An introduction to Faith Festivals
We have been asking our trustees to share with us a brief guide to a Faith festival that is important to them.
Click on the buttons below to see what they say.
Some of our trustees have shared Festivals they are celebrating and what it means to them.
Faith Festivals
We will be adding to these over the next few months, so please come back and have a look again!
We hope you find them useful and informative!
Faith Festivals… Ramadan Eve 18th/19th Feb 2026
What Ramadan means to me… by Mohamed Omer, Muslim representative & Chair of Redbridge Faith Forum Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and Muslims believe that it is during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muslims see this month…
Faith Festivals… Tu B’Shevat – 2nd Feb 2026
What means to me… by Angela Banner, Jewish representative of Redbridge Faith Forum The festival of Tu B’Shevat falls in February. Tu B’Shevat This is the new year for trees and in the Holy Land very many trees are planted. School children are encouraged to take part in tree planting ceremonies. This is an…
Baha’i Naw-Ruz (New Year) 20th March 2026
Baha’i Naw-Ruz (New Year) 20th March 2026 Naw-Ruz is one of the 9 Baha’i Holy Days that are celebrated all over the world, annually, by members of the Baha’i Community. On all of the Holy Days work is suspended and school children usually take the day off, if permitted, to celebrate with their family and…
Faith Festivals… Easter
What Easter means to me… by Phil Butcher, Trustee of Redbridge Faith forum As a Christian, Easter is the most important Feast in our calendar. Within Roman Catholicism, in common with many other Christian traditions, the Easter season starts with Lent, forty day period of prayer, almsgiving and abstinence. At the start we receive ‘ashes’…
Hindu Festivals – NAWRATRAS -CHATRIA NAVRATRAS: 19th March to 27th Mar 2026
What is this festival? Naw or Nav means nine, ratra means night so it is the festival of nine nights. As with all other Hindu festivals there are a few different aspects attached to the festival of Nawratras ie Seasonal: The nawratras are celebrated twice a year, in the Spring, Chatria Navratras and in the…
Hindu Festivals – Festival of Holi 4th March 2026
Holi, the festival of colours and bonfires, is one of the most joyful festive holidays of the year. It is celebrated on full moon day in February – March. Like most Hindu festivals, the date for Holi changes every year because it is dependent on the lunar calendar. It is a celebration of the arrival…
Faith Festivals… Pesach 1st April to 9th April
What Pesach means to me… by Angela Banner, Jewish representative of Redbridge Faith Forum This is the festival of Passover. This remembers the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. We eat unleavened bread (Matzo) as the Israelites didn’t have time to bake bread because of their speedy departure from Egypt. …
VESAK – 1st May 2026
VESAK is a religious and cultural festival celebrated by Buddhists all over the world. It is celebrated in the day of full moon in the month of May with utmost devotion. This day holds great importance for Buddhists as the day is marked important events that took place in the life of Buddha on…
Faith Festivals… Chanukah
Chanukah … by Angela Banner, Jewish representative of Redbridge Faith Forum This year, Chanukah starts 4th December and ends 12th December 2025. This festival notes the reclaiming of the Jewish Temple by a group of freedom fighters called the Macabees. When they entered the Temple to light the everlasting light (a feature in many places…
556th Gurpurab of Guru Nanak:- 5th November 2025
On the eve of 556th Prakash Gurpurab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Also known as Guru Nanak Jayanti) ….. Let us have a glimpse from their life journey and understand the basic principle of living from their teachings…… Guru Nanak Sahib travelled worldwide in all four directions covering approx 32000 miles in 20 years at…