Diwali the Hindu Festival of Lights The name

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 15 th 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.

The Sikh Celebration of 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 13 th and sometimes on April 14 th. 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.

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.

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 10 th of Tishrei and finishes when night falls on the 11 th 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 person’s behavior. This year, it was October 8, 2011.

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.

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 600’s 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.

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. ")

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.