UNAC InterFaith Quinte

04/30/2022

As the Earth bursts forth in green abundance, we give thanks for all the many gifts of nature, from the newborn animals to the unfurling buds.

Beltane celebrates the union of the Goddess and the Green Man – the coming together of male and female energies to create new life. Symbols we are familiar with might include the leafy face of the Green Man, the Maypole, the May Queen and abundant flower baskets. There’s no doubt about it, it’s a special time of year. Even people whose lives are fairly unconnected to the natural world tend to notice a change in their energy levels and feelings of productivity around this time of year. It’s as if the natural world is urging us to wake up, to enjoy our human bodies – dancing, running, playing, making love – and to harness our wonderful potential to create. Whatever you intend to bring the fertile energy of Beltane to, you’ll find that connecting to nature’s wild and free spirit enhances all your endeavours.

04/28/2022

Laylat al-Qadr, (Arabic: “Night of Power”) Islamic festival that commemorates the night on which God first revealed the Qurʾān to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. It is believed to have taken place on one of the final 10 nights of Ramadan in 610 CE, though the exact night is unclear. The date of the annual commemoration thus varies throughout the Islamic world but is most commonly observed on the 23rd night of Ramadan for Shiʿi Muslims and on the 27th for Sunni Muslims.

According to Islamic tradition, the Qurʾān (the literal word of God which was relayed to humanity through Muhammad) was first revealed to Muhammad after a period of habitual meditation in seclusion. During one of his retreats, on Laylat al-Qadr, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and commanded him: “Iqraʾ!” (“Recite!”)

Aside from the celebration of the Qurʾān’s revelation, the annual observance of Laylat al-Qadr holds additional significance as a night in which angels descend to earth with a myriad of tasks, leading to a night of peace, blessings, and divine guidance (qadar) until the dawn. It is thus commemorated with solemnity, devotion, and prayer, and some observers spend the festival in a mosque in retreat (iʿtikāf).

04/22/2022

Our world needs transformational change. It’s time for the world to hold sectors accountable for their role in our environmental crisis while also calling for bold, creative, and innovative solutions. This will require action at all levels, from business and investment to city and national government.
That’s where you come in: As an individual, you yield real power and influence as a consumer, a voter, and a member of a community that can unite for change.

Don’t underestimate your power. When your voice and your actions are united with thousands or millions of others around the world, we create a movement that is inclusive, impactful, and impossible to ignore.

Every Earth Day can drive a year of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to create a new plan of action for our planet.

04/21/2022

This annual festival marks the anniversary of the days Baha'u'llah spent along the River Tigris in Baghdad.

In 1863, Baha'u'llah stayed in a garden on the banks of the Tigris River for 12 days, during which His many admirers in the city came to bid Him farewell. Baha'u'llah announced to the friends gathered with Him during those days that He was God's Messenger for a new age, foretold in the world's scriptures. He called the garden they were gathered in "Ridvan," meaning "paradise."

The Ridvan period was also a time when Baha'u'llah proclaimed the foundational spiritual principles that lie at the heart of His teachings—signaling the arrival of a new stage in the evolution of the life of humanity, characterized by peace and an end to violence.

Today, the festival of Ridvan is the most joyous of Baha'i holy days. In villages, towns, and cities around the world, Baha'i communities celebrate these special days with gatherings open to all.

04/17/2022

Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly 30 A.D. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles, also known as “Maundy Thursday”), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed) and Easter Sunday. Although a holiday of high religious significance in the Christian faith, many traditions associated with Easter date back to pre-Christian, pagan times.
In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which adheres to the Julian calendar, Easter falls on a Sunday between April 4 and May 8 each year.

In some denominations of Protestant Christianity, Easter Sunday marks the beginning of Eastertide, or the Easter Season. Eastertide ends on the 50th day after Easter, which is known as Pentecost Sunday.

In Eastern Orthodox branches of Christianity, Easter Sunday serves as the start of the season of Pascha (Greek for “passover”), which ends 40 days later with the holiday known as the Feast of the Ascension.

04/16/2022

Passover is a spring festival that begins in the months of March or April on the Gregorian calendar. Passover starts on the 15th day of the month of Nisan which is on the first night of a full moon after the northern vernal equinox (except leap months can make the festival start after the second full moon after the northern vernal equinox).

The 7 or 8 day festival is one of the most important celebrations on the Hebrew calendar commemorating the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. It begins with families gathering together the first night for dinner called seder (meaning “order” or “arrangement” in Hebrew) and ends 7 to 8 days later.

According to the Torah, the story of creation in Genesis says “And it was evening, and it was morning day one”, “And it was evening, and it was morning; the second day”, thus night comes before day. So for the Jewish calendar all days begin at nightfall and end the next day at nightfall including holidays.

04/15/2022

Mahavir Jayanti celebrates the birth of Mahavira, a contemporary of the Buddha, and the 24th and last Tirthankara (great sages).

Mahavira, known originally as Vardhamana, was born in either 599 BC or 615 BC. The Digambar school of Jainism say that Lord Mahavira was born in the year 615 BC, but the Swetambaras believe that He was born in 599 BC. However, both sects believe that Mahavira was the son of Siddhartha and Trisala.

According to the legend, Devananda, wife of a Brahmin named Rishabhdeva, conceived him, but the gods transferred the embryo to the womb of Trisala.

According to Swetambara sect, the expectant mother was believed to have seen 14 auspicious dreams. (According to Digambara sect it was 16 dreams). Astrologers interpreted these dreams and predicted that the child would be either an emperor or a Teerthankar.

For over a decade, he was an ascetic, wandering about, begging for food, and wearing little. Then he found enlightenment, became a Tirthankara and taught for 30 years before his death.

The present-day ascetic religion of Jainism revers Mahavira as their key prophet. Practised by over 3.5 million people, Jainism. They follow a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Some may wear face masks to prevent the chance of inadvertently killing an insect while breathing in.
Mahavir Jayanti is a festival marked with prayers and fasting. The holiday is especially popular in the eastern state of Bihar, where Mahavira was born near the modern town of Patna. A large celebration is held at the Parasnatha temple, Calcutta.

04/15/2022

Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, the day on which Christians annually observe the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From the early days of Christianity, Good Friday was observed as a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting, a characteristic that finds expression in the German word Karfreitag (“Sorrowful Friday”).

Following the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), the mainstream of Christian tradition has held that Jesus’ last meal with his disciples on the evening before his Crucifixion was a Passover seder. That would place the date on which Jesus died on 15 Nisan of the Jewish calendar, or on the first day (starting at sundown) of Passover.

Some Christians understand the death of Jesus as necessary for forgiveness of sins. Others understand this death as a gross injustice. Still others see the crucifixion as a theological expression of self-sacrifice to maintain the integrity of Jesus' beliefs and faith in God.

In any case, this is a day of deep loss and mourning, as well as a reminder that faith can sometimes come with negative experiences of persecution and even death.

04/14/2022

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, believed to be the day when Jesus celebrated his final Passover with His disciples. Most notably, that Passover meal was when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in an extraordinary display of humility. He then commanded them to do the same for each other.

At the end of this meal, Jesus give a final commandment, that we ought to love one another.

The New Testament suggests that at this Passover meal, Jesus provides further significance to the bread and wine of the Passover elements. The bread was symbolized as Jesus’ body, while the wine was symbolized as his blood. This is a foreshadowing of the violent ex*****on he would suffer the following day.

The liturgy/service ends with stripping of the altar and worship space of all accoutrements as a preparation for Good Friday mourning.

04/14/2022

It marks the start of the Punjabi New Year, but it is also a day to celebrate 1699 - the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith.

Vaisakhi has been a harvest festival in Punjab - an area of northern India - for a long time, even before it became so important to Sikhs.

In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh chose the festival as the moment to establish the Khalsa - that's the collective name given to Sikhs who've been baptised.

The story goes that at the festival, he came out of a tent carrying a sword and said that any Sikh prepared to give his life for his faith should come into the tent.

Five men disappeared into the tent, and the Guru came out - alone - with blood on his sword. This worried the crowds.

That is until the five men then came out from the tent unharmed and wearing turbans.

They became known as Panj Piare or the 'Beloved Five' - and they were to be the first members of the Khalsa.

They were baptised by the Guru who sprinkled them with Amrit, which is the Sikh word for holy water. He also said prayers.

This ritual became the basis of the Sikh baptism ceremony.

To celebrate Vaisakhi, Sikhs will visit places of worship called Gudwaras. These will also be especially decorated for the occasion.
Many people enjoy parades and special processions through the streets called nagar kirtans.

'Nagar' means town and 'kirtan' means the singing of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Sikh holy book.

The book is carried in the processions in a place of honour.

Celebrations traditionally include singing and music, as well as reading scriptures out loud and chanting hymns.

Many Sikhs also choose Vaisakhi as the day to be baptised in to the Khalsa brotherhood.
Normally big celebrations take place in the city of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, which is where Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa.

Farmers in the Punjab will also use Vaisakhi as an opportunity to give thanks for a plentiful harvest and pray for a good one in the year to come.

04/11/2022

Please take a moment to check out this amazing website and resource for learning more about World Religions.

Brian Carwana is an excellent teacher and wonderful ambassador for interfaith and intercultural learning and friendship!

Encounter educatores and provides consulting on religious diversity to educators, police, medical professionals, non-professionals and individuals.

04/10/2022

Rama Navami is a Hindu festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha of Ayodhya in Northern India.

It is celebrated on the ninth day of Chaitra month (the first month in the Hindu lunar calendar). It marks the culmination of the spring festival of Chaitra Navratri.

Rama was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. He was the hero of the Ramayana, the ancient Sanskrit epic.

A continuous recital of the book takes place during the month of Chaitra prior to the celebration. On Rama Navami itself, the highlights of the story are read in the temple.

Houses are thoroughly cleaned on Rama Navami and a family shrine may be decorated with small statues of Rama. Offerings of flowers and fruit are placed on the shrine and prayers are recited after an early bath.

To mark the day, followers of Hinduism may fast or restrict themselves to a specific diet and won't eat certain foods like onions, garlic, and wheat products.

The celebrations at key places associated with Lord Rama, such as Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and Ramesvaram in Tamil Nadu can attract thousands of devotees.

In some parts of India, there is a tradition of tying an earthen pot full of money on top of a tree and local youths form teams to try and claim the pot.
It isn't as easy as it sounds; the base of the tree is covered with soft mud. And while the teams try to reach the top of the tree by forming human pyramids, the onlookers are shooting water jets at them.