Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer. Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday, and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it too. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish […]

Magha Puja

Magha Puja is an important religious festival celebrated by Buddhists on the full moon day of the third lunar Month for more than 2,600 years. It marks the four auspicious occasions in the Buddha time as follows: 1. It was the full-moon day of the third lunar month, 2. There were 1,250 Arahants, the enlightened […]

Ayyám-I-Ha

The Persian phrase “Ayyam-i-Ha” – which simply means “the days of Ha” – describes the four or five intercalary days in the annual Baha’i calendar when Baha’is rejoice, do charitable work and prepare for the nineteen-day Baha’i fast that always follows Ayyam-i-Ha. In the Arabic alphabet, the letter “Ha” has several spiritual meanings, and one […]

Nineteen-Day Fast

Bahá’u’lláh designated a nineteen-day fast period each year during which adult Bahá’ís fast from sunrise to sunset each day. This period coincides with the Bahá’í month of Alá—meaning Loftiness—from 2 to 20 March, which immediately precedes the Bahá’í new year. It is a time of prayer, meditation, and spiritual rejuvenation. Sourced from https://www.bahai.org/beliefs/life-spirit/devotion/fasting

Khordad Sal

Khordad Sal is the birthday of Zoroaster (Zarathustra), the prophet and founder of Zoroastrianism. The holiday usually falls sometime after Nowruz and is often called “Greater Nowruz.” Celebrants pray, hang fresh flowers in their home, and make vibrant drawings (rangoli) on the floor. Sourced from https://www.vanderbilt.edu/isss/khordad-sal

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. The name is thought to be a Middle English derivation taken from a Latin anthem sung in Roman Catholic churches on that day: “Mandatum novum do vobis” (“a new commandment I give to you”; John 13:34). In most European countries, Maundy Thursday is known as Holy Thursday; other […]

Laylat al-Qadr

Laylat al-Qadr, (Arabic: “Night of Power”) Islamic festival that commemorates the night on which God first revealed the Qurʾān to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel (Jibrīl). It is believed to have taken place on one of the final 10 nights of Ramadan in 610 CE, though the exact night is unclear. The date of the annual commemoration thus varies throughout the Islamic world but is most commonly observed on […]

Rama Navami

Rama Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Rama who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This festival is celebrated during the time of March-April (the 9th day of the first month of the Hindu calendar). Lord Rama, who became king of Ayodhya, was known for His exemplary qualities. He was popular, brave, kind, just, intelligent, […]

Maidyozarem

The mid-spring festival of Maidyozarem is the year’s first Gahambar (festival). It falls on the 41st to 45th days of the year, usually April 30 to May 4.  Maidyozarem honors heaven and the creation of the stars. Zoroastrians observe six seasonal festivals that celebrate the sanctity of God’s universal creations. Each Gahambar lasts five days and […]

Feast of the Sacred Heart

The Feast of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most widely practiced and well-known devotions in the Roman Catholic Church.  It takes the physical heart of Jesus as representation of His Divine love for humanity.  The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic Liturgical calendar since 1856, […]