All Saints Day
a Christian celebration of the lives of all the saints, espcecially those not having a special day. Easter Orthodox churches observe this day in mid-summer.

Annunciation
This Christian feast remembers the visit of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary, during which God's wish for her to become the mother of Jesus is announced.

Armenian Martyrs' Day
observes the extermination of some 1.5 million Aremenians between 1915 and 1923 in Turkey.

Ascension Day
a Christian celebration of Jesus' ascent into heaven.

Ash Wednesday
the first day of Christian Lent. The name derives from the symbolic wearing of ashes to signify penance.

Baha'u'llah's Birthday
commemorates the birth of the founder of the Baha'i Faith in 1817.

Bikaramajit
Hindu New Year.

Birth of the Bab
the anniversay of the birth of one of the two twin Prophet founders of the Baha'i Faith.

Bodhi Day
Buddhist celebration of the Englightenment of Buddha about 596 B.C.E.

Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese New Year
a festive holiday celebrated for about two weeks; this year will be the Year of the Snake.

Christmas
literally, "Christ's mass," the celebration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe is the Saviour whose coming was prophecized in the Old Testament.

Diwali
The Festival of Lights is one of four seasonal celebrations in India. Jains celebrate Diwali as the time when Mahavir left for heaven (Mahavir Nirvana); Sikhs celebrate Diwali in commemoration of the return to Amritsar of the sixth guru after his release from detention.

Dusserah
the Hindu and Jain celebration of good over evil, related to early stories of struggles between a goddess and a demon.

Epiphany
the end of the 12 days of Christmas celebration. Also known as the Feast of the the Three Kings, this holiday celebrates the visit of the magi to the baby Jesus and also the baptism of Jesus. This feast is especially important to Eastern Orthodox and Hispanic cultures.

Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary
commemorates the assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into heaven; celebrated by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception
celebrates the Roman Catholic belief that Mary, mother of Jesus, was born without the taint of original sin on her soul.

The Feast of Saint Basil
Saint Basil was an early learder of Eastern Christianity and a major saint in Orthodoxy; his feast day celebrates the Orthodox liturgy.

Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe
honors the partron saint of Mexico; celebrated not only in Mexico, but by Roman Catholics of Hispanic origin.

Good Friday
the day of Jesus' crucifixion; also known as Holy Friday by Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Hanukkah
Jewish Festival of Lights, eight-day commemoration of the rededication of the Second Temple in 165 B.C.E.

Holi
Hindu Spring Festival; a carnival occasion featurning bright colors, pilgrimages, and bonfires.

'Id al-Adha
Islamic festival of sacrifice, commemorates the fail of Abraham; also a memorial to the dead.

'Id al-Fitre
Islamic festival of the breaking of the fast of Ramadan.

Khamapana
the Sikh Day of Forgiveness.

Kwanzaa
seven-day celebration of African-American values and traditions and their continued vitality. "Kwanzaa," in Kiswahili, means "first fruits of the harvest."

Krishna Janmashtami
a Hindu holiday celebrating the birth of Krishna.

Lent
the forty-day period of Christian preparation for Easter.

Maghi
commemorates a battle in which forty Sikhs, now known as the Immortal Ones, laid down their lives for their guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

Mahavir Jayanti
Sikh celebration of the birthday of Lord Mahavir.

Martyrdom of the Bab
Baha'i observance of the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Bab, the forerunner of Baha'u'llah, in 1850.

Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev Ji
Sikh observance of the anniversary of the martyrdom in 1606 C. E. of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth guru who had built the famous Golden Temple of Amritsar.

Martyrdom Day of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji
Sikh observance of the anniversary of the martyrdom in 1675 C.E. of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, the ninth guru.

Ma'uled Al-Nabi
Islamic celebration of the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed, around 570 B.C.E.

Maundy Thursday
commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist; also known as Holy Thrusday by Eastern Orhtodox Christians.

Month of Fasting
although it is called the Month of Fasting, this Baha'i observance lasts from March 2 through March 20.

Muharram
the Islamic New Year.

Nativity of Jesus Christ
Christmas celebration of those Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar.

Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Christian celebratation the birth of the New Testament prophet, who is the patron saint of Puerto Rico; observed especially in the Hispanic culture.

Naw-Ruz
Baha'i and Iranian New Year.

Nirvana Day
commemorates the death of Buddha.

Palm Sunday
opens Christian Holy Week; palms recall the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Paryushana Parva
the Sikh festival of fasting, friendship and forgiveness.

Passover
an eight-day celebration marking the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. "Seder" ceremonies emphasize the concept of freedom.

Pentecost
celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon early Christians following the ascension of Jesus; sometimes called "the birthday of the church." The name indicates that 50 days have passed since Easter.

Pioneer Day
Mormon observance of the arrival of Bringham Young at the site of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Purim
Feast of Lots, celebrates the deliverance of Jews of ancient Persia from a plot to destroy them.

Rahki
a Hindu and Jain celebration of love and friendship; traditionally, women tied a "rahki," an amulet, to family members and friends to ward off evil.

Ramadan
named for the ninth month of the Islamic claendar; observed by 30 days of strict fasting from sunup to sundown in honor of the first revelations to the Prophet Mohammed.

Ramnavami
Hindu anniversary of the birth of Rama, the incarnantion of Vishnu, The Preserved.

Reformation Day
commemorates the start of the Protestant Reformation in 1517 with the posting of Martin Luther's 95 Theses.

Ridvan
the twelve-day Baha'i observance commemorates the declaration of Baha'u'llah to his followers in 1863; work is suspended on the 1st, 9th, and 12th days.

Rosh Hashanah
a two-day observance of the Jewish New Year, which begins 10 days of penitence concluded on Yom Kippur.

Saint Nicholas Day
named for an ancient Christian bishop, this day is associated with gift-giving in many cultures.

San Gennaro Day
the day begins a three-day Roman Catholic festival in honor of the patron saint of Naples.

Shavuot
Jewish Festival of Weeks; two-day celebration of the harvest of the first fruits and commemoration of the giving of the Torah and Commandments at Mount Sinai.

Shemini 'Atzeret
eighth and last day of the Jewish Festival of Sukkot.

Simchat Torah
joyous Jewish festival in which the reading cycle of the Torah is completed and its first book begun again; symbolized by singing, dancing, and marching around the Synagogue with Torah scrolls.

Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti
Hindu holiday that celebrates the birthday or Sri Ramakrishna, teacher of Swami ViveKananda.

Sukkot
seven-day Jewish fesitval of the booths (or tabernacles) and the fall harvest; takes its name from the booths used by Israelistes during desert wanderings.

Vaisakhi
Sikh anniversary of the creation in 1699 C. E. of the Khalsa, Army of the Pure Ones.

Wesak
The anniversary of Buddha's birthday in the Mahayana tradition; the commemoration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, celebrated on the day of the full moon of the sixth month in the Theravada tradition.

Yom Hashoah
Holocasut Remembrance Day; memorializes the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust and emphasizes respect for human dignity. This observance is not limited to Jews.

Yom Kippur
the most solemn of all Jewish holy days, the Day of Atonement is devoted to prayer, fasting and repetence.
 

Light Our Candles gratefully acknowledges the National Conference for Community and Justice (http://www.nccj.org/nccj3.nsf/htmlmedia/organize.htm) for the origin of much of this information.

    Light Our Candles. (2000, July 19). Light Our Candles:
Kids Across the Globe - Religious Observances [WWW document]. Light Our Candles. 
Leavenworth, KS: Saint Mary College. Retrieved Month #, 2000 
from the World Wide Web: 
https://lightourcandles.tripod.com/kidsreligious.html