In the spirit of diversity and inclusion, we provide the following Multifaith Holy Days & Festivals realizing that it is not exhaustive.
01 Friday
November: National Native Month (Canada);
Aboriginal Education Month (Humber College)
November = Bashkakodini-Giizis (Aboriginal-Ojibwe)
Water Freezing Moon;
All Saints’ Day (Christianity)
Honors known and unknown saints throughout the history of Christianity.
02 Saturday
All Souls Day (Christianity-Catholicism)
A day for prayers of intercession by the living faithful to help cleanse the souls of those departed.
03 Sunday
End of Daylight Savings Time (Canada)
New Moon
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.
04 Monday
Qudrat (Baha’i)
Qudrat, meaning Power, is the thirteenth month of the Baha’i year.
05 Tuesday
Hijra or First of Muharram to Nov 14 (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.
11 Monday
Remembrance Day
Memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty.
Rememberance Day Ceremonies (Humber College)
Ceremonies are held at each main campus to honour Canadian soldiers who fought in the two World Wars and other conflicts.
12 Tuesday
Birth of Baha'u'llah (Baha'i)
The birth of the founder of the Baha’i faith; Baha’is suspend work on this day.
14 Saturday
Ashura (Islam)
Commemorates the martyrdom of Husain (Prophet Mohammad’s grandson) observed by Shi’ites on the 10th day of Muharram.
15 Friday
Shichi-Go-San (Shinto)
Prayers are offered for the growth and long life of younger children. They dress up and their parents take them to a shrine to visit a guardian deity.
17 Sunday
Full Moon
Birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Sikhism-Bikarami)
The founder of the Sikh faith and the first of the Ten Gurus, was born in 1469 CE. An accomplished poet, 974 of his hymns are in the Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib.
Lokasha Jayanti (Jainism)
The full moon of the calendar’s first month is a time to celebrate the births of revered and scholarly persons, the most famous of whom is the 15th Century reformer Lonka Saha whose opposition to temple worship and the use of images led to the founding of the Sthanakavasi sect, which emphasizes scholarship.
23 Saturday
Qawl (Speech) (Baha’i)
Qawl, meaning Speech, if the fourteenth month of the Baha’i year.
24 Sunday
Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji(Sikhism)
Commemorates the death of the ninth Guru who is remembered for his defense of the Sikh faith and also of Hinduism and religious liberty.
25 Monday
St. Catherine's Day (Christianity-Catholic)
Commemorates a Christian martyr of Alexandria in the 4th century A.D.
26 Tuesday
The Day of the Covenant (Baha’i)
Anniversary of the appointment of Abdul-Baha, the son of Baha’u’llah, as the Centre of the Covenant.
28 Thursday
Hanukkah (Judaism) to Dec 05
(The Festival of Lights and Feast of Dedication)
Commemorates the victory of Judah the Maccabee for religious freedom plus the rededication of the temple in 165 BCE. Hannukkah begins at sundown the prior day.
The Ascension of ‘Abdul-Baha (Baha’i)
Commemorates the death of ‘Abdul-Baha who guarded the unity of the Baha’I faith.
Should you wish your faith’s days to be included, please contact the Chaplain for consideration.
Phone: 416.675.6622 ext.4427
Email: chaplain@humber.ca