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)
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…
VESAK – 5th May 2023
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 this…
Vaisakhi:- 14th April 2023
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…
Christian Festivals…
by Rosemary Jackson, Redbridge Faith Forum Member 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 His Holy Spirit, fulfilling…
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’…
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… Ramadan 23rd March 2023
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…
Hindu Festivals – NAWRATRAS -CHATRIA NAVRATRAS: 22nd March 2023
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…
Baha’i Naw-Ruz (New Year) 20th March 2023
Baha’i Naw-Ruz (New Year) 20th March 2023 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 – Festival of Holi
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…