Four Holidays in Three Days

Next week, four really significant holidays are occurring that, despite being quite important to their respective communities, are not well known to many of us. Learning about the significant holidays in people’s traditions is enjoyable but it also allows us to wish them well and makes each us feel seen when people acknowledge significant events in our and our families’ lives. So, buckle up and let’s explore these four big holidays.

Diwali (October 31 or November 1)

Approximately a billion Hindus worldwide will celebrate their most significant day of the year next week when they mark Diwali. Diwali is the festival of lights and for many Hindus marks the new year. It is actually a five-day festival but the third day is the most significant when Hindus celebrate the goddess Lakshmi including cleaning and decorating their homes to invite her to come visit and bring blessings.

Diwali is bright. The great polarity in Hinduism is between light and darkness or, if you prefer, wisdom and ignorance. Hence, Diwali is marked by lighting millions of small lamps or diyas. They are often integrated into beautiful images called rangoli, colourful patterns made from crushed stone, red ochre powder, coloured sand, and other materials. The rangoli are used to decorate homes and, in India, public spaces as well.

Finally, the festival of lights is everywhere accompanied with fireworks. Depending where you live, you may hear some. (For more on Diwali, see our write-up here).

Rangoli are beautiful patterns made to decorate homes and public spaces on Diwali. Photo credit: Dinesh Korgaokar, https://en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Dia de los Muertos (November 1 and 2)

The Mexican Day of the Dead is a festival commemorating loved ones who have passed but the event creatively injects joy to mingle with and soften some of the natural sadness. Some commentators have noted that Mexico has a unique culture around death for whereas in the West, we tend to shun death, the Mexican culture brings it into the open, sees it as a natural part of life and even celebrates it as a passage to something better.

As with Diwali, devotees mark the day with colour. They decorate gravesites, set up home altars, and light many candles. The spirits of the deceased are attracted with sweet smelling cempasuchil (marigolds), candles, sugar skulls and things favoured by your deceased loved one (from chocolates to alcohol).

Left: Día de Muertos altar commemorating a deceased man in Milpa Alta, Mexico City. Photo credit: Eneas de Troya, https://en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 2.0. Right: This image represents the Catrina, a female character representing the dead created by Guadalupe Posadas, Cempasúchil, alfeñiques and papel picado used to decorate an altar, Photo credit: Paolaricaurte, https://en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Samhain (evening of October 31)

The Wiccan celebration of Samhain combines elements of both the holidays mentioned above. Like Diwali, Samhain marks the new year and is the biggest day on the Wiccan calendar. Like Dia de los Muertos, Samhain is a time for honouring those who have passed, especially in the past year. In addition, Wicca is a nature-based tradition and so the date also marks the end of the growing season as the earth begins to die and to go quiet for the winter.

Wicca is a very decentralized tradition with no hierarchy and so there is no standard way to celebrate Samhain. Common elements can include venerating one’s ancestors, rituals of release and renewal, and divination. Bonfires are also common as is feasting and dressing up (in costumes rather than just dressing nicely) which I witnessed when I attended a communal Samhain celebration in Toronto some years back.

Many Wiccans practice their tradition individually in which case the day may be marked by rituals around a home altar.

A modern Samhain bonfire. Photo credit: Unknown author, https://en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Coronation Day (November 2)

Coronation Day is one of the most important days for Rastafarians (a tradition we’ve described briefly before). It marks the day that Haile Selassie was crowned king of Ethiopia in 1930. When Selassie ascended to the throne, it fulfilled prophesies about a coming African king at a time when the world found the idea of a Black king shocking. Many Rastas see him as the messiah promised in the Bible and consider him the second coming of Jesus.

Those gathering for the day celebrate with practices of singing, dancing, and drumming. Gatherings also feature worship and reasonings (the latter are talks that discuss Rasta teachings, sometimes regarding ethics, behaviour or dietary codes, but sometimes explaining history, or relating teachings to politics and world events).

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I. Photo credit: Unknown Author, https://en.wikipedia.org, Public Domain

Conclusion

In many parts of the world, this time of year marks the end of summer, the end of the growing season, and the waning of the light. Some festivals mark this time by making natural connections with the waning of our own lives. In other cases, historical events simply occurred at this time.

Holidays are a great opportunity to learn about other traditions and to connect with neighbours, colleagues and teammates. If you know someone celebrating, wish them a good holiday or, if it’s appropriate, ask how they’re celebrating or (if it’s passed) how they marked the day. Take cues from them to see how open they are to the conversation but when people ask about us with genuine curiosity and good intentions, most of us like to be seen.

Finally, our 2025 Holiday Guide is out that lists the major religious holidays for next year. This annual guide has become popular with workplaces, schools, governments, clubs, community centres and individuals. It’s free at the link.

For those of you celebrating, we wish you a good holiday.

Photo Credit: Canva.com; Worldreligions.ca