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… Purim 13/14 March 2025
What Purim means to me… by Angela Banner, Jewish representative of Redbridge Faith Forum The festival of Purim falls in March this year. It is to celebrate the survival of the Jewish people in Persia. Queen Esther, wife of the King, Ahasuhearus, petitioned the King to protect his Jewish subjects. The Chief Minister, Haman,…
Faith Festivals… Tu B’Shevat – 15 Feb 2025
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…
Faith Festivals… Ramadan 28th Feb/1st March 2025
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…
Baha’i Naw-Ruz (New Year) 20th March 2025
Baha’i Naw-Ruz (New Year) 20th March 2025 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… Chanukah
Chanukah … by Angela Banner, Jewish representative of Redbridge Faith Forum This year, Chanukah starts 25 December and ends 2nd January 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…
Faith Festivals… Yom Kippur
What Yom Kippur means to me… by Angela Banner, Jewish representative of Redbridge Faith Forum This is the festival of Passover. Yom Kippur is a fast day usually lasting approximately 25+ hours. It is the holiest day of our year. It is the only festival which takes precedence over the sabbath. It…
Hindu Festivals – NAWRATRAS -SHARAD NAVRATRAS: 3 OCT to 12 October 2024
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…
Faith Festivals… Pesach
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. …
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’…
Vaisakhi:- 13th April 2024
VAISAKHI: Khalsa Sajna Divas Vaisakhi is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar. It marks the day in 1699 when Guru Gobind Singh Ji the 10th Sikh Guru established the Khalsa Panth at Sri Anandpur Sahib. It is also known as Khalsa Sajna Divas which usually takes place on 13 or 14 April. In…