October 2018 Welcome to the October Equality and Diversity newsletter from the Trust. This newsletter aims to raise awareness of the some of the events taking place during October 2018. We want this newsletter to be as interactive as possible and would like to include your stories and your photos. Please contact the author if you have anything you would like to share for the year 2018. What’s happeningOctober - October2018 2018? October is: Black History Month |Global Diversity Awareness Month 1st to 7th October in National Dyslexia Week 1st 2nd 4th Dyslexia Awareness Week Feast of the Guardian Saint Francis Day – Christian International Day of Older Persons Angels - Christian Blessing of the Animals – Jashn-e Mehregan (or Mihr jashan) – Simchat Torah – Christian Jain Zoroastrian Judaism Shemini Atzeret - Judaism 9th 10th 12th 14th-19th Birthday of Guru World Mental World Sight Day Durga Puja - Hindu Ram Das – Sikh Health Day Navaratri begins – Hindu 17th 18th 19th 20th International Day for Saint Luke, Dussehra - Dasara – Conferring of Guruship on the the Eradication of Apostle & Hindu Guru Granth Sahib - Sikh Poverty Evangelist Birth of the Báb - Bahá’i – Christian 24th 31st Pavarana Day - All Hallows’ Eve – Christian Buddhist Samhain (Halloween) – Beltane – Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern Hemispheres Reformation Day – Protestant Christian Samhain - Wiccan Pagan Samhuinn - Druid Reformation Day - Protestant Christian Black History Month October is a month set aside to learn, honour, and celebrate the achievements of black men and women throughout history. It has been marked in the UK for more than 30 years. It is held to highlight and celebrate the achievements and contributions of the black community in the UK Throughout history, black people have made huge contributions to society in the fields of art, music, science, literature and many more areas. But in the past these contributions have Celebrating Diversity& Recognising Equality Page 1 of 5 often been ignored or played down because black people weren't treated the same way as other people because of the colour of their skin. Black History Month aims to address this unfairness by celebrating these achievements and contributions. Further Resources - https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/ Dyslexia Awareness Week 2018 The British Dyslexia Association is working to create a dyslexia friendly society. Free webinar - Tuesday 2nd Oct - 7.30pm – 8.30pm - http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/events/view/name/free-webinar-in-celebration-of-dyslexia- awareness-week-2018 Jashn-e Mehregan (or Mihr jashan) This is a Zoroastrian and Persian festival celebrated to honor the yazata Mithra (Persian: Mehr), which is responsible for friendship, affection and love. It is also widely referred to as the Persian Festival of Autumn. The Mehr day in the Mehr month corresponded to the day farmers harvested their crops. They thus also celebrated the fact God had given them food to survive the coming cold months. For this celebration, the participants wear new clothes and set a decorative, colorful table. The sides of the tablecloth are decorated with dry marjoram. A copy of the Khordeh Avesta ("little Avesta"), a mirror and a sormeh-dan (a traditional eyeliner or kohl) are placed on the table together with rosewater, sweets, flowers, vegetables and fruits, especially pomegranates and apples, and nuts such as almonds or pistachios. A few silver coins and lotus seeds are placed in a dish of water scented with marjoram extract. A burner is also part of the table setting for kondor/loban (frankincense) and espand (seeds of Peganum harmala, Syrian rue) to be thrown on the flames. At lunch time when the ceremony begins, everyone in the family stands in front of the mirror to pray. Sharbat is drunk and then — as a good omen—sormeh is applied around the eyes. Handfuls of wild marjoram, lotus and sugar plum seeds are thrown over one another's heads while they embrace one another. Shemini Atzeret - Judaism It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei in the Land of Israeland on the 22nd and 23rd outside the Land, usually coinciding with late September or early October. It directly follows the Jewish festival of Sukkot which is celebrated for seven days, and thus Shemini Atzeret is literally the eighth day. It is a separate—yet connected—holy day devoted to the spiritual aspects of the festival of Sukkot. Part of its duality as a holy day is that it is Celebrating Diversity& Recognising Equality Page 2 of 5 simultaneously considered to be both connected to Sukkot and also a separate festival in its own right Further Resources - http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday6.htm Feast of the Guardian Angels This feast originated in Portugal early in the sixteenth century and has figured in the general calendar since the late seventeenth century. It is based on the belief that God assigns everyone an angel to guard body and soul, an expression of God’s personal care for each individual. A similar belief is also found in Jewish and other religious thought. The feast associates the human race with the eternal song of praise in heaven (Matthew 18:10) Further Resources - https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2013-10- 02 World Sight Day World Sight Day (WSD) is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October, to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. 2 million people in the UK are living with sight loss, that is severe enough to have a significant impact on their daily lives. Half of this sight loss is avoidable. A sight test can detect early signs of conditions like glaucoma, which can be treated if found soon enough During a sight test, other health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure may be detected. For healthy eyes, eat well, don’t smoke and wear eye protection in bright sunlight. Further Resources - https://www.iapb.org/advocacy/world-sight-day/world-sight-day-2018/ World Mental Health Day The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year. The day provides an opportunity "for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide". This year's theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is young people and mental health in a changing world. Further Resources https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health- day/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5_6WpPra3QIVSPhRCh3gXgboEAAYASAAEgI51fD_BwE&gclsrc =aw.ds Celebrating Diversity& Recognising Equality Page 3 of 5 Birthday of Guru Ram Das Autumn brings the blessing of celebrating the birthday of Guru Ram Das Ji, the fourth Sikh Guru, who is lovingly known as the Lord of Miracles. Guru Ram Das was the personal Guru of the Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan. Guru Ram Das is recognized historically for having written the Laavan, the four “rounds” in the Sikh wedding ceremony and the four Engagement Shabads. He founded the city of Amritsar, India and laid plans for the Harimandir Sahib, Golden Temple which is recognized around the world as the most sacred temple for Sikhs. Designed to have four entrances, one on each side, to welcome people from every caste, background, gender, religion or country, the Golden Temple is surrounded by a nectar tank that is legendary for its healing properties September 28th – October 8th -For 31 minutes each day, communities around the world chant Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru (the “Shabad of Miracles). Click here for audio recordings of Dhan Dhan Ramdas Guru from Gurbani Audio at Sikhnet Birth of the Báb On October 20, 1819, a baby boy named Siyyid Ali-Muhammad was born in Persia (now Iran), to a family believed to be descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. This child grew up to be a respected religious leader in his own right who foretold the coming of a chosen one sent by God: Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í faith. Báb, which literally translates as ‘the gate’, was a prophet and forerunner of the Bahá’í revelation. Likened to John the Baptist some two thousand years before, the Báb called on people to purify themselves for the coming of the messenger of God. This is asserted to be Bahá’u’lláh, who was initially a follower of Báb and through whom the Bahá’í faith was founded. Bahá'ís around the world remember Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad every year on October 20. No work is done on this holy day. Instead, followers participate in prayers, readings, and festive social gatherings. Halloween or Hallowe'en (a contraction of All Hallows' Evening) Also known as All halloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Celebrating Diversity& Recognising Equality Page 4 of 5 The word Halloween or Hallowe'en dates to about 1745 and is of Christian origin. The word "Hallowe'en" means "hallowed evening" or "holy evening". It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows' Eve (the evening before All Hallows' Day). In Scots, the word "eve" is even, and this is contracted to e'en or een. Over time, (All) Hallow(s) E(v)en evolved into Hallowe'en. Although the phrase "All Hallows'" is found in Old English "All Hallows' Eve" is itself not seen until 1556. It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain & Brythonic festival Calan Gaeaf: that such festivals may have had pagan roots; and that Samhain & Calan Gaeaf were themselves Christianized as Halloween by the early Church.