Holidays & Religious Observances

Krishna Janmashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, the eighth incarnation of the god Vishnu. This is celebrated on the eighth day in the dark fortnight and last two days.

Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of the god Ganesh. Lord Ganesh is known to bring order to the universe. Many worship him before a beginning a new journey in life.

Rosh Hashanah, also known as “Head of the Year”, is the Jewish New Year and the celebration of the creation of the world. It is the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance, which concludes on Yom Kippur.

High holy days are the holidays falling during the month of Tishrei. The holidays included are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret.

Navaratri, also known as “The Nine Sacred Nights,” is a celebration of various gods and goddesses. Both Sarasvati Puja and the Durga Puja festivals are also during this time.

Durga Puja is a festival celebrating the goddess Durga victory over the demon king. Other major gods and goddesses will also be celebrated during this time.

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the last day of the Ten Days of Repentance. This holiday is observed with a 25 hour fast and religious services.

Dusshera is a festival celebrating the victory of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the demon king. This festival also falls on the tenth day of Navarati. For many, this is starting the preparation for Diwali.

Sukkot begins five days after Yom Kippur. Named after the huts that the Israelites lived in after the exodus from Egypt, Sukkot is a week-long celebration of the gathering of harvest. This holiday also commemorates the protection provided from God when they left Israel.

Shemini Atzeret, also known as “The Eighth Day of Assembly,” is the eighth day of Sukkot and marks the beginning of Simchat Torah.

Simchat Torah, also known as “Rejoicing with the Torah” is the completion of the annual reading cycle of the Torah and the start of a new one.

All Saints Day and All Souls Day has been observed on November 1st and 2nd to remember the dead. November 1st is to honor and remember all the saints that have made it to heaven already. November 2nd is to honor and remember the souls that has yet made it to heaven. Many will have feasts on All Saints Day and read the names of their loved ones who passed.

Diwali, also known as “The Festival of Lights”, is a celebrated amongst many people for different reasons but still has the same enthusiasm from everyone. Homes are decorated with lights and clay lamps to signify the light people of Ayodhya used to light the path in the darkness.

For Jains, Diwali signifies when Lord Mahavira reached nirvana or spiritual awakening.

For Sikhs, Diwali is the honors the day that the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, was freed from imprisonment.

Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh, also known as “Twin Holy Days,” celebrates the births of the founder of the faiths: Bab and Baha’u’llah. Baha’is gather to pray, sing and dance to celebrate the holiday.

Advent is the four-week period leading up to Christmas. Many people would light candles on an advent wreath to signify the themes of love, joy, peace, and hope.

Gita Jayanti is the birthday of Bhagavad Gita and the celebration of when Lord Krishna first recited the Bhagavad- Gita.

Hanukkah, also known as “Festival of Lights” is celebrated for eight days and nights. This commemorates the rededication of the second temple Jerusalem. Every night, a person who celebrates Hanukkah would light Hanukkiah/menorah.

Christmas traditionally is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. This signifies the day that God became human. The celebration of Christmas is to emphasize how Christians are expected to follow the values of Jesus. These values of love and peace are similar to ones in Judaism.

Kwanzaa is a non-religious African American/Pan African holiday that begin in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga. This is a seven-day festival that celebrates family, community and culture. Every day of the celebration, a different principle is is recognized. The order of principles is: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self- Determination), Umija (Collective Work & Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith).

Makar Sankranti is a festival celebrated based on the solar calendar. With “Makar” meaning “Capricorn” and “Sankranti” meaning “transition”, Hindus celebrate the transition of the sun from the southern to northern hemisphere and how winter is soon going to end. This is also a celebration of the transition of astrological signs as well.

Lunar New Year is a festival celebrating the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon 15 days later. The celebration normally includes dances, fireworks and a Lantern Festival.

Tu b’Shvat, also known as “New Year of the Trees”, is a celebration for agriculture and ecological awareness. Traditionally, this is celebrated by eating the new fruits of the season.

Losar, also known as “Tibetan New Year”, is the celebration of the first day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar. This holiday is celebrated by engaging in a variety of activities that symbolize purification and the arrival of a new year.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. This month is important in the Islam faith as during the ninth month, it is believed that Allah revealed the sacred book, the Quran, to the Prophet Muhammad on the 27th day. This holy scripture serves as a guide for men and women to live by. Ramadan is traditionally observed through a fast from sunrise to sun set. In addition to the core five prayers a day, Muslims would go to the mosque to pray several times a day. Ramadan concludes with the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of the 40 days of Lent, which leads up to Easter. On this day, Christians will place ash in a cross on their forehead. This serves as a reminder of mortality and the start of reflection.

Shivaratri is a celebration of the Hindu deity Shiva. This day is in celebration of the marriage of the Lord Shiva and his wife, Parvati. This is traditionally celebrated by singing praises to Lord Shiva all night long.

Prium is the celebration of the salvation of the Jewish people in Persia. During this holiday, jewish people would read from the Book of Esther, exchange gifts and give to charity.

Holi is a Hindu festival celebrating the end of winter and spring’s arrival. It also celebrates the Hindu god Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlada. The most popular way people celebrate Holi is by throwing brightly colored powders and water on each other. Many people would also participate in folk songs and dances.

Eid al-Fitr is the first of two major holidays in Islam. This holiday marks the end of Ramadan, which is a month of fasting. During this holiday, there will be many prayer services happening, community feasts and visiting of relatives.

Ram Navami is a Hindu festival honoring Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. One of the oldest festivals in India, many Hindus celebrate by worshipping Lord Rama who became king of Ayodhya. Some may also fast during this time as it is said that Lord Rama would shower them with endless happiness and good luck.

Passover commemorates the liberation of Hebrew’s in Egypt and the “passing over” of the forces of destruction the day before the exodus.

Palm Sunday is the beginning of the Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter. Palm Sunday is celebrated by telling the journey Jesus into Jerusalem. While entering, there were people waving palm branches.

Songkran, also known as Thai New Year, is celebrated in many Southeast Asian countries. This is a three-day holiday that signifies the transition from the dry season to the new and fresh season. Any people celebrate this holiday by doing Spring cleaning, visiting the temples and sprinkling water over Buddhists sculptures to represent good fortune and purification.

• Holy Week is from Palm Sunday to Easter. During this time, Christians exhibit great devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ.
• Holy Wednesday is the commemoration of the day Judas planned to betray Jesus.
• Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, is a celebration of the Last Supper as well as celebrating Jesus’s institution of the Eucharist.
• Good Friday is the day that Christians recall the Passion and death of Jesus Christ. Many people also fast on Good Friday.
• Holy Saturday is the commemoration of Jesus Christ’s burial.
• Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection Sunday, celebrates Christ’s Resurrection.

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Many people celebrate Easter differently. Some of the common traditions will be a church service before sunrise, baptisms, and feasts. Commonly, we see people incorporate colorful eggs into their celebration as the church prohibited the eating of eggs in the 13th century during Holy Week. However, chickens were still laying eggs, so they found painting them to be the decoration for Holy Week.