Humber Interfaith Calendar
Multifaith Holy Days & Festivals
November 2015: 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 Sunday
End of Daylight Savings Time (Canada)
November: National Native Month (Canada)
Aboriginal Education Month (Humber College)
November = Bashkakodini-Giizis (Aboriginal-Ojibwe)
Water Freezing Moon
All Saints’ Day (Christianity)
Honours known and unknown saints throughout the history of Christianity.
02 Monday
All Souls Day (Christianity-Catholicism)
A day for intercessory prayers by the living faithful to help cleanse the souls of those departed.
04 Wednesday
Qudrat (Power) (Baha’i)
Qudrat, meaning Power, is the thirteenth month of the Baha’i year.
11 Wednesday
New Moon The moon is at its least visibility.
Remembrance Day ceremonies (Canada, Humber College campuses)
Ceremonies are held at each main campus (North, Guelph-Humber, Lakeshore, Orangeville) to honour Canadian soldiers who fought in the two World Wars and other conflicts. This Memorial day is observed in Commonwealth countries, since the end of World War I, to remember the members of their armed forces who died in the line of duty.
Diwali or Festival of Lights to Nov 15 (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 including: A New Year celebration meaning “row of lights” and lasting five days including: a new year for business, the victory of the god Vishnu over demonic evil, lit lamps in homes to invite prosperity (Lakshmi) to visit, a day of praise for former king Bali in honour of his sacrifice to Vishnu, a celebration of brothers and sisters.
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.
12 Thursday
Birth of Baha'u'llah (Baha'i)
The birth of the founder of the Baha’i faith; Baha’is suspend work on this day.
15 Sunday
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.
23 Monday
Qawl (Speech) (Baha’i)
Qawl, meaning Speech, is the fourteenth month of the Baha’i year.
24 Tuesday
Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (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 Wednesday
Full Moon The moon is at its greatest visibility.
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.
St. Catherine's Day (Christianity-Catholic)
Commemorates a Christian martyr of Alexandria in the 4th century A.D.
26 Thursday
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 Saturday
The Ascension of ‘Abdul-Baha (Baha’i)
Commemorates the death of ‘Abdul-Baha who guarded the unity of the Baha’I faith.
29 Sunday
First Sunday of Advent (Christianity-Western)
Begins the four-week preparation for Christmas (Advent refers to the coming birth, or arrival, of Christ and, for some, represents the start of the Christian church year).