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Rastafarians celebrate the birthday of Haile Selassie. Born Ras Tafari, Haile Selassie served as emperor of Ethiopia from 1930-1974. He is celebrated by Rastafarians as God incarnate (or as a messenger of God.) Celebrations include drumming, hymns and prayers.
Pioneer Day commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, where the Latter-day Saints settled. It is an official holiday in the state of Utah. (Wikipedia)
Lammas, or Loaf Mass is a Christian holiday celebrated in some northern countries. Like Lughnasadh, the Celtic holiday which falls on the same day, Lammas is a celebration of the first fruits of the new harvest. (Wikipedia)
Tisha B'Av is an annual fast day in Judaism, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire in Jerusalem. It is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. (Wikipedia)
Obon is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist–Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are... Read More
Krishna Janmashtami is a festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. The celebratory customs associated with Janmashtami include a celebration festival, reading and recitation of religious texts, dance and enactments of the life of Krishna according to the Bhagavata Purana, devotional singing till midnight (the time of Krishna's birth), and... Read More
Paryushana is the most important annual holy event for Jains. They increase their level of spiritual intensity often using fasting and prayer/meditation to help. (Wikipedia)
Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay idols privately in homes and publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages). (Wikipedia)
Mawlid is the Islamic observation of the day when the Islamic prophet Muhammad was born. Often organized in some countries by the Sufi orders, Mawlid is celebrated in a carnival manner, large street processions are held and homes or mosques are decorated. Charity and food is distributed, and stories about the life of Muhammad are... Read More
This day marks the start of the Coptic new year as well as being a feast for martyrs of the past. (Wikipedia)
Paitishahem Gahambar is one of six main Zoroastrian festivals. It celebrates the bringing in of the harvest.
Mabon is the modern Pagan celebration of the Autumnal equinox. a modern Pagan ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and the Gods during the coming winter months.
