Tag: Holidays & Holy Days

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa takes place every year from December 26 to January 1

source: CC BY-NC 2.0 Reginald James/TheBlackHour.com

From the Official Kwanzaa Website:

“Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.”

Find out more:

And check out these books from our display, “Holidays and Holy Days” :

Feast of Masa’il

In the Baha’i faith, December 11, 2025 marks the beginning of the Feast of Masa’il, or the Feast of Questions.

Find out more:

The Baha’i Faith at Baha’i.org

The Baha’i Faith at Baha’i.com

The Bahá’í Community of Canada

Celebrate Holidays & Holy Days at your school library.

Las Posadas

Las Posadas: December 16-24

source: aleteia.org

This 9 day festival is central to Navidad (Christmas) celebrations in Mexico. This is a neighbourhood festival that commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph, who could not find posadas, (Spanish for “lodging”) before the birth of Jesus. A procession, including people dressed as Angels, Saints and the Holy Family, marches through the neighbourhood, knocking on doors looking for a place to stay. Like Mary and Joseph, they are refused, until finally the parade ends at one home where they are welcomed in. Feasting ensues, including a pinata for the children.

source: catholicregister

Find out more:

Be sure to check out our display, “Holidays & Holy Days,” at your School Library.

Holidays & Holy Days

Happy Holidays! We have entered another season of feasts and festivals, holy days and holidays, in and around December. Visit your School Library, in person or online, to learn more about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, St. Nicholas Day, Simbang Gabi, Festivus, the Nativity, the Winter Solstice, Krampusnacht, New Year’s Eve, Advent, Bodhi, Boxing Day and more.

Feast of Masa’il

In the Baha’i faith, December 12 marks the beginning of the Feast of Masa’il, or the Feast of Questions.

Find out more:

The Baha’i Faith at Baha’i.org

The Baha’i Faith at Baha’i.com

The Bahá’í Community of Canada

Celebrate Holidays & Holy Days at your school library.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab

The founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak,  was born in 1469 in the north-west of India, (what is now Pakistan.)  He would go on to become the first of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism. In 2023 the celebration of the birth of Guru Nanak is November 27. The day is also referred to as Guru Nanak’s Prakash Utsav and Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Most Canadians of Indian heritage who live in Canada are Sikhs, including many students at Lord Tweedsmuir, and in communities throughout Surrey and Greater Vancouver. If you are not Sikh, learn more about Guru Nanak, Sikhism, and the Sikh community. What a great way to better understand your friends, neighbours and fellow Canadians.

Find out more:

Sikh Wiki

Sikh Museum

Canadian Sikh Heritage

Sikh Net

BBC

The Guibord Center

Available at your school library

Day of the Covenant

From the evening of November 25 through November 26, people of the Baha’i faith celebrate the Day of the Covenant. This is a Holy Day on the Baha’i calendar, a celebration of Baha’u’llah’s appointment of his eldest son, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá, as the Center of His Covenant.

ʻAbdu’l-Bahá
source: wikimedia commons / Public Domain,

As we enter a season of “Holidays and Holy Days” we will look at the celebrations and festivals of Canadians, and people from around the world, who represent a wide variety of religions, beliefs and cultures.

For more on the Baha’i faith, including its festivals and holy days, check out some of the following links:

Baha’i Faith (International)

Baha’i Canada

Baha’i USA

Religious Tolerance