3 - 10 Oct
(8 days)
Sukkot
Also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, this festival commemorates the 40 years that the Jews spent in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land. Traditionally, a temporary structure, called a sukkah, resembling the sort of dwellings used by the Jews while in the wilderness, is used during this time for eating meals, entertaining guests, relaxing and even sleeping. The roof, which has to be open in part to the elements, is coverd with branches and decorated with fruit.
7 Oct
(Wed)
Pavarana
Buddhist holy day celebrated on the full moon of the eleventh lunar month. It marks the end of the month of Vassa (Rains Retreat), sometimes called "Buddhist Lent." On this day monks who have completed the Retreat invite their fellows to admonish them for their failings. Most Mahayana Buddhists do not observe Vassa.
11 Oct
(Sun)
Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah is a Hebrew term meaning "rejoicing with/of the Torah". It is one of the happiest days in the Jewish calendar and is marked with festivities in synagogues that include singing, dancing and a moderate consumption of alcohol. The day marks the completion of the annual cycle of reading from the Torah and on this day all the Torah scrolls are paraded around the synagogue.
17 Oct
(Sat)
Divali (Deepavali)
Also called Diwali or Deepavali, and often known as the "Festival of Lights", this major Hindu festival is a New Year festival lasting from one to five days. During the festival lamps are lit and fireworks set off. Various interpretations are given to the festival in different parts of India, but it is generally associated with Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity or with the victorious return of Rama and Sita to the kingdom of Ayodhya after their exile.
17 Oct
(Sat)
Divali
Jains celebrate Divali on the same day as Hindus and Sikhs. Although there are many similarities between the ways Jains and Hindus celebrate Divali (see Divali under Hindu festivals for details), Jains have a more ascetic approach to the celebration of Divali. The Jains celebrate Divali for three days. During this period, among the Shvetambaras, devoted Jains observe fasting and chant the Uttaradhyayan Sutra. The Jain New Year starts with Pratipada on the day following the first day of Divali.
17 Oct
(Sat)
Divali (Bandi Chhor Divas)
Divali is celebrated by Sikhs as the day when the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind, was released from Gwalior prison. He refused to accept the release unless Emperor Jehangir also released 52 imprisoned Hindu princes at the same time. To mark the festival, the Golden Temple at Amritsar is illuminated and firework displays take place there. It is also a time for new clothes, presents and sweets.
19 –
26 Oct
(1 week)
Inter-Faith Week of Prayer for World Peace
Inter-faith observance held annually. Each year a leaflet of prayers for peace is drawn up by a committee consisting of members from the major religious traditions of the world. Prayers and readings from all these faiths are included in the prayer leaflet for the year. At an annual service, members of all the faiths are invited to take part and contribute from their own faith resources. Participation in this week-long event is welcomed from peace groups and faith communities.
20 Oct
(Tue)
Anniversary of the Birth of the Bab
Bahá'í holy day commemorating the birth of Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad, the Bab, on 20th October, 1819, in Shiraz, Persia. This anniversary is observed between sundown on 19th October and sundown on 20th October, work being suspended during this period.
20 Oct
(Tue)
Conferring of Guruship on Guru Granth Sahib
Day commemorating an event that took place in AD 1708, when Guru Gobind Singh conferred guruship on Guru Granth Sahib.
30 Oct
(Fri)
Chung Yuan (Festival of Hungry Ghosts)
Chinese Buddhist and ancestral festival. During this festival paper objects for use in the spirit world are made and offered to aid the spirits who have no resting place or descendants. Large paper boats are made and burnt at temples to help spirits on their journey across the sea of torment to Nirvana.
31 Oct
(Sat)
All Hallows' Eve
The traditional name for the Christian festival now commonly known as Hallowe'en.
31 Oct
(Sat)
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en is celebrated on the night of October 31st, most notably by children trick-or-treating — dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets, fruit, and other treats. The term Halloween, and its older rendering Hallowe'en, is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the evening before All Hallows' Day (also known as All Saints' Day). Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent.
31 Oct
(Sat)
Samhain (Pagan)
Pagan festival with Celtic origins. Samhain is the Celtic New Year and the festival marks the ending of the summer season. Samhain is a festival of the dead, when Pagans remember those who have gone before and acknowledge the mystery of death. Elements of the festival became incorporated into the traditions of All Souls' Day and Halloween.
