Often tested
Festivals of other faiths
People of many faiths live in the UK. Besides the Christian festivals, here are five festivals from other religions that are worth knowing:
DiwaliHindu and Sikh
HannukahJewish
Eid al-FitrMuslim
Eid ul AdhaMuslim
VaisakhiSikh
- Diwali usually comes in October or November and goes on for five days. People often call it the Festival of Lights. It is a festival for both Hindus and Sikhs, and it celebrates good winning over evil and gaining knowledge. There are several different stories about how it began. Leicester, in the English Midlands, is known for its big Diwali celebration.
- Hannukah is in November or December and lasts eight days. It remembers the Jewish people's struggle for religious freedom. Each day of the festival, people light one more candle on a menorah, a candle stand with places for eight candles. This recalls an old story in which lamp oil that should have run out after one day kept burning for eight.
- Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, a month in which Muslims fast. Muslims thank Allah for helping them to keep the fast. The date is different every year, and people go to special prayers and share special meals.
- Eid ul Adha recalls how the prophet Ibrahim was prepared to give up his son as a sacrifice because God commanded it. The festival reminds Muslims how devoted they should be to God. Many Muslims kill an animal to eat during the festival, and the law in Britain says this must be done in a slaughterhouse.
- Vaisakhi (sometimes spelled Baisakhi) is a Sikh festival. It celebrates the founding of the Khalsa, the Sikh community. It falls on 14 April every year, with parades, dancing and singing.
Both Diwali and Hannukah involve lights, oil lamps for one and candles for the other, and in everyday English Hannukah is sometimes called a festival of lights too. But the name "Festival of Lights" usually means Diwali. Leicester first put up Diwali lights on Belgrave Road in 1983, and today its celebration draws tens of thousands of people and is often said to be one of the biggest outside India. The Sikh Khalsa was founded in 1699 by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. And because the Islamic calendar has about 11 fewer days than the calendar used in the UK, Eid al-Fitr and Eid ul Adha come round about 11 days earlier each year.
Quiz
Which festival, known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by both Hindus and Sikhs?
Diwali. Hannukah also involves lights, but it is a Jewish festival; Vaisakhi is only for Sikhs; and Eid ul Adha is a Muslim festival.
Quiz
Which TWO of the following statements are correct?
Hannukah is in November or December and lasts eight days (the five-day festival is Diwali). The festival that celebrates the founding of the Khalsa is Vaisakhi, not Diwali.
Quiz
What does the Jewish festival of Hannukah remember?
Hannukah remembers the Jewish people's struggle for religious freedom. Over its eight days, one more candle is lit each day on the menorah. The end of a month of fasting is Eid al-Fitr; good winning over evil and the gaining of knowledge is Diwali; and the founding of the Khalsa is the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi.
Quiz
Which city in England is famous for its Diwali celebrations?
Leicester. Every Diwali the streets around Belgrave Road are hung with lights and fill with crowds. Edinburgh is in Scotland and Cardiff is in Wales, so neither is in England, and Liverpool has no special link with Diwali.
Quiz
Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? Eid ul Adha recalls the story of Ibrahim, who was ready to give up his own son because God asked him to.
True. Eid ul Adha reminds Muslims of their devotion to God. Many kill an animal to eat on this day, and in Britain this must be done in a slaughterhouse. Don't mix it up with Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.