught that sins between people can only be attoned for after personal reconciliation. It is considered to be the holiest and most solemn day of the year. Fasting begins at sundown and ends after nightfall the following […]
Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami, Dasara, or Dashain) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is a gazetted holiday in India, which is marked on the 10th day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the month of Ashvin (Ashwayuja), according to the Hindu calendar More Information
Sukkot is a seven-day festival marking the fall harvest in ancient Israel. This holiday is also a time in which Jews commorate forty years of wantering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. Celebrated by the building of a sukkah (or temporary dwelling) outdoors. Work is traditionally prohibited on the first and second days. […]
Simchat Torah/ Shemini Atzeret marks the conclusion of the annual reading cycle of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses that make up the Jewish Bible. Jews celebrate the Torah by dancing and singing, followed by reading the last word of Deuteronomy and the first word of Genesis in one breath to represent the cyclical […]
One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance." Light is a metaphor for knowledge and consciousness. During the celebration, temples, homes, shops and office buildings are brightly illuminated. The preparations and observances typically last five days.
Twin Holy Birthdays: The Birth of the Báb (October 20, 1819) and the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh (November 12, 1817) occurred on consecutive days according to the Islamic lunar calendar (1 and 2 Muharram, respectively). However these dates have been adjusted to the Gregorian calendar. Baha'i dates begin and end at sunset. These Holy Days are […]
Commemorates the birth of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith November 1817 (lunar calendar) Work is to be suspended and children excused from school. More Information about Baha'u'llah Learn more about the Baha'i calendar Learn more about Bah'ullah's Bicentenary
"Everything you should do you will find in this: Do nothing to others that would hurt you if it were done to you."
- Mahabharata 5:1517
Hinduism
