The New Year has arrived and with the celebrations over for another year, it’s time to look to the future.
As we replace old calendars with new pages for 2022, many religious festivals and holidays will be scheduled to take place throughout the year.
From memorial days to Christmas, the coming months will be filled with events celebrated by many different religions – and this is a full list of what to expect.
January
The New Year’s Day, which fell on Saturday, was welcomed with widely observed celebrations also known as Hogmanay.
Other key religious dates in January include:
- January 6 – The Baptism Of Christ will be celebrated by Orthodox Christians and the Epiphany is celebrated by Anglican and Roman Catholics.
- January 9 – Roman Catholics will celebrate The Baptism of Christ.
- January 13 to 14 – Makar Sankranti is celebrated by the Hindu community
- January 18 to 25 – Christian unity week of prayer
February
The second day of February is recognised by Christians as Candlemas, celebrating the day that Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple after his birth.
- February 4 – Vasant Panchami is celebrated by the Hindu community to mark the beginning of Spring and is widely recognised in North India.
- February 14 – St Valentine’s Day is observed by Christian and the wider nation.
- February 28 – March 1 – Great Shiva Night is recognised in Hindu culture as the night on which Shiva performed the cosmic dance and is celebrated with night prayers and fasting.
March
St David’s day is commemorated on March 1 by the Christian community and wider nation to remember the death of St David, the 6th Century CE patron Saint of Wales.
Shrove Tuesday is also marked on the first day of the month with the British ‘Pancake Day’ or worldwide ‘Mardi Gras’ to commemorate the absolution from sin ahead of the Christian celebration of Lent.
- March 1 – the Muslim community will mark The Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascent
- March 2 – Ash Wednesday by the Christian community
- March 2 – the beginning of Lent for Orthodox Christians, this 40-day fast period ends on April, 15
- March 17 – St Patrick’s Day is celebrated by Christians and the wider nation
- March 17 to 18 – Hindu festival of Holi and Jewish festival of Purim
- March 19 – Muslim’s celebrate The Night of Forgiveness through prayer, charity, fireworks and fasting
- March 27 – Mothering Sunday is celebrated by Christians and Mother’s Day is celebrated by the wide nation
April
The second day of April marks the beginning of Ramadan for Muslims which signifies the time at which the Prophet received the first verses of the Qur’an – Ramadan takes place from April 2 to May 1.
- April 10 to 16 – Christian’s remember Jesus’s crucifixion with Palm Sunday followed by Holy
- April 15 – Good Friday is celebrated by Christian’s ahead of Easter
- April 16 to 17 – Hindu festival known as Hanuman Jayanti
- April 16 – Jewish people celebrate the Passover (eight day festival)
- April 17 – Easter Sunday (Christian and national celebration)
- April 24 – Easter day is when Orthodox Christian’s celebrate the resurrection of Jesus
- April 28 – the Jewish memorial day of the Holocaust
May
- May 2 – Eid-ul-fitr is ‘The Feast Of Fast Breaking’ for Muslims to celebrate the end of Ramadan
- May 19 – Jewish celebration of The Omer – lasts 49 days and is a time of sadness
- May 26 – Ascension Day is celebrated by Christians (40th day after Easter)
- May 30 – Trinity Sunday is celebrated by Christians
June
- June 2 is recognised by Orthodox Christians as the Ascension Day.
- June 5 to 6 is celebrated by the Jewish faith to commemorate ‘The Feast of Weeks’
- June 13 – Pentecost is celebrated by Orthodox Christians as the ‘birthday’ of the Church
- June 16 – Anglican Christians celebrate the Holy Communion
July
Hindu’s celebrate July 1 to commemorate Krishna – ‘Lord of the Universe’ with processions and festivals in India and parts of Britain.
- July 7 – Muslim’s embark on the Pilgrimage
- July 8 – the Muslim community pray and fast – those in Hajj spend the day in prayer on Mount Arafat
- July 10 – major Muslim festival al-Eid-al-Kabir takes place
- July 18 – Shi’a Muslims celebrate the Festival of the Pool
- July 22 – Islamic New Year is celebrated by Muslims
August
- August 6 marks The Transfiguration which is celebrated by Christians.
- August 7 – Jewish people will commemorate the destruction of Jewish Temples in Jerusalem by fasting for a full day
- August 8 – Muslims celebrate Ashura
- August 11/12 – Raksha Bandhan is observed by the Hindu community
- August 18/19 – the birthday of Krishna is observed by Hindu’s
- August 30/31 – Hindu’s celebrate the birthday of Ganesh, the god of good fortune and new beginnings
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September
Harvest festival begins in September for some Western, Anglican and Free Churches for Christians.
- September 26 to 27 – Jewish people will celebrate the Rosh Hashanah festival
- September 27 – October 2 – Hindu festival of Navaratri takes place
October
- October 2 – Hindu’s celebrate the birthday of Gandhi Jayanti ‘Father of the Nation’
- October 5 – Jewish celebration of the last ten days of repentance
- October 10 to 18 – Sukkot is celebrated by Jewish people
- October 24 – Hindu festival of Diwali (a new year festival lasting one to five days)
November
The first of the month is celebrated by Christians to commemorate All Saints’ Day.
November 2 marks the Christian celebration of All Souls’ Day to remember and prayer for the dead.
November 27 is Advent Sunday which signifies the start of the Christian year.
December
December 8 is commemorated by the Roman Catholic community as the day of immaculate conception of the blessed Virgin Mary.
