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Westminster Interfaith Newsletter
Issue 66 – May 2010
Calendar of Religious Festivals
Multifaith Calendars are seldom complete, ours is made to fit on an A4 page – you may find more celebrations listed and explained online by following some of the addresses on our Resources page.
| 1 May | BELTAINE (Pagan). Spring gives way to summer's full bloom, the fertility of the land is at its height. Maypole dances symbolise the mystery of the sacred marriage of goddess and god. |
| 2 May | LAG B'OMER (Jewish). The Omer period of 49 days, lasting from Pesach to Shavuot, is a time of sadness, relieved on this the 33rd day in memory of the end of a plague in Roman times. It is often celebrated by outdoor activities. Many weddings take place. They are not permitted during the other days of the Omer. |
| 13 May | ASCENSION (Christian). Marks Jesus Christ's ascension into heaven after he rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. |
| 19-20 May | SHAVUOT (Jewish). Held seven weeks after Pesach, this feast celebrates the revelation of the Torah on Mount Sinai and the early harvest season in Israel. |
| 23 May | ANNIVERSARY OF THE DECLARATION OF THE BAB (Baha'i). The Bab heralded the arrival of Baha'u'llah and was co-founder of the Baha'i faith. He inaugurated the Baha'i calendar which starts from this declaration in 1844. |
| 23 May | PENTECOST/WHITSUNTIDE (Christian). Together with Easter and Christmas an important feast in Christianity celebrating the outpouring of the Spirit of the risen Christ on the first believers. It is also known as the 'birthday' of the church, which took place on the Jewish feast of Pentecost (Shavuot). |
| 27 May | WESAK/VAISAKHI POOJA (Buddhist). Theravadin Buddhists celebrate the birth, enlightenment and final passing away of Gautama Buddha on this day. Mahayana Buddhists celebrate these events on separate days. In UK this feast is sometimes called Bodhi day and is the biggest Buddhist festival. |
| 29 May | ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASCENSION OF BAHA'U'LLAH (Baha'i). Commemorates the martyrdom of Baha'u'llah at Bahji, near Acre, in 1892. His shrine there is the place towards which Baha'is face when praying. |
| 3 June | CORPUS CHRISTI (Christian). A particularly Catholic festival to celebrate the Eucharist. Anglicans celebrate this as a DAY OF THANKSGIVING FOR THE INSTITUTION OF HOLY COMMUNION. |
| 16 June | DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL (Chinese). Held in honour of China's great poet Ch'u Yuan. People race dragon boats and eat rice dumplings in his memory |
| 16 June | MARTYRDOM OF GURU ARJAN (1606) (Sikh). Guru Arjan made the first compilation of the Scriptures, the Adi Granth, and supervised the completion of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He was executed on the orders of Jenhangir, the Moghul Emperor, for upholding the right of another religion, the Hindus, to worship in the manner of their choice. |
| 21 June | MIDSUMMER SOLSTICE (Pagan). The festival of Midsummer, sometimes called Litha. The God in his light aspect is at the height of his power and is crowned Lord of Light. It is a time of plenty and celebration. |
| 9 July | ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARTYRDOM OF THE BAB (Baha'i). The Bab was executed by firing squad in Tabriz, Iran, at noon on this day in 1850. At this time of day his death is celebrated with readings and prayers from the Baha'i scriptures. |
| 13 July | RATHA YATRA (Hindu). 'Chariot journey' celebrated most notably in Puri, India when huge wagons with statues of Krishna, his brother and sister are pushed by devotees. Known also as Jagannath 'Lord of the Universe', (from which the English word 'juggernaut' comes), this feast is celebrated in Britain chiefly by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON). |
| 20 July | TISHA B'AV (Jewish). A full day fast mourning the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history. The Book of Lamentations is read. |
