HUMBER INTERFAITH CALENDAR
MULTIFAITH HOLY DAYS & FESTIVALS
OCTOBER 2014 :CALENDAR & DESCRIPTIONS
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 x 4427 or chaplain@humber.ca for due consideration.
01 Monday
October = Binaakwe Giizis / Xlaaw (Aboriginal)
Binaakwe Giizis is also known as Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe)and during this time, after the first frosts, the people started their journeys to the winter camps. Xlaaw is the season to put up food for storage, preserved in Oolichan grease.
Women’s History Month (Canada)
Since 1992, to denote the accomplishments and contributions made by Canadian women.
02 Thursday
Sarawati Puja (Hinduism)
From Durga Puja Sep 30, celebrates the divine creative force of the universe and honours the 10-armed goddess Durga, wife of Shiva, and the destroyer of demons.
03 Friday
Day of Hajj/Day at ‘Arafat (Islam)
Commemorates the concluding revelation to the Prophet at Mount ‘Arafat shortly before his death. Muslims on Hajj attend a service on the plains in front of Mount ‘Arafat.
04 Saturday
Eid-al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice)(Islam)
The concluding act of pilgrimage. As Abraham offered his son, Ishmael, to God, Muslims offer sheep, goats and camels. They distribute the meat to the poor. Eid al-Adha is observed whether or not on pilgrimage.
Yom Kippur (Judaism)
The holiest day of the year in Judaism begins at sundown and is a day of fasting. To seek oneness with God, Jews ask forgiveness and forgive others. They then can confess their sins and ask God's forgiveness.
Dassehra or Vijay Dasami(Hinduism)
Celebrates the victory of good over evil (Lord Rama over the demon Ravan, the Goddess Durga over a demon) and follows the celebration of Navaratri (9 nights) and Durga Puja (worship) when other Goddesses are also worshipped.
05 Sunday
Bodhi Day(Buddhism)
Celebrates the day when Prince Siddharta Gautama) sat under the Bodhi tree vowing to remain there until he attained enlightenment.
08 Wednesday
Full Moon The moon is at its greatest visibility.
Lunar Eclipse (Equatorial)
Pavarana (Buddhism)
Celebrated at the full moon at the end of the Rains Retreat, when Buddha intently practiced meditation.
09 Thursday
Sukkoth (Festival/Feast of Booths) to Oct 15 (Judaism)
A pilgrimmage feast and a time of thanksgiving to celebrate God’s presence in creation and among the Jewish people, beginning at sundown.
Kathina (Buddhism)
Ordained monks and nuns in the Theravada tradition are provided new robes and other necessities of life.
12 Saturday
Ghambar Ayathrem to Oct 16 (Zoroastrianism)
Celebrates the creation of plants, the sowing of the winter crop and the return of herds from pasture.
Karva Chauth or Karwachauth (Hinduism)
Celebrates the story of a newly-married queen’s care for her husband, the king, in which women fast for one day until moonrise for the long-life and health of their husbands, with the first such fast especially important. At moonrise, the husband feeds the first morsel of food to his wife.
13 Monday
Thanksgiving (Canada)
Canadians give thanks for plentiful harvests and an abundance of food, often with a turkey dinner. Early settlers decorated churches with fruits and vegetables denoting prosperity.
16 Thursday
‘Ilm to Nov 03 (Baha’i)
‘Ilm, meaning Knowledge, is the twelfth month of the Baha’i year.
Shmini Atzeret (Judaism)
The eighth day of Sukkot is a special festival with prayers for rain.
17 Friday
Simhat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law) (Judaism)
Begins the synagogues’ annual Torah reading cycle. Reform Jews celebrate it with Shmini Atzeret.
20 Monday
Birth of the Bab (Baha’i)
The birth anniversary of the Baha’i herald of the new age whose shrine is at the Baha’i World Centre in Haifa, Israel.
23 Thursday
New Moon The moon is at its least visibility.
Solar Eclipse (Northern hemisphere)
Diwali or Festival of Lights to Nov 07 (Hinduism / Sikhism)
A popular festival dedicated to the Goddess Kali in Bengal and Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth in the rest of India and associated with stories about the destruction of evil by Vishnu in one of his many manifestations.
Mahavira Nirvana (Jainism)
The Festival of Lamps celebrating the attainment of nirvana and release from the cycle of rebirth (moksha) by Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara.
25 Saturday
Hijra or First of Muharram to Nov 23 (Islam)
The start of a ten day festival to celebrate the Islamic New Year and the Hijra (migration) of Mohammed and his followers from Mecca to Medina, where the first Islamic ummah (community) was established in 622 CE.
31 Thursday
Reformation Day (Christianity-Protestant)
Martin Luther posted of his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517, which led to the formation of Lutheran, Reformed and other Protestant denominations. Many churches celebrate it on the last Sunday in October.
Samhain (Wicca)
The dying God returns to the womb of the Goddess in preparation for rebirth at Yule. The souls of those who have died during the past year’s wheel are bid farewell. It also marks the third and final harvest.
Halloween (Canada, USA)
Early Celtic peoples celebrate the new year in late autumn in honour of Samhain, Lord of the Dead, with candles in windows and bonfires, plus the carrying of carved lanterns and wearing of disguises at night to scare away disembodied spirits. Later, in North America, people carved pumpkins to make lanterns and the orange of pumpkins and black of night skies gave rise to the traditional colours of Halloween, derived from “All Hallows Eve” and viewed as a hallowed evening when spirits visited.
