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Cultural & religious observances header image. A photo in the upper left hand corner is a stained glass image of Mary holding Jesus. The photo in the upper right hand corner is a woman wearing a burqua standing near a fence. The image on the bottom left corner is a monk, and the image on the bottom right corner is a mandala sand painting.

Cultural and religious observances – November 22-28, 2021

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Thanksgiving Day

Vintage Thanksgiving postcardCulture/religion: National observance
Date: November 25

Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States and is celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November. Originating as a harvest festival and feast between the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the fall-winter holiday season.

Early Thanksgiving observances were a time to give thanks for one’s blessings and hold feasts to celebrate a harvest, practices that long predate the European settlement of North America.

The first Thanksgiving proclamation issued by the national government was done by George Washington in 1789.

Sources:

Thanksgiving (United States), Wikipedia

Thanksgiving 2020, History.com

Day of the Covenant

Photo of Abdul Baha with his grandsons and other Baha'ís
Abdul Baha with his grandsons and other Baha’ís. Photo credit: Wikimedia.org

Culture/religion: Bahá’í
Date: November 25

Day of the Covenant celebrates the appointment of Abdu’l-Baha as the Center of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant – the unbroken, unified line of guidance which safeguards the Bahá’í faith from division. The day not only recognizes unity in the Bahá’í faith, but unity of all faiths.

Bahá’ís believe this Covenant will help humanity build a unified global society.

Pronunciation:  Bahá’í: Ba-HIGH; Bahá’u’lláh: Ba-ha-ul-LAH

Sources:

What’s the Day of the Covenant, and Why Do Bahá’ís Celebrate it?, Bahaiteachings.org

Style guide, glossary and pronunciation guide, Bahá’í World News Service