HUMBER INTERFAITH CALENDAR
MULTIFAITH HOLY DAYS & FESTIVALS

In the spirit of diversity and inclusion, we provide the following Multifaith Holy Days & Festivals realizing that it is not exhaustive. Should you wish your faith’s days to be included, please contact the Chaplain at x4427 or chaplain@humber.ca for due consideration.

01 Saturday

• April = Namebine Giizis / Mmaal (Aboriginal)
  Namebine Giizis is also known as the Sucker Moon in relation to the sucker fish (Ojibwe). Mmal is the season when rivers open and canoes can be launched and travel on the rivers can resume (Other).
• April Fools’ Day (International)
  A folk day when people seek to play humourous pranks and jokes on each other, possibly related to earlier cultural feasts and festivals.

04 Tuesday

• Ramanavami from March 27 (Hinduism)
  Celebrates the birth of Rama, 7th incarnation of the God Vishnu. In the prior 8 days, Hindus read the Ramayana, a Hindu epic, that tells the story of Ram

06 Thursday

• Organization of the Church (Mormonism)
  Denotes the founding of The Church for Latter Day Saints in 1830.

09 Sunday

• Palm Sunday (Christianity)
  Celebrates Jesus’ symbolic ride into Jerusalem as king on a donkey while people laid palm branches along the way beforehand.
• Mahavira Jayanti (Jainism)
  Celebrates the birthday of Lord Mahavira (Great Hero) the 24^th Tirthankara (and the last of his time cycle).
• Jalal month begins (Baha’i)
  Jalal, meaning Glory, is the second month of the Baha’i year.

11 Tuesday

• Full Moon The moon is at its greatest visibility.
• Lunar Eclipse (southern hemisphere) The moon’s light is blocked by the earth.
• Pesah/Passover to Apr 18 (Judaism)
  Commemorates the Exodus, the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, and is celebrated for 8 days beginning at dusk (before sundown) on the prior day.

13 Thursday

• Songkran to Apr 15 (Buddhism)
  A 3 day festival denoting the new year for Buddhists. Homes are cleaned and water is sprinkled on statues of Buddha and on monks who visit.
• Maundy Thursday (Christianity-Eastern)
  Celebrates the institution of the Lord’s supper by Jesus.
• Vaisakhi (see below) [if celebrated by Eastern hemispheric time]

14 Friday [if celebrated by Western hemispheric time]

• Vaisakhi (Hinduism) [if celebrated by Western hemispheric time]
  Celebrates the first day of the solar year with an agricultural harvest festival. Important in North India, this holiday is named after the month Vaisakh.
• Vaisakhi (Sikhism) [if celebrated by Western hemispheric time]
  Commemorates the day in 1699 when Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, created the Khalsa Panth (Brotherhood of the Pure). Brothers are named Singh (lion) and sisters are named Kaur (princess).
• Songkran to Apr 15 (Buddhism)
  A 3 day festival denoting the new year for Buddhists. Homes are cleaned and water is sprinkled on statues of Buddha and on monks who visit.
• Holy Friday / Good Friday (Christianity-Eastern)
  Commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ in submission to death by crucifixion.

16 Sunday

• Easter / Pascha (Christianity-Eastern)
  Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from death and the announcement of the angel to the women at Jesus’ tomb that “He is risen.”

17 Monday

• Easter Monday (Christianity-Eastern)
  The promise of new life is celebrated by Christians in reflection on the resurrection of Jesus after His crucifixion and death.

21 Friday

• Feast of Ridvan to May 02 (Baha’i)
  Remembers the 12 days that Baha’u’llah spent in the garden of Ridvan during his exile in Baghdad and when he proclaimed himself as the one announced by the Bab. On the first, ninth and twelfth days, work is suspended.

24 Monday

• Yom HaShoah (Judaism)
  Commemorates the death of six million Jews in World War II under Nazism (also called Holocaust memorial Day).

26 Wednesday

• New Moon The moon is at its least visibility.

28 Friday

• Jamal month begins (Baha’i)
  Jamal, meaning Beauty, is the third month of the Baha’i year.
• Gathering of Nations Pow Wow to Apr 25 (Aboriginal)
  In Albuquerque, New Mexico various tribes and nations participate, share, teach and exchange traditions with each other.

30 Sunday

• Ghambar Maidyozarem to May 04(Zoroastrianism)
  Celebrates the creation of the sky and the harvesting of the winter crop.

REGISTRATION OPEN!

Student Personal Training Program

This program is open to Humber students, faculty and staff, as well as industry partners and takes place in the Humber College Fitness Centre (North Campus).

The fee is $75.00 for the program.

For further information and to register online, please visit:
hrt.humber.ca/experiential-learning/centre-for-healthy-living/student-personal-training-program-fall-2015.html

Humber is becoming a greener campus and everyone is participating! Humber Sustainability Highlights feature people and departments around the College that are working to integrate sustainable practices. This month’s focus is the Workplace Writing Skills course taught by Eva Bednar and Kim Robinson, professors in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Lakeshore Campus.

Bednar and Robinson have long been passionate about sustainability and community outreach. Together, the two women have taken their love of sustainability and brought it into their teachings, adapting the Workplace Writing Skills course in 2015 to teach students about sustainability and the impact that it can have on our planet. 

“Sustainability is important to the health and success of our world. Everything hinges on that,” says Bednar. “Our students need to be cognizant of the ways their future will be impacted by it.”

The course provides students with the opportunity to broaden their concept of audience, analyze real-world communication issues and challenges, conduct research and synthesize information. The students complete a collaborative capstone project through a scenario-based approach. Students must diagnose, analyze and pitch a solution to a problem found on campus through a written proposal and an infographic. Past proposals looked at improving parking issues, food choices, and social activities. Now the focus is on sustainability.

“We wanted the project to tie into the Humber community,” says Bednar. “So why not sustainability?"

Students focus on the campus footprint section from the Humber Sustainability Plan 2014-2019, taking inventory of the current practices and finding solutions to problems around campus. 

“The feedback from students has been positive,” says Bednar. “Before this course, students were unaware of how integral sustainability is, both to the world and our own Humber community.”

“Part of being a student is becoming aware of what you can do to contribute to your community,” says Robinson. “This course gets students on board with our school’s goals of sustainability.”

About Bednar and Robinson

Bednar and Robinson’s interest in sustainability stems from their unique upbringings.

Growing up in Poland, Bednar describes a culture of conservation. Robinson, on the other hand, credits a lot of her environmental awareness to the news.

 “Changing our belief is hard. There needs to be a consciousness, commitment and practice to it,” says Robinson. “Changes as simple as carrying around a reusable water bottle with you can make a big difference.”

Interested in the course? Check out some of the past proposals by students featured here.

The Humber Arboretum turns 40 this year and we’re marking the occasion with a brand new visual identity and website!

The Arboretum started in 1977 as a hands-on learning space for Humber College landscape students. The organization has now transformed into something larger and more meaningful than ever imagined: a place where a beautiful collection of plants is maintained, proper horticultural and arboricultural techniques are demonstrated, natural areas and wildlife are protected through conservation and restoration practices, educational and research opportunities are facilitated, and community and visitors can gather and make use of our spectacular resources. This vision has been made possible through the support and collaboration of our three founding partners - Humber College, Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA), and the City of Toronto.

The three trees in our new logo represent this amazing partnership; their overlapping canopies depict how each organization stands together as a forest, creating something much greater than they could individually. Collectively, our partners come together to support and enhance our broader ecosystem and community.

The colours of each tree symbolizes:

Teal: This energizing colour embodies how nature rejuvenates and invigorates us, stimulating ideas, connection, and clarity. The mix between blue and green is also the hue of the Humber River, reflecting the infinity of the trees and sky.

Green: Representing life, harmony, and renewal, green reminds us that spending time in nature is integral for our wellbeing.  It also represents the plant life in the Arboretum.

Red: Symbolizes the joy and passion the Arboretum brings to all that we do. This includes the care we put into looking after our natural environment and learning spaces and how we engage, educate, and inspire our visitors. Red also represents the beckoning colour of the door of the Centre for Urban Ecology.

We’re proud to introduce our new brand to the Humber community. We welcome you to explore and enjoy our website and learn about all we have to offer: humber.ca/arboretum.

Alexandra Link
Director, Humber Arboretum and Centre for Urban Ecology

Gina Antonacci
Associate VP Academic, Humber College
Humber Arboretum Management Committee representative, Humber College