Thanksgiving is one of the most significant holidays in the USA. It marks the start of the holiday season that runs through to Christmas. The holiday commemorates the first harvest of the settlers from England who had arrived in North America in 1620. Its cultural impact is immense, so it is interesting to take a look […]
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Otherwise known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is a holiday of Hindu origin and is widely celebrated throughout India. The five-day event begins on the 13th day of the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar, which falls in October or November. Celebrants light clay lamps, said to represent the destruction of anything negative […]
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India is often called the ‘land of festivals and fairs’ where each day brings some kind of celebration and there are more festivals celebrated in India than anywhere else in the world. Some festivals, such as Holi or Diwali transcend their rural roots and are famous across the world. On the tenth day of the […]
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Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is one of the most popular and important Hindu festivals. It marks the birthday of Lord Krishna, the eighth re-incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who gave the vital message of the Bhagwat Gita – the guiding principles for every Hindu. In 2023, it falls on Thursday September 7th and is celebrated with great […]
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In a country blessed with a healthy number of public holidays, the most notable run of holidays is the country’s renowned Golden Week. This string of public holidays at the end of March and beginning of April results in most of the country taking off for over a week. The Golden Week is a period […]
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It is hard to overstate the importance of Mary to Catholic and Orthodox Christians around the world, but in Greece, the worship of Mary is elevated to another level. This importance of Mary to the Greeks is demonstrated by the wide number of local customs that are celebrated across Greece. The churches of Panayia Evangelistria […]
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On October 31st, it’ll be time to dress up the kids in a spooky outfit and hit the streets in search of candy. Halloween is one of the most popular amd enduring traditions in North America, and while the risk of COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, it feels that bit more normal this year, and families […]
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The Harvest Moon Festival, or Chuseok (meaning ‘Autumn Eve’), is one of Korea’s most cherished holidays. One of the main Harvest Moon Festival traditions is the food preparation, especially of songpyun; a traditional Korean rice cake made with pine needles. In Korean, Song means ‘pine tree’ and Pyun means ‘rice cake’. Oddly for a festival that takes […]
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For most Islamic countries, Tuesday April 13th 2021 will be the first day of the Muslim month of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan will last for 28 days, though the exact start and end dates in some countries is dependent on sightings on the moon. During Ramadan Muslims will fast from dawn until dusk, pray […]
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Home for the Holidays The disruption caused by Coronavirus touches all aspects of our daily lives, including the ability to celebrate our key religious festivals. The month of April is chock-full of such holidays such as Passover, Easter, Vaisakhi and Ramadan. While the faithful usually congregate to celebrate and commemorate these holidays, the lockdown of […]
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