PW: All Faiths Calendar

[ PW Home ] [ Bestsellers ] [ Subscribe ] [ Search ]

All Faiths Calendar
Staff -- 08/21/2000

Selected observances for August through October

Shree Krishna Jayanti
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Simchat Torah
Pavarana

Shree Krishna Jayanti (Hinduism)Also called Shree Krishna Janmastami, this festival celebrates the birth of Krishna and calls special attention to his role as the eighth incarnation of the god Vishnu. Hindus observe the holiday by staying awake all night, singing their praises to Krishna and telling the story of his incarnation through mythological dances. Crowds of devotees fill the streets, reciting the many names of Krishna and epic p try about his brave feats.

Recommended Reading:
The most famous p m featuring Krishna is the Bhagavad Gita, the sixth book of the Indian epic the Mahabharata. In October, Stephen Mitchell releases a brilliant literary (though not literal) rendition entitled Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation (Harmony).

Rosh Hashanah (Judaism)Hebrew Calendar:
Tishrei 1 and 2, 5761

Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, has its source in Leviticus (23:24) as a day when the Shofar (ram's horn) was to sounded and all work was to cease. It has also been linked to autumnal agricultural festivals. Sometime after the Babylonian exile, Rosh Hashanah became a holy day in its own right and became associated with the belief that heaven judges each human soul during this holiday. Other traditions state that Adam and Eve were created on Rosh Hashanah, a reflection of the idea that Rosh Hashanah is the time for all new beginnings.

Yom Kippur (Judaism)Hebrew Calendar:
Tishrei 10, 5761

Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, is the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar. Jews repent of their sins and pray that God's judgment on them will be favorable. In the Second Temple period, Yom Kippur was the one day of the year in which the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies in the temple and offer a sacrifice for the people's sins. Today, individual penitent practices, such as a 24-hour fast and abstinence from bathing and sexual relations, mark the holy day, which is spent largely in the synagogue.

Recommended Reading:
In February, Jason Aronson released The Jewish Holidays: A Journey Through History, which includes some fascinating anecdotes about the observance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur throughout history. For example, WWII Denmark resisted Nazi deportation orders by hiding 6,000 Jews from the eve of Rosh Hashanah to the eve of Yom Kippur in 1943, when the last group of Jews arrived safely in unoccupied Sweden. One family reported that its Rosh Hashanah dinner table, set just before their flight, was still intact when they returned home 20 months later.

Simchat Torah (Judaism)Hebrew Calendar:
Tishrei 22-23, 5761

The eight-day festival of Sukkoth, which celebrates the autumn harvest, is immediately followed by Simchat Torah ("rejoicing in the Torah"), the holiday that marks the completion of the annual cycle of reading the entire Torah in the synagogue in weekly portions. Jews express joy in the Torah by exuberantly dancing, singing and passing the Torah scrolls around the synagogue.

Recommended Reading:
UAHC Press has recently released a revised edition of Introduction to Judaism: A Sourcebook, a popular beginning text on Jewish observance. In September, Oxford releases Steven M. Lowenstein's The Jewish Cultural Tapestry: International Jewish Folk Traditions, which offers fascinating insights into popular rituals and festivals around the world.

Pavarana (Buddhism)This festival marks the conclusion of the Rains retreat (vassa), a three-month period in which Buddhist monks refrain from most travel, purify their conduct and renew their commitment to Buddhist teachings. Such practice is modeled after the Buddha, who was said to retreat to his residence during the rainy season, spending quiet time in serious meditation. This practice is particularly important in Theravadan nations such as Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Today, laypeople may also participate in the introspective months of the Rains, taking practical vows to improve their individual practice or to support the sangha (monastery).

Recommended Reading:
Publishers, take note: there is no accessible introductory text on Buddhist festivals, a glaring lacuna given the increasing popularity of Buddhism in the United States. To celebrate Pavarana's significance as the culmination of a purifying retreat, readers can turn to two Shambhala titles to help them improve their meditative practice. Will Johnson's Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient: The Physical Foundations of Mindfulness (July) encourages practitioners to be mindful of the embodied nature of meditation, while Tulku Thondup and others offer practical training suggestions in Boundless Healing: Meditation Exercises to Enlighten the Mind and Heal the Body (Oct.).
Back To
--->