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!
Hajj and the Feast of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha) -27 May 2026
Eid Al Adha by Mohamed Omer, Muslim representative & Chair of Redbridge Faith Forum Every year, Muslims young and old, rich and poor, kings and peasants from all over the world take part in the largest gathering on Earth; the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hajj is a religious obligation that every Muslim must fulfil, if…
Faith Festivals… Shavoth eve 21 May – 23 May 2026
Shavoth by Angela Banner, Jewish representative of Redbridge Faith Forum This is the festival of Shavoth This is a harvest festival. It is customary to forego meat and during this time. Instead milk related dishes are served. Angela has been a Jewish representative on our Board of Trustees since 2014 and is a long term…
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…
Vaisakhi:- 14th April 2026
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…
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’…
Christian Festivals…
Christian Festivals… by Rosemary Jackson, Redbridge Faith forum Member Christian Festivals The main festivals celebrated by Christians are Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. These festivals are inextricably linked. Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Easter is when we remember His sacrificial death and His resurrection. Pentecost is when we rejoice that God sent…
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. …
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…
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…