EmbRACE Update – Worldwide Festivals – August & September

1st - Lammas – Christianity

 

Lammas is the time of the year when the power of the sun begins to fade – a sure sign that darker, colder days are coming. Lugh, the God of Light, is celebrated and he gives his name to Lughnasadh, the Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season.

 

1^st - Lughnasadh – Wicca/Pagan

Lughnasadh is a festival with deep roots in Celtic history and mythology. It celebrates the abundance of the harvest season and the skills of the god Lugh. It is a time to gather with loved ones, give thanks for the blessings of the earth, and honour the cycles of nature and the wheel of the year.

 

6^th - Feast of Transfiguration of Our Lord – Christianity

The Feast of the Transfiguration is the commemoration of the miracle upon which Jesus Christ was transfigured for a brief time, revealing His divine glory to three of His disciples who were with Him at the time. This feast is one of the great 12 feasts of the Orthodox Church and is usually celebrated on 6^th August every year.

 

15^th - Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary – Christianity

 

The Feast of the Assumption is celebrated on 15^th August each year by the Catholic Church. The occasion celebrates the belief that Mary's body and soul entered heaven from Earth after her death. The occasion has been celebrated since the 4th century, according to Boston Public Library.

 

22nd - Queenship of Mary – Catholic Christian

 

The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary was first instituted in 1954 by Pope Pius XII. According to Catholic tradition, as Christ is king of the world and saves the people from their sins, Mary is queen over the earth because of her role in the story of divine redemption, serving as mother to the Saviour.

 

30th - Raksha Bandhan – Hinduism

The festival of Raksha Bandhan is observed as a symbol of duty between brothers and sisters. The occasion is meant to celebrate any type of brother-sister relationship between men and women who may not be biologically related.

6th - Krishna Janmashtami – Hinduism

 

Janmashtami is the auspicious day when Lord Krishna took birth on this planet. The birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great fervour and zeal in India in August or September. As per Hindu Calendar, this festival is celebrated on the 8th day of the dark fortnight which is called as Ashtami of Krishna Paksh.

 

8^th - Nativity of Virgin Mary – Christian

 

The Church has celebrated Mary's birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year with September. The  8^th September date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8^th December.

 

14^th - Triumph of the Cross – Christian

 

In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Unlike Good Friday, which is dedicated to the passion of Christ and the crucifixion, these feast days celebrate the cross itself, as the sign of salvation.

 

16^th-17^th - Rosh Hashanah – Judaism

Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New Year, marks the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. The millennia-old holiday is an occasion for reflection and is often celebrated with prayer, symbolic foods, and the blowing of a traditional horn called a shofar.

 

 

18^th - Fast of Gedaliah – Judaism

The Fast of Gedaliah, or Tzom Gedaliah in Hebrew, is one of four fast days instituted by the Rabbis to commemorate the destruction of the Temple (Beit HaMikdash) and subsequent exile from Israel. It is held on the day after Rosh Hashanah, the third of Tishrei, and lasts from dawn to nightfall.

 

19^th - Ganesh Chaturthi – Hinduism

Ganesh Chaturthi, also called Vinayaka Chaturthi, is a 10-day festival marking the birth of the elephant-headed deity Ganesha, the god of prosperity and wisdom. It begins on the fourth day (chaturthi) of the month of Bhadrapada (August–September), the sixth month of the Hindu calendar.

 

23^rd - Mabon – Wicca/Pagan

Mabon celebrates the autumnal equinox and, in the northern hemisphere, will be celebrated on 23^rd September this year. Many cultures see the second harvest and equinox as a time for giving thanks. This time of year is when farmers know how well their summer crops did, and how well fed their animals have become.

 

25^th - Yom Kippur – Judaism

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is known as the holiest day of the Jewish year. Leading up to and on that day, Jews traditionally ask for forgiveness for their wrongdoings from God and from fellow human beings. Jews strive to transcend their physical bodies on Yom Kippur so that they can focus on their souls.

 

26^th - Mawlid al-Nabi – Islam

Muslims view the celebration, called Mawlid al-Nabi, or simply the Mawlid, like many other Islamic celebrations: as a sign of respect and adoration of Muhammad, whom they believe to be God's messenger.

 

28^th - Anant Chaturdashi – Hinduism

Anant Chaturdashi is dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishnu in the form of Anant. Devotees keep a strict fast throughout the day and tie the sacred thread to the idol of Lord Vishnu, also known as 'Anant Sutra’. It falls on the tenth day of Ganesh Chaturthi.

 

29^th - Michaelmas – Christian

This feast honours the archangel Michael, who is a figure common to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is a symbol of good triumphing over evil, courage over cowardice. The celebration of this holiday teaches the importance of facing fears and strengthening resolve.

 

30th - Sukkot begins – Judaism

A major Jewish festival held in the autumn (beginning on the 15^th day of Tishri) to commemorate the sheltering of the Israelites in the wilderness. It is marked by the erection of small booths covered in natural materials.