Fall 2018 Religious Holidays

For several years now, I have posted as a reference overviews for many of the religious observances for Bahai'ism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, neo-Paganism, Sikhism and Wicca. This is intended to allow those teaching or otherwise following a semester academic calendar to  accommodate students, faculty and staff who wish to observe them.

As Fall Semester starts again, we are now coming upon the start of the cycle of holidays once more. For many of these holidays (those from religions that follow calendars that differ from the Gregorian calendar), the dates in the secular year will differ but the main content of the posts should not. 

To that end, I would like to give the dates for the holidays in the next few months paralleling the Fall semester in most US universities (I am, after all, a professor in the United States).

I have noted only holidays to which I have already written a post. These are those holidays that I would argue are the most important holidays within their religion. Admittedly, there are others which may be of strong importance to those who observe them. Thus, I have not included, for example,  the Christian holiday of Advent Sunday on December 1. This does not, however, mean that such holidays are unimportant to those who wish to observe them, which should be kept in mind for religious accommodation purposes.

Similarly, I have left out some holidays that are regionally of importance within a religion but not of such significance beyond the regional context..  For example, I have left out the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12) which is primarily observed among Mexican Catholics. Likewise excluded is Bathukamma  (this year on October 17) which is primarily observed among Hindus from Telangana state in India.

Note also that observance varies according to practice. For example, Reform and Reconstructionist Jews may observe a holiday for one day that Orthodox and Conservative Jews observe for two days. Some streams of Hinduism may observe Diwali for five full days, while others may do so for one, two or three days. While all Muslims recognize Ashurah as a holiday, it holds much greater significance in Shi'a tradition than in most other branches of Islam. Because of this, two people of the same faith may observe the same holiday for different lengths. These are explained for each holiday in the connected blog post. The main point here, though, is that we should recognize such differences in practice as legitimate.

FALL 2018 RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

The list below gives the date for 2018, the name of the holiday, the main religion observing the holiday and the previous David Victor Vector post on that holiday.While the dates on the links may be from an earlier year, all of these are regularly updated, and all are corrected for the date when it changes.

Sunday, September 9 sunset through Monday, September 10 sunset  (for most Reform and Reconstructionist Jews) or sunset Tuesday, September 11 (for Conservative and Orthodox Jews) 
        Rosh HaShanah  
            Judaism
            http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2012/09/rosh-hashanah-2012.html   

Tuesday, September 18 sunset through Wednesday, September 19 sunset

Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement

Judaism
            http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2012/09/yom-kippur.html

Thursday, September 20 sunset through Friday, September 21 sunset (depending on the sighting of the moon) or for some traditions in North America October 11 at sunset through October 12

             Ashura

             Islam, especially Shi’a
             http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2015/09/ashura-2015.html

Saturday, September 22

Autumnal Equinox/Mabon/Ostara

Wicca, Neo-Paganism, Neo-Druidism http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2012/09/autumnal-equinox.html

     Sunday, September 23
     Kshamavani/Forgiveness Day
     Jainism
                No link as yet

Sunday, September 23 sunset through September 30 sunset
Note: The first two days are major observance days for most Conservative and Orthodox Jews)

           Sukkot/Festival of Booths/Festival of Tabernacles 

           Judaism

           http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2015/09/sukkot-hoshanah-rabah-shemini-atzeret.html

Sunday, September 30 sunset through Tuesday, October 2 sunset

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

Judaism
        Note: Technically two holidays falling back to back

            http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2015/09/sukkot-hoshanah-rabah-shemini-atzeret.html

October 31 sunset through November 1 
Samhain

Wicca, Neo-Paganism, Neo-Druidism

http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/10/samhain-all-saints-day-dia-de-los.html

  November 1

  All Saints Day

  Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, Methodism

  http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/10/samhain-all-saints-day-dia-de-los.html

November 1

Reformation Day

Lutheranism, some Protestant sects

http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/10/samhain-all-saints-day-dia-de-los.html

Friday, November 2

All Souls Day/Día de los Muertos

Roman Catholicism
http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/10/samhain-all-saints-day-dia-de-los.html

Monday, October 15 - Friday, October 19

Durga Puja/Durgosava and Vijayadashami/Dusara

Hinduism
Note: Dasara is technically either a separate holiday or the concluding day of Durga Puja

               http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/10/durga-puja.html

Friday, October 20

Birth of the Bab

Bahai’ism

http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2012/10/birth-of-bab.html

Tuesday, November 6 - Saturday, November 10
Diwali/Devali
Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism
http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/10/divali.html

Monday, November 12

Birthday of Bahá'u'lláh

Bahai'ism

                  http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/11/birthday-of-bahaullah.html

        Sunday, December 2 sunset through Monday, December 10 sunset

Chanukah

Judaism
http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/12/chanukah.html\

Saturday, December 8  

Bodhi Day

Buddhism

http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/12/bodhi-day.html

Wednesday, December 21
Yule/Winter Solstice
Wicca, Neo-Paganism, Neo-Druidism
http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2012/12/yule.html

Christmas

Western Christian faiths (Roman Catholicism, Protestantism)

Tuesday December 25

Eastern Orthodox/ Ethiopian Tewahedo/Coptic Christian faiths

             Monday, January 7, 2019

             http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-day.html

A FEW CLOSING REMARKS

Before I go on, I should note that all holidays in Islam begin with the actual sighting of the moon. Therefore, the dates given for Eid al-Adha and Ashura are the likely dates for the holiday depending on the sighting conditions. Some debate exists regarding where the moon sighting should occur (e.g., locally or in Mecca). This may also cause observance to fall on a day before or after that indicated in this list. The date given here does not intend to suggest that one or the other interpretation is correct; this date is merely intended to be information for the date most widely observed in North America.

In all likelihood, I have overlooked a holiday or observance. Please feel free to share this with me.

While the links to many of the holidays above were posted in earlier years, they are regularly updated as the holiday approaches for this year. The dates in this post are (to the best of my knowledge) correct for 2018.

Finally, I would like to ask you to spread the word about this blog. If you are not formally a follower, please do add your name to the list through your Google, Twitter, AIM, Netlog or Yahoo account.


Thanks so much!

Eid al-Adha 2020

In 2020, beginning on the evening of Friday July 31 and concluding on the evening of Saturday August 1 at sunset, (depending on the sighting of the moon) is the first day of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha or the Festival of the Sacrifice. For many Muslims, the holiday lasts for three days. Students, staff and faculty should be accommodated for observance of the holiday. Some debate exists as to whether the holiday should be marked by when it occurs over Mecca or when it occurs in the location in question (for instance, North America).   For some, therefore, the holiday may begin on August 1 at sunset. I take no stance on this, and am merely stating that some differences may exist in interpretation.

Dating the Holiday

The holiday actually begins every year on the 10 Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar.  However, since the Gregorian calendar (the one used in the secular United States) is a solar calendar and the Islamic calendar is a lunar one, the date of Eid al-Adha (as with all Islamic holidays) appears to travel within the Gregorian calendar. 

About Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha is Arabic for the Festival of Sacrifice, and is named in remembrance of the readiness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son. In the Koran (37:99–111), the son whom Ibrahim is willing to sacrifice is not named; however, in Islamic tradition, the son is believed to be Ismail (Ishmael), not (Ishaq) Isaac as in the Jewish and Christian versions of the story.  In Islam, both sons are considered prophets. 

Another name for the holiday is Eid al-Kabir or the Greater Eid (in contrast to the earlier Eid al-Fitr, the Lesser Eid that marks the end of Ramadan). Eid al-Kabir is the name more commonly used in North Africa, Yemen and Syria. Because of this, in French, the name of the holiday is Aid el-Kebir. In Turkish, the holiday is called Kurban Bayrami and as a result, the holiday is called by some variant of Kurban in many of the languages of those nations formally under the rule of the Ottoman Empire including Kurdish, Albanian, Serbo-Croatian and Azeri as well as borrowed from the Turkish in many other languages including Russian, Pashto, Sindhi, Kazakh, Farsi, Pashto and Tatar. 

Association with the Hajj

Eid al-Adha also marks the end of the Hajj to Mecca (Makkah). The Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, required of every Muslim once in his or her lifetime. For this reason, the holiday is sometimes called the Festival of the Hajj (Hari Raya Haji in Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia). 

Pilgrims during the Hajj Pilgrimage in Mecca, 2018

The Saudi government estimates that for 2018, the number of pilgrims exceeded 2 million. 

This 2 million mark is important as it continues the trend toward larger hajj numbers. Last year, in 2017. the Saudi government recorded over 2.35 million pilgrims. This was the first time the number of pilgrims has been allowed to pass the 2 million mark after a series of restrictions had been in place. 

Five years ago in 2013, the Saudi government began to set greater restrictions for the number of pilgrims. This resulted in the first substantial decrease in numbers. In 2013 pilgrims also stayed away due to worldwide fears of the deadly MERS outbreak on the Arabian Peninsula coupled with Saudi governmental fears regarding the Ebola outbreak (the Saudi government banned pilgrims from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, effectively preventing 7400 Muslims scheduled to come from those nations). This saw the number of pilgrims fall to just 1.98 million (with 1.38 million from outside Saudi Arabia). Even greater restrictions followed so that 2014 was among the smallest pilgrimages in years: 1.4 million from abroad and 700,000 from within Saudi Arabia. 

This decline was notable since the number of pilgrims had consistently risen before the 2013 concerns. Indeed, the 2012 hajj was the largest in history, according to the official Saudi Ministry of Hajj, with 3.2 million people participated in the pilgrimage. For each year, the number of visitors had marginally though steadily grown (for instance, 2.8 million in 2010; 2.9 million in 2011). 

In 2015 saw much greater numbers of pilgrims. While there were still fears over MERS, Saudi concerns regarding the Ebola outbreak had lessened notably. As a result, in 2015, the Hajj saw 1.95 million pilgrims, just shy of the 2 million mark. While this represented an increase of 600,000 visitors, this was still far short of the figures reached before Saudi authorities began placing greater restrictions on the number of visitors. 

Unfortunately, the increased number of pilgrims coupled with inadequate crowd control resulted in two disasters: the Mecca Crane Collapse and the Mina Stampede. First on September 11, 2015 in the days leading up to the hajj, a crane collapsed on a crowd of worshippers, killing 111 and injuring scores of others. The crane, ironically, had been working to improve the safety of Mecca's Grand Mosque. Far worse, though, came during the 2015 hajj itself. At approximately 9:00 AM on September 24, 2015 for reasons still not clear, pilgrims began to stampede. The uncontrolled crowd panicked and when it had subsided, at thousands of pilgrims had died from suffocation or being crushed or trampled to death. The figure provided by the Associated Press and Al-Jazeera was 2177 dead. Iran's government announced that over 4700 people had died (although they provided no evidence for their claim). http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/10/19/hajj-disaster-death-toll-over-two-thousand.html 

In 2016, the hajj pilgrim numbers fell again, though only slightly to 1.86 million pilgrims. This may have been in response to the 2015 disaster, and officially limiting numbers.

In 2020, those observing the Hajj face no risk of overcrowding. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the Saudi government limited the Hajj to a mere 1000 pilgrims with no more than 10,000 people allowed into the city of Mecca itself and with no visitors allowed from outside the kingdom. As explained in the Arab Weekly:

This year’s event, in fact, has been limited to about 1,000 pilgrims from within Saudi Arabia, 70% of whom will be foreign residents of the kingdom. The remaining 30% will be drawn from Saudi healthcare workers and security personnel who have recovered from the coronavirus, as a gesture of thanks for their sacrifice. https://thearabweekly.com/pandemic-casts-shadow-hajj-eid-al-adha

Those who attend will be practicing strict social distancing and wear masks over their noses and mouths.

Coronavirus precautions in force during the 2020 Hajj

(For official Hajj statistics see the "Hajj Statistics," Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics site at: https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/page/93 
For more on the 2013 situation, please see http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?379857-Hajj-2013-Statistics   http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article529551.ece and http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/11/05/saudi-arabia-hosts-nearly-3-million-hajj-pilgrims/ . For more on the 2014 hajj including Ebola concerns, please see: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29461229 

For more on the 2015 hajj, please see http://www.readthespirit.com/religious-holidays-festivals/hajj-2015-2-million-muslims-gather-for-worlds-largest-annual-pilgrimage/

For figures over time, see, Number of Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia 1995-2017, Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/617696/saudi-arabia-total-hajj-pilgrims/ )

Nature of the Hajj

The Qaabah

The Hajj itself runs for five days, starting on the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah (that is, beginning two days before Eid al-Adha begins) and continues through the end of the Eid on 12 Dhu al-Hijjah. The Hajj involves many rituals and special prayers, and this overview makes no effort to fully describe them.  Among the most notable of these is the Tawaf. The Tawaf is the counterclockwise circling seven times of Islam’s holiest site, the Qaabah (or Kaabah). The Qaabah is a large granite, cube-shaped structure which Muslims believe that Ibraham and Ismail built together after Ismail moved to Mecca. The Qaabah is covered with black silk and gold.  Inside the Qaabah is the Black Stone (al-Hajr al-Aswad) which is the focal point of the Tawaf. Many Muslims believe that the Black Stone was given to Adam and Eve to tell them where to build an altar. The Black Stone was then placed in the Qaabah by Abraham and Ismail. The Black Stone was already an object of worship when the Prophet Mohammed first visited it and kissed it. Following the Prophet’s example, pilgrims traditionally kissed the Black Stone on each of the seven circuits around the Qaabah. As the throngs of pilgrims grew, this has largely become impossible so today the pilgrims point toward the stone with their hand as they near it. The movement of the pilgrims during the Tawaf is felt to symbolize the unity of ummah (the community of all believers) as they worship the unity of Allah.  

Another important ritual is the Ramy al-Jamarat or Stoning of the Devil.  Islam views the sacrifice as a test of Ibrahim and Ismail. During this test, Muslims believe that both Ibrahim and Ismail were tempted by Shaytaan (Satan).  Ibrahim and Ismail threw stones at Shaytaan, and this is re-enacted by pilgrims at the Hajj in the ceremony of the stoning of the jamarat. Pilgrims throw pebbles at three pillars in Mina, each of differing size and symbolically representing Shaytaan’s temptation of  Ibrahim, Hagar (Ismail’s mother) and Ismail to stop the sacrifice. 

While the pilgrims on the Hajj are at the center of the most significant observance on the Eid al-Adha, it is by no means limited to them alone. Indeed, Muslims the world over celebrate Eid al-Adha.  On the Eid, Muslims bathe in the morning and then traditionally dress in their best clothing before going to the mosque for special prayers. The services usually conclude with a khutba (or speech) with a spiritual message usually encouraging those listening to give up any grudges or ill will. After this, it is customary for worshippers to hug one another and to wish one another a Happy Eid. 

Eid al-Adha Traditions and Food

In most traditions, believers, if (they can afford to do so) sacrifice an animal (usually a goat or sheep, although traditions vary) in commemoration of the animal God provided to Ibrahim for sacrifice in place of his son. Indeed, in West Africa the holiday is called Tabaski after this sacrifice. (For a video of Eid sacrifices on Tabaski, please see http://jangawolof.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/happy-tabaski/). Where animals are sacrificed, the meat is shared with others, particularly those who are less fortunate.  Many Muslims also donate food of all sorts – not just the sacrificed animal -- to the poor on the holiday.

"Good Tabaski to all..."

Sheer korma

 

Traditions vary somewhat around the world for Eid al-Adha. In Pakistan and India after special morning Eid prayers, Muslims traditionally eat a dish called sheer korma. 

Sheer korma is a mix of sweet milk, dates and vermicelli. Later in the day, South Asian Muslims also often eat dishes made from the sacrificed animal, with mutton biryani (sheep with saffron rice), mutton korma (sheep stew) and kofta (meatballs in special gravy).  

Moroccan boulfaf

In Morocco, the post-prayer breakfast is customarily herbel (wheat porridge with sugar, milk, honey and orange-flower water). The main meal of the day usually includes lamb, especially boulfaf (grilled lamb liver kababs). 

Bosnian Lonac

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, people traditionally follow morning services with a large lunch of Bosnian lonac (vegetable and meat stew made in a clay pot), dolmas (stuffed onions with paprika) and sarmas (stuffed cabbage). This is usually followed by sweet desserts such as baklava.

USPS first Eid stamp (2001)

In the United States, traditions greatly vary with people often dressing in clothes and eating foods from their ethnic origin. Eid al-Adha, as with other Islamic holidays, has received greater public attention in recent years. In 2001, the US Postal Service began releasing Eid stamps (covering both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha). The stamps continue to be sold each year at Eid.

In 1999, then-First Lady Hilary Clinton hosted what became a tradition of Eid dinners at the White House. In 2003, George W. Bush was the first President to publicly wish Happy Eid from the White House. This tradition continued under President Barack Obama. In 2017, President Donald Trump discontinued the dinner, although he and First Lady Melania Trump continued the tradition of sending formal Eid greetings from the White House. (For more on the White House Eid dinners, please see Trump breaks "White House Eid dinner tradition," BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40402211

For more detail on all aspects of the Hajj, look at the Saudi government website from the Ministry of the Hajj :

http://www.hajinformation.com/main/f.htm
http://www.hajinformation.com/display_news.php?id=2188

As always, I welcome your corrections (or praise) and any other input.  In closing, let me wish you all an Eid Mubarek and a Blessed Eid!

Clipart Sources

For Eid Mubarak http://us.cdn1.123rf.com/168nwm/hypnocreative/hypnocreative1108/hypnocreative110800030/10162767-modern-and-stylish-eid-mubarak-islamic-celebration-design.jpg
For Eid pilgrimage at Mecca, 2018: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-08-16/how-globalization-has-changed-the-hajj-pilgrimage-to-mecca 
For the Qaaba, http://www.clker.com/clipart-kaaba.html
For "Bonne fête du Tabaski a tous..." see http://demsy8995.skyrock.com/3190300919-BONNE-FETE-DE-TABASKI-A-TOUS.html 

For the image of sheer korma https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTj5BKQwiNW3-65IqgO3B2QyB2Xh3JD_BCppuAuyY3NPgykk_6z-ZwqR99OffNyhK7khCfBp_MUbOGvjdqcAND3iJaT3epavjiinARrFH_DzixMKqHUd3h0MGlyRYAzw3ib8RpWm4IsW4/s400/sheerkorma.jpg

For the image of boulfaf http://0.tqn.com/d/moroccanfood/1/I/H/4/-/-/boulfaf.JPGE
For the Coronavirus precautions in force during the 2020 Hajj:https://thearabweekly.com/pandemic-casts-shadow-hajj-eid-al-adha