Sikhs Festivals
There are many Festivals in the Sikh Religion Tradition mostly connected with the events pertaining to the Life of the ten Gurus and the Holy GGS. The following events are upcoming for the current 2022 year.
Guru Gobind Singh Birthday
Sunday Jan 09, 2022
This commemorates the Birth of the 10th Guru Gobind Singh ji who created the Khalsa
Maghi - Lohri
Friday Jan 14, 2022
This celebrated to mark the battle at Mukatsar in India and also the beginning of the end of winter season. Huge gathering take place at Mukatsar and locally around fire and distribution of popcorn and revri a sweet condiment and Gurh (Jaggery)
Hola Mohalla
Saturday Mar 19, 2022
This is celebrated at Anandpur Sahib in in Punjab. The events feature martial competitions like fencing (Gatkas), horse riding and mock battles instead of the traditional color throwing.
Vaisakhi
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
This is a major festival because it coincides with the formation of the KHALSA at Anandpur r Sahib by the tenth Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It also marks the end of the harvest. Events are he l ld throughout the Punjab and around the world. With colorful floats and religious chantings .
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib
Friday Jun 03, 2022
This is a major event marking the martyrdom of the 5th Guru Arjan Ji by the Mughals in the 16th century. Since it falls in the very hot summer month(June), cool drink stalls are set up throughout and floats parades take place.
Birth of the Guru Granth
Thursday Oct 20, 2022
This marks the first installation of the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden temple
Bandi Chhor Diwas
Monday Oct 24, 2022
This event coincides with the Diwali Festival and marks the release of the 6th Guru held captive by the Mughals. Celebrations with lights and fireworks take place throughout amongst t the Sikhs
Guru Nanak Birthday
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
This is a major event to mark the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Ji. Celebrations with prayers and float parades take place throughout the Sikh world.
Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib
Thursday Nov 24, 2022
Another major event to mark the martyrdom of the 9th Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji at the hands of the mughal emperor Aurangjeb who wanted to convert all India to Islam but failed because the Guru could not be pressured to convert which was a condition.
“My faith community festivals and their meanings” – Falun Dafa
We have very few festivals. Although Falun Dafa is an ancient practice passed down through the ages from a teacher to a disciple, it only became public thirty years ago, so we do not have a long history of events to celebrate. Also, because we are currently being persecuted, exposing that truth is a priority.
There are, however, two important dates in our calendars. One is May 13th when Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong was introduced to the world, which is also the birthday of our teacher Li Hongzhi. This is the happy event. At the other extreme, on April 25, we commemorate the spontaneous gathering of 10,000 practitioners at the Appeals Office in Zhangnanhai China in response to false statements from the official Chinese Communist press. Practitioners went to Zhangnanhai to correct their misunderstandings. They stood quietly in the street all day, and when they had spoken with the officials and thought the issue had been resolved, they left. But they had been deceived, because this marked the demonization and persecution of Falun Dafa.
The way we commemorate World Falun Dafa Day (the April 25th event) is by holding large gatherings, exercising together, and having colourful parades during the day, and at night, candlelight vigils. Also, practitioners all over the world gather in their own communities to make videos or take photographs to send to their teacher, Li Hongzhi, to celebrate his birthday.
The May 13th celebration highlights the many traditions that our practitioners from many countries value, such as traditional dress, music, crafts, etc. and often include making “character formations” by dressing in specific colours and arranging ourselves in such a way that, seen from above, we form a picture.
Baha’i Festivals and Holy Days and Their Meaning
Baha’i festivals are holy days usually based on the lives of the founders of the Baha’i Faith.
Holy Days Associated with the Life of the Bab
Birth of the Bab – The birth of the Bab occurred in 1819 and is celebrated each year on October 26 (this date varies each year according to the phases of the moon).
The Declaration of the Bab (His declaration of His station and His mission). – May 23. This occurred in the year of 1844 and, therefore, 1844 is the beginning of the Baha’i calendar.
Martyrdom of the Bab – the Bab was executed by a firing squad of 750 rifles in 1850. This event is commemorated each year on July 10.
Holy Days Associated with the Life of Baha’u’llah
Birth of Baha’u’llah – The birth of Baha’u’llah occurred in 1817 and is celebrated each year on October 27 (this date varies each year according to the phases of the moon).
Declaration of Baha’u’llah – (His declaration of His station and His mission) occurred in 1863 over a period of 12 days. This is the most important of Baha’i holy days and are celebrated during the period of April 21 to May 2. The three days of especial importance during this period are April 21, 29 and May 2.
Ascension (His passing) of Baha’u’llah – occurred in 1892 and is commemorated each year on May 29.
Other Holy Days and Festivals
The Baha’i Fast – Baha’is fast each year for 19 days from March 2 to 20.
Days of Ayyam-i-Ha – these are days of celebration and gift-giving from February 25 to March 1. These are days of preparation for the Fast.
Naw Ruz or New Year – March 21 each year immediately following the Baha’i fast.
These holy days are days of spiritual reflection and paying respect to the founders of their faith or “Manifestations of God” as they are referred to in the Baha’i Writings. They are also days when the community comes together in collective remembrance and worship. They are also a time to breakaway from our normal, materialistic life.