Chanukah Culture/religion: Judaism Date: December 18-26 Chanukah is the Jewish eight-day festival of lights, celebrated each night with menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. Chanukah means “dedication” in Hebrew and is named as such because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple. In second century BCE, Judah the Maccabee drove the Greeks from … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – December 18-25, 2022
Kristallnacht Culture/religion: Judaism Date: November 9-10 Kristallnacht (“Crystal Night” or “Night of Broken Glass”) commemorates the violent anti-Jewish demonstrations that broke out across Germany, Austria and the Sudentenland region of Czechoslovakia. For 48 hours, violent mobs destroyed hundreds of synagogues and burned or desecrated Jewish religious … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – November 7-13, 2022
Dussehra Culture/religion: Hindu Date: October 5 Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami (“victory on the tenth day”) is one of the major Hindu festivals celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. The festival signifies good over evil, commemorating the victory of Lord Rama over the demon Ravana. Though observed for different reasons and celebrated in a variety of … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – October 3-9, 2022
Rosh Hashanah Culture/religion: Judaism Date: September 26-27 Rosh Hashanah (“Head of the Year”) is the birthday of the universe and the Jewish New Year. It is both a day of prayer and a day of joy when God is proclaimed King of the Universe. The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar (the ram’s horn) on both days of the holiday and takes … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – September 26-October 2, 2022
Memorial Day Culture/religion: National observance Date: May 30 Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – May 30-June 5, 2022