Diwali OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER Diwali is an ancient South Asian festival impor- FESTIVAL - ligions. In the Hindu tradition, Diwali commemorates the return of Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, from his 14- OF year exile. For Sikhs, Diwali celebrates the return of the sixth - LIGHTS wali as the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira, who established the dharma as they follow it. Diwali is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartik, sometime in October or November, depending on the year. Although Diwali is celebrated in various ways, it has a similar spiritual mean- Winter “deepavali” which means “row of lights.” Diwali is a Solstice festival of lights that celebrates light over DIWALI DECEMBER 21ST darkness, love over hatred and TRADITIONS truth over untruth. Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year in Diwali celebrations in- the Northern hemisphere. It is the day when there - ing candles around the festival celebrates the return of the light and the fact home and exchang- that the days will begin to get longer. Winter Sol- stice was celebrated in ancient Rome and Brit- WINTER ain before Christianity, and many Winter Solstice traditions have been integrat- SOLSTICE ed into modern celebrations of TRADITIONS Christmas. During this mid-winter festival, peo- ple bring tree branches and mistletoe into their houses to celebrate continuing Hanukkah bring light into the darkness of the sea- 8 DAYS IN NOVEMBER OR son. Friends get together to eat and DECEMBER - Shab-E munity celebrations are Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights. It starts Yalda held. on the 25th day of the month of Kislev according to WINTER SOLSTICE the Jewish calendar, sometime in November or De- - Shab-e Yalda is a celebration of the longest rates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem by night of the year for many people from SHAB-E YALDA Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, - TRADITIONS ecrated it. When they entered the temple, the Tajikistan and Turkey (by Kurds and Friends and family gather to eat, Jews found only enough oil to light 20, 21 or 22 (night of the drink and read poetry until late the temple for 1 day, but the oil Winter solstice.) in the night. Fruits and nuts are miraculously burned for eaten, especially red fruit like 8 days. pomegranates and watermelons HANUKKAH whose colour symbolizes TRADITIONS the dawn and glow People light one candle of the of life. menorah for each day of Hanuk- kah to commemorate the “mira- cle of the oil” described above.

latkes (potato pancakes) fried in oil. Kwanzaa DECEMBER 26TH – JANUARY 1ST Christmas Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday celebrated throughout DECEMBER 25TH the world honoring African heritage. It was created in 1966 According to Christian tradition, by African-American scholar and social activist Maulana Kar- Christmas celebrates the birth enga. Kwanzaa was created in order to help African-Americans CHRISTMAS of Jesus. Many non-Christians connect with their African heritage, and as a symbol of Pan-Af- TRADITIONS also celebrate Christmas as a time of peace and generosity. ways in many countries around the world. In Maulana Karenga’s latest interpretation of Kwanzaa emphasizes Columbia, for example, Christmas is a religious KWANZAA holiday marked by 9 days of prayer. In other coun- people can share in the celebration of our common human- TRADITIONS tries, people celebrate Christmas by attending church, singing religious or non-religious Christmas carols, and ity, stating that, “Any particular message that is good for During Kwanzaa, participants getting together with family and friends. Many people a particular people, if it is human in its content and light a kinara or candle holder and ethical in its grounding, speaks not - es with trees and lights. In the Northern Hemisphere, just to that people, it speaks Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-De- Christmas is a winter holiday, and snowmen, snow- to the world.” termination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Co- traditions. In some countries such as Aus- operative Economics), Nia (Pur- tralia, however, Christmas takes place pose), Kuumba (Creativity), in the middle of summer. and Imani (Faith).

Produced FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS SOURCES by Breuilly, Elizabeth, Joanne O’Brien and Martin Palmer. Festivals of the World: The Illustrated Guide to Celebrations, Customs, Events, and Holidays. New York: Checkmark Books, 2002. Vancouver Celebrates Diwali: www.vandiwali.ca Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa & en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice