Holidays & Observances – Page 18 – Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library

Eid al-Fitr

The month of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and prayer, comes to and end this week. Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, literally the “holiday of the breaking of the fast.”

As is the case with many religious and cultural holidays that are based on lunar calendars, the date of Eid varies from year to year, as the Islamic calendar is not in sync with the Gregorian calendar. Also, according to Islam the new month doesn’t officially begin until religious authorities confirm the sighting of the moon. As such, we can only predict the start of Eid. In 2023 it is predicted that Eid al-Fitr will begin on April 21.

We wish “Eid Mubarak” to the more than one million Muslims in Canada, and to the almost two billion Muslims around the world.

Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, is the day that Jews around the world remember the six million who perished in the Holocaust. In Israel it is a national day of observance known officially as Yom Hazikaron laShoah ve-laG’vurah, in English “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.” In addition to remembrance of the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, the day is also used to celebrate acts of resistance and heroism on the part of survivors and allies.

This year Yom HaShoah begins on the evening of April 17 and continues until sundown on April 18.

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Find out more about the Holocaust, the systematic mass-murder of more than 6 million Jews, and other groups, targeted by the Nazis and their allies:

Vaisakhi

April 14 is Vaisakhi. Vaisakhi is a major festival on the Sikh calendar, and one of the most important days of the year. Sikhs in Canada, India, and around the world will celebrate the founding of the Khalsa, or the worldwide body of Sikhs, as established by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. Sometimes Vaisakhi is referred to as Khalsa Day.

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Vaisakhi, or Baisakhi, was traditionally a spring harvest festival, and for some, a New Year’s Day. All across northern India, particularly in the Punjab, many different groups will celebrate Vaisakhi for these various reasons, including Hindus and other non-Sikhs. Vaisakhi is traditionally observed on April 13 or 14, but may be celebrated on different days in different places. Vancouver will hold its Vaisakhi Parade on April 15, while Surrey will hold its parade, one of the largest in the world, on April 22.

The overwhelming majority of Indo-Canadians ( people of South Asian origin) in our school and in our neighbourhoods are Sikhs. As such, Vaisakhi is a major holiday in British Columbia, and especially in cities with concentrated populations of Sikhs, such as Surrey and Abbotsford.

Join with us in your School Library as we celebrate Sikh Heritage Month by learning more about Vaisakhi and other aspects of Sikh culture and history.

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Good Friday & Easter Sunday

Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure of Christianity, was a Jew living in 1st Century Palestine. Jesus taught many things that challenged the religious and political power of the day. Eventually he was captured and executed. Good Friday commemorates the Crucifixion, the horrific method of execution used by the Romans, who hung him on a cross until he was dead.

_{source: RuizAnglada, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons}

The followers of Jesus believed that he rose again on the following Sunday. The believers began to share their faith throughout the Roman world. Easter, like many pagan festivals of the Romans, became a Christian holiday celebrating the Resurrection.

While Christmas is a much bigger holiday in terms of secular, commercial and cultural impact, many Christians feel that Good Friday and Easter Sunday are more integral to their faith.

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April is Poetry Month

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Sikh Heritage Month

April is Sikh Heritage Month in Canada. Celebrate with us in your School Library as we learn more about the history and culture of the Sikhs, and the ongoing contributions and achievements of Sikhs in Canada.

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Earth Day

Earth Day is April 22. Join us in April, all month long, as we celebrate the Earth, and learn more about what we need to do to protect life on this planet, our only home in the universe. Come down to your School Library in person, and continue to visit us online, to find out more.