Welcome to TIO’s Religious Calendar

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October - November

October 2023

Tuesday, October 2

• Jashan-e Mehregan – Zoroastrianism
  A Zoroastrian and Iranian festival celebrated to honor the yazata Mithra, which is responsible for friendship, affection and love.

Wednesday, October 4

• Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi – Christianity

  A celebration of the patron saint of animals and ecology and the founder of the Franciscan Roman Catholic religious order, known for its ethic of simplicity and service. Many Christians mark this festival by bringing their animal companions to churches for a blessing.

• Blessing of the Animals – Christianity
  The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship, because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a man and his dog, or a woman and her cat, are two creatures of love. At Franciscan churches, a friar with brown robe and white cord often welcomes each animal with the Blessing of Animals.

Friday, October 6

• Shemini Atzeret [Eighth Day of Assembly] – Judaism [Ends October 8]
  This eighth day of Sukkot [Festival of Tabernacles] features prayers for rain and a good harvest in the coming year. It begins at sundown.

Saturday, October 7

• Simchat Torah– Judaism [Ends October 8]
  This festival, also known as “Rejoicing with the Law,” marks the end of Sukkot and the completion of the Torah reading cycle with the beginning of reading the first book again. Jews celebrate this day by singing, dancing, and marching around the synagogue or temple with Torah scrolls. This festival begins at sundown.

Monday, October 9

• Indigenous People’s Day – National Holiday
  A holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities

Thursday, October 12

• Bandi Chhor Divas – Sikh
  "The colors and lights create a feast for the eyes, while on the back patio a feast of flavors has been set up to celebrate the wondrous occasion of Bandi Chhor Divas – Prisoner Liberation Day – when the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind, was liberated from Gwalior Fort and took 52 prisoners to freedom along with him." - S.S. Gurukirn Kaur Khalsa

• Ghambar Ayathrem – Zoroastrianism [through Wednesday, October 16]
  This festival celebrates the creation of plants, the sowing of winter crops, and herds’ return from pasture. 

Sunday, October 15

• Sharad Navratri (Maha Navratri)
  One the biggest Hindu festivals celebrated across the nation with great fervor and enthusiasm. Sharad Navratri is the most popular and significant Navratri, also called Maha Navratri. It is celebrated during Hindu month of ashwin masa which occurs in September or October.

Monday, October 16

• ‘Ilm – Bahá’í
  The beginning of the twelfth month of the Bahá’í year, meaning “knowledge.”

• Birth of Báb – Bahá’í
  "The Báb, which translates to 'the gate', was born Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad on October 20, 1819 in what was then Shiraz, Persia, now Iran. He was a prophet and a leader of the Bahá'í revelation who was often likened to John the Baptist." -Dhruti Bhagat

Tuesday, October 17

• ‘Birth of Bahá’u’lláh – Bahá’í
  “The Blessed Perfection, Baha’u’llah, belonged to the nobility of Persia. From earliest childhood He was distinguished among His relatives and friends...In wisdom, intelligence and as a source of new knowledge, He was advanced beyond His age and superior to His surroundings.” --Marshall L. Emery

Saturday, October 28

• Battle of Milvian Bridge Day – Christian
  “The Blessed Perfection, Baha’u’llah, belonged to the nobility of Persia. From earliest childhood He was distinguished among His relatives and friends...In wisdom, intelligence and as a source of new knowledge, He was advanced beyond His age and superior to His surroundings.” --Marshall L. Emery

Sunday, October 29

• Atmasiddhi Rachna Divas (Creation Day) – Jainism
  On this day Jains celebrate that, in 1896, the poet Shrimad Rajchandra-ji (who was a spiritual guide for Mohandas Gandhi) wrote the legendary treatise Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra, which explains the quintessence of Jainism.

Tuesday, October 31

• ‘Reformation Day – Christianity [Protestant churches]
  This day commemorates October 31, 1517 C.E., when Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, eventually leading to the Protestant Reformation in Europe. Most Protestant Christian churches will mark this on Sunday, October 27th.

• Samhain – Wicca
  Celebration of the Celtic New Year. The dying God returns to the womb of the Goddess in preparation for rebirth at Yule. The souls of ancestors and those who have died during the turning of the past year’s wheel are remembered. Vegan Wiccans harvest nuts, the kernels of which symbolize wisdom.

November 2023

Wednesday, November 1

• All Saints Day – Christianity [Western churches]
  A commemoration of the lives of people, known and unknown, whose holiness and compassion toward others represent the best Christian virtues. In some Christian traditions, the following day is reserved for intercessions for the dead and is known as All Souls’ Day. Latino/a/x people in North and Central America mark these days in connection with celebrations of Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

• Karwa Chauth – Hinduism
  A day of fasting for married women, in which they dress like new brides and offer prayers for the long lives and safety of their husbands. Husbands offer sweets to their spouses at the end of the fast, once the moon is sighted.

Thursday, November 2

• Día de los Muertos – Cultural/Christian [Ends November 2]
  Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos) is a two day holiday that reunites the living and dead. Families create ofrendas (Offerings) to honor their departed family members that have passed. These altars are decorated with bright yellow marigold flowers, photos of the departed, and the favorite foods and drinks of the one being honored. The offerings are believed to encourage visits from the land of the dead as the departed souls hear their prayers, smell their foods and join in the celebrations.

• All Souls Day
  A holy day set aside for honoring the dead. The day is primarily celebrated in the Catholic Church, but it is also celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and a few other denominations of Christianity. The Anglican church is the largest protestant church to celebrate the holy day. Most protestant denominations do not recognize the holiday and disagree with the theology behind it.

Saturday, November 4

• Qudrat – Bahá’í
  The beginning of the thirteenth month of the Bahá’í year meaning “power.”

Sunday, November 12

• Diwali (Deepavali) – Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism
  The festival of lights and Hinduism’s most popular festival. It is dedicated to the Goddess Kali in Bengal and to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, in the rest of India. Diwali is also associated with stories of the destruction of evil by the god Vishnu in one of his many forms, as well as with the coronation of Sri Rama. Sweets and gifts are exchanged, and it is a time for cleaning and preparing for the future. This festival is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains, with this day bearing additional names and significance.

Wednesday, November 15

• Nativity Fast – Orthodox Christian [Ends November 24]
  “The Nativity Fast is one of four main fast periods throughout the ecclesiastical year. The Nativity Fast gives individuals the opportunity to prepare for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior in the Flesh on December 25. By abstaining from certain food and drink, particularly from meat, fish, dairy products, olive oil, and wine, as well as focusing more deeply on prayer and almsgiving, we can find that the primary aim of fasting is to make us conscious of our dependence upon God.” -- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Thursday, November 23

• Qawl – Bahá’í
  The beginning of the fourteenth month of the Bahá’í year, meaning “speech.”

• Niiname-no-Matsuri – Shinto
  “On November 23, the Emperor of Japan will perform one of the most important Shinto rituals in Japan, Niiname-sai. Niiname-sai, also celebrated non-religiously as Labor Thanksgiving Day, is a thanksgiving celebration in its own right. During the ritual, the Emperor shows gratitude to the gods for Japan’s harvest through offerings. One of the key offerings in this ceremony is Japan’s national drink, made from freshly harvested rice, sake.” -- Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association

Friday, November 24

• Native American Heritage Day – Civil Holiday
  The Native American Heritage Day encourages Americans of all backgrounds to appreciate the indigenous cultures appropriately, with ceremonies and activities. The Native American Heritage Day Bill encourages public elementary and secondary schools to enhance student understanding of Native Americans by providing classroom instructions focusing on their history, achievements, and contributions.

Saturday, November 25

• Day of the Covenant – Bahá’í [Ends November 26]
  A celebration of the appointment of ’Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh, as the Center of the Covenant in New York City in 1912 C.E. Devout followers begin their remembrance the preceding evening and do not suspend work on this day.

Sunday, November 26

• Christ the King Sunday – Christianity
  This feast day commemorates Jesus’ teaching that he will return at the end of time to judge humanity. In the Western Christian liturgical year, this is the last Sunday; the following Sunday (i.e., the first Sunday of Advent) marks the beginning of a new year.

Monday, November 27

• Ascension of ’Abdu’l-Bahá – Bahá’í [Ends November 28]
  The commemoration of the death of the Center of the Covenant in Haifa, Palestine, in 1921 C.E. Devout followers begin their remembrance the preceding evening and are allowed to work on this day.

• Gurū Nanak’s Birthday – Sikhism
  Sikhs commonly celebrate the birthday of their founder, Gurū Nanak Dev Ji, on the full moon day of Kartik, even though the guru’s biographers record his birth on April 15, 1469 C.E. A poet and mystic, Guru Nanak wrote 974 hymns that are included in the Sikh scriptures, known as the Gurū Granth Sahib.

Thursday, November 30

• Saint Andrew's Day – Christianity
  Saint Andrew's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Andrew or Andermas, is the feast day of Andrew the Apostle. Saint Andrew is the disciple in the New Testament who introduced his brother, the Apostle Peter, to Jesus, the Messiah

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