Hereford Diocese

Mar 13th
The Council for Christians and Jews.
Anti-Semitism to Anti-Israelism Michael Beer
At Our Lady’s Parish Room, Belmont Road, Hereford. 7.30pm

May 15th
The Council for Christians and Jews.
Speaker to be confirmed
At Our Lady’s Parish Room, Belmont Road, Hereford. 7.30pm

Religious Festivals of Other World Faiths
Mch 3rd
Hanamatsuri(Buddhist—Japanese)
A flower festival celebrating the Buddha Shakyamuni’s birthday. The use of flowers accentuate the tradition that the Buddha was born in a garden

Mch 5th
Birthday of Sri Ramakrishna(Hindu)
A Hindu teacher and mystic born in 1833

Mch 14th
Holi (Hindu)
A spring festival lasting one to five days. Bonfires are lit and coloured powders and dyes are thrown over people. Many of its customs are associated with its fertility origins.

Mch 14th
Purim (Jewish)
Celebrates the saving of the Jewish community from Persia The book of Esther is read twice in the synagogue and whenever the name Haman is read out it is drowned out with hooters by the congregation. Many attend in fancy dress. Hamantashen (Haman cakes filled with poppy seeds) are eaten

Mch 15th
Hola Mahalla / Mohalla(Sikh)
Introduced by Guru Gobind Singh in 1680 in Anandpur in Punjab as an alternative to Holi. Including competitive displays of swordsmanship, horsemanship, archery and wrestling as well as poetry it appeals especially to young people.

Mch 21st
Jamshedi Noruz(Zoroastrian)
New Year’s Day according to the Fasli calendar used in Iran. A family day with eggs and evergreens used as symbols of life, continuity and eternity.

Mch 21st
Naw-Ruz (Baha’i)
New Year’s Day and the end of the 19 day fast that concludes the old year.

Mch 21st
Spring Equinox(Pagan)
The powers of the gathering year are equal to the darkness of winter and death. For some pagans the youthful god with his hunting call leads the way in dance and celebration. Others dedicate this time to Eostre the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility

Mch 26th
Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian)
The birthday of Zoroastra in the Fasli calendar

Mch 29th-30th
Varsha-Pratipada (Hindu)
The first day of Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu lunar year. An auspicious day for starting any new endeavour.

Worth Reading
The Battle for God’ by Karen Armstrong.
The story of the developing relationship between the three monotheistic religions and the resultant rise of fundamentalism