Themepage - Festivals of Major World Religions

The goal of this themepage is to direct your attention to the dynamic ways in which believers from all corners of the world, celebrate their faith. A good way to actively engage here would be to identify the similarities and differences between festivals of different religions. For example, notice how light is used as a symbol across all faiths.

BBC Religion - Religious Festivals
The BBC website is a great place to begin your research of religious festivals.

Calendar Display
Calendar display of the festivals of major world religions for 2006, with links to great explanations of their backgrounds. Very swish, so don't miss it!

Exploring Faith
Click and read about the celebration of Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain festivals, as celebrated in India. Good for the study of faith in a cultural context.

The Hindu Festival of Light
Illustartions, animations and a mini-movie of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.

Jewish Festivals
Jewish festivals explained. Includes multimedia presentation of Hanukkah.

Preparing for Diwali
Audio-visual footage of how a family prepares for Diwali. 1.02 minutes. Requires Realplayer.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Jewish Cantor Abraham Lubin explains the traditions of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Includes video clip (Realplayer).

PBS - Fasting during Ramadan
Imam, Yahya Hendi, explains the purpose of fasting during Ramadan. Includes video clip (Realplayer). Easy to grasp.

Christmas
Things you may not known about Christmas, and how it evolved from a Pagan to a Christian tradition. Use Realplayer for video clip.A must!

Easter and its origins
Easter and its origins. Simple and informative.

Quiz - Basic Islam.
Two festivals of Islam are referred to here. See if you recognise them. Have fun!

Quiz on Judaism.
 Do you know the festivals that feature here?

Quiz on Hinduism. 
Do you recognise the festivals referred to here?

The Meaning of Easter
The meaning of Easter for Christians. Video interview with accompanying text. Raises big questions. (Realplayer)