Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights

1
Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights

• The name means, a row of lights. Diwali is
  celebrated with small, earthenware, oil lamps
  known as diyas.
• Many non-Hindu Indian families from the Sikh
  Jain religions often join in and celebrate this
  festival. The Festival of Lights, as with most
  ancient legends, helps us to know the truth of
  victory of good over evil.
• According to the Hindu calendar, Diwali is
  celebrated on Amavasya, the 15th day of the dark
  fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashwin (Aasho),
  which is usually the month of October or November
  every year. This year, it begins on October 26,
  2011.

2
The Sikh Celebration of Vaisakhi

• Vaisakhi (also known as Baisakhi, Vaishakhi, or
  Vasakhi) is an ancient harvest festival
  celebrated across North Indian states regardless
  of religion. In Sikhism, it is one of the most
  significant holidays on their calendar. Vaisakhi
  is celebrated as a traditional harvest festival.
  In many places, the day is marked by ritualistic
  bathing in sacred rivers like the Ganges.
• Vaisakhi is on April 13th and sometimes on April
  14th. On this day, Sikh devotees generally attend
  the Gurudwara before dawn with flowers and
  offerings. Processions through towns are common.
  Vaisakhi is the day on which the Khalsa was born
  and Sikhs were given a clear identity and a code
  of conduct to live by.

3
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish Holiday

• means"head of the year. It is the Jewish New
  Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or
  Yamim Nora'im ("Days of Awe") which occur in the
  fall. It is celebrated on the first two days of
  Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar. Rosh Hashanah
  customs include sounding the shofar and eating
  symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey.
  This year it was September 29-30, 2011.

4
Yom Kippur, Holiest Jewish Holiday

• Yom Kippur means the Day of Atonement. That
  is, the day when we try to make up for any wrong
  things we have done. It is a day of fasting which
  starts at sunset on the 10th of Tishrei and
  finishes when night falls on the 11th Tishrei (on
  the Jewish calendar). Yom Kippur is the most
  holy day in the Jewish year.
• It is the day when God decides what will happen
  to every Jewish person in the year ahead. Yom
  Kippur is not like other special Jewish days.
• It does not remind us about
• something that happened to
• the Jewish people in our long
• history. Instead, it is all about
• each individual Jewish
• persons behavior. This year, it
• was October 8, 2011.

5
Ramadan, the Islamic practice

• Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim
  calendar. The Month of Ramadan is also when it is
  believed the Holy Quran "was sent down from
  heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of
  direction, and a means of Salvation".
• It is during this month that Muslims fast.
  Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on
  their faith and spend less time on the concerns
  of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship
  and contemplation. This year, it was August
  1-30, 2011.

6
The Annual Hajj

• Mecca (Makkah in Arabic) is the center of the
  Islamic world and the birthplace of both the
  Prophet Muhammad and the religion he founded.
  Located in the Sirat Mountains of central Saudi
  Arabia and 45 miles inland from the Red Sea),
  ancient Mecca was an oasis on the old caravan
  trade route that linked the Mediterranean world
  with South Arabia, East Africa, and South Asia.
  From the very beginnings of Islam, in the 600s
  CE, Muslims believed that Allah wanted them to go
  to the holy city of Mecca to pray at the Kaaba at
  least once in their lifetime. They call this trip
  the hajj.

7
Christmas, the Christian Holiday

• It is a religious holiday. According to the
  Christian tradition, Christmas, December 25, is
  the day on which Jesus was born. Jesus is the
  savior of Christians. He is often called Jesus
  Christ (which is why his birthday is called
  "Christ's Day.")

8
Easter, the Christian Holiday

• To Christians, Easter is a religious holiday
  celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, which was
  said to occur 3 days after he died on a cross.
  It is he whom they believe is their Savior.