For a list of religious holy days and festivals for the year 2010, please click on the month you are interested in below. We have listed dates for the above faiths as wall as for Pagan and Chinese culture:
2010 - JanuaryFebruary March April May June July August September October November December
January 2010
01 January
New Year's Day (Secular)
The first day of the new year (in the Gregorian calendar). It is a time for looking forward and wishing for a good year ahead.
Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) was the tenth and last of the Sikh Gurus. He instituted the Five Ks (the five physical symbols that Sikhs must wear) and established the Order of the Khalsa.
Also known as Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day), Epiphany celebrates the visit of the wise men (the magi) to the infant Jesus. In the East, where it originated, the Epiphany celebrates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. (Catholics and Episcopalians celebrate this separately).
Christmas is a Christian holy day that marks the birth of Jesus, the son of God ( known as the nativity). Most Orthodox churches use the Julian rather than the Gregorian version of the Western calendar. Consequently Christmas is celebrated 13 days later than other Christian churches.
10 January
Baptism of the Lord
Occurs on the first Sunday after Epiphany and commemorates the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. The Catholic Church and Episcopalians celebrate this holy day but Eastern Christianity celebrates the baptism of Jesus at Epiphany.
First Sunday after Epiphany
Epiphany takes place on the 6th of January, but most Christians celebrate it on the first Sunday after that date.
13 January
St. Hilary's Day (Christian)
St. Hilary was a fourth century Bishop of Poitiers. According to tradition, St. Hilary's is supposed to be the coldest day of the year.
One of the most important festivals in the Hindu faith, Makar Sanskrant celebrates the sun's journey into the northern hemisphere and so the end of the monsoon season. There is a wide variety of ways in which Makar Sanskrant is celebrated throughout India including its name:
In Punjab it is called Lohri. In Utter Pradesh, it is called Kicheri and in Southern India it is celebrated as the harvest festival, Pongal. It is in Gujarat and Maharashtra that it is known as the Makar Sanskrant.
15 January
New Moon
18 January
World Religion Day (Multifaith)
The aim of World Religion Day is to foster interfaith understanding and harmony
The holidays, festivals and holy dates of Buddhism are based around the lunar calendar and consequently vary from country to country and traditon to tradition.
Candlemas represents the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of Jesus and marks the ritual presentation of the baby Jesus to God in the Temple in Jerusalem. It also coincides with Groundhog Day (USA).
Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the day of the Full Moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival.
Nirvana Day celebrates Buddha's death when he reached toatl Nirvana at the age of 80 years. Also known as Parinirvana, it is celebrated by some Buddhists on the 8th of February.
Commonly known as Pancake Day here in the UK, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated elsewhere in the world as Carnival or Mardi Gras. It falls just before Lent and was traditionally a day of fun and feasting before 40 days of fasting for Lent.
17 February
Ash Wednesday (Christian)
Ash Wednesday follows Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent for Western Christian churches. It is a day of penitence to clean the soul before the Lent fast.
Lent recalls the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. It is a time for reflection and fasting, both from food and festivities.
26 February
Milad un Nabi (Muslim) - Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
This date is important to Sunni Muslims beacuse the birth of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday is considered to be a blessing for all of humanity. It was to Muhammad that the holy Qur'an was revealed.
Purim commemorates the deliverence of the Jewish people from the Haman in the time of Queen Esther. On this day the Jewish community remember how Esther saved the lives of the Jewish people, as told in the Book of Esther.
Note: the Jewish calendar marks the start of a holy day or festival on the sunset of the previous day.
The Lantern Festival, which falls on the first Full Moon night, began as a religious festival over 2,000 years ago. It marks the end of celebrations for Chinese New Year when lanterns are lit to signify the lengthening of the days of spring.
