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World Communion Sunday - World Communion Sunday offers congregations an opportunity to experience Holy Communion in the context of the global community of faith.

Eve of Yom Kippur (begins at sundown) - (Day of Atonement) is the year's holiest day and a day of fasting. To re-establish oneness with God, Jews ask forgiveness and forgive others. Then they can confess their sins and ask God's forgiveness. Yom Kippur begins at sundown the previous day.

International Day for Older Persons (UN)

Independence Day (Nigeria) - Gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960.

Dassehra or Vijay Dasami celebrates the victory of good over evil: of Lord Rama over the demon Ravan, and the Goddess Durga over a demon. It follows the nine-day celebration of Navaratri (nine nights) and Durga Puja (worship), when other Goddesses are also worshiped.

Yom Kippur - the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. It falls on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, and is commemorated with a 25-hour fast and intensive prayer. It is considered the holiest day of the Jewish year.

Ghandhi Day - Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence Movement. He adopted "non-violence" in fighting for his country's independence.

World Habitat Day (UN)

Day of German Unity (Germany) - Commemorates the day in 1990 when East and West Germany were reunited following the Cold War.

Eve of Sukkot, a pilgrimage feast and a time of thanksgiving, celebrates God's presence in creation and among the Jewish people. The Eight Day, Shmini Atzeret, is a distinct festival. Sukkot begins at sundown the previous day.

Full Moon 03:14 UT

Pavarana - Coming at the full moon, Pavarana marks the end of the Rains Retreat. This is also Founders' Day in Canada, celebrating the introduction of Buddhism into Canada in 1905 and the first assembly of Canadian Buddhists in Toronto in 1980.


Founders' Day (Canada)

First day of Sukkot

Thanksgiving Day (Canada)

Columbus Day (USA)

Han’gul Day (Korea) - Commemorates the creation of the Korean alphabet of 29 phonetic symbols called han’gul by King Sejong of the Yi dynasty between 1443 and 1446.

International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction (UN)

Thanksgiving Day (Canada) - Early Canadian settlers gave thanks for good harvests by decorating their churches with fruits and vegetables and celebrated dinner with venison and waterfowl.

Columbus Day (USA) - Honors the explorer Christopher Columbus who first landed in the western world in 1492.

Ghambar Ayathrem - celebrates the creation of plants, the sowing of the winter crop, and the return of herds from pasture,  begins

Chung Yeung Festival (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong) - Families visit the graves of their ancestors.

Columbus Day (Observed)

Noss Senhora de Aparecida (Brazil) - In 1717, a group of Brazilian fishermen pulled up a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, followed by an abundant catch after a fruitless fishing day. They enshrined the statue, and in 1929, the Brazilian nation declared Nossa Senhor Aparecida the Patroness of Brazil. At least 500,000 pilgrims flock to this sanctuary annually.

Hispanic Day (Spain) - A national holiday to commemorate Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. Día de la Raza is also a holiday in many Latin American countries.

Last Day of Sukkot

Eve of Simhat Torah, (Rejoicing of the Law) is the beginning of the synagogue's annual Torah reading cycle. Reform Jews celebrate it with Shmini Atzeret.
 (begins at sundown)

Simhat Torah

'Ilm, (Knowledge), the 12th month.

Ghambar Ayathrem ends

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (UN)

National Heroes Day (Jamaica) – Honors Jamaican heroes.

Navratri (India) - Navratri means "nine nights" starting on the new moon and ending on Dussehra. It is dedicated to the goddess Durga who had nine incarnations and has the power of good to destroy demons.

Laylat al-Qadr - or "night of power," commemorates the first revelation of the Qur'an (Islamic scriptures) to Prophet Muhammad in 610 CE, at the age of forty. The festival begins in the evening.

Birth of the Báb - (herald of the new age for Bahá'ís) birth anniversary. His shrine is at the Bahá'í World Centre, Haifa, Israel.

Jum'at al-Wada - "Farewell Friday" is the last Friday of the month of Ramadan and the Friday immediately preceding Eid al-Fitr. Jum'at al-Wada is not a festival but it is considered a special day by many Muslims.


Installation of the Guru Granth Sahib -This date celebrates the passing on of the guruship to the Holy Scriptures (the Guru Granth Sahib Ji) by the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh Ji.

Durga Puja (India) - Celebrates the divine creative force of the universe and honors the 10-armed goddess Durga, wife of Shiva, and the destroyer of demons.

Diwali - (Deepavali) is perhaps the most popular Hindu festival. Known as the Festival of Lights, it is dedicate to the Goddess Kali in Bengal and to Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, in the rest of India. As with several festivals, Diwali is associated with one of the stories about the destruction of evil by Vishnu in one of his many manifestations.

Bandi Chhor Divas - means "the day of the prisoner's release." It commemorates the return of the sixth Guru, Sri Hargobind Ji, to the holy city of Amritsar after his release from detention. Since he was released on the day of Diwali, the "Festival of Lights," Sikhs in Amritsar illuminate the city.

New Moon 05:15 UT

Mahavira Nirvana - (6th century BCE), the 24th Tirthankara, attained nirvana and release from the cycle of rebirth (moksha).

Spritual and Religious Awareness Week (Ontario Multifaith Council)

Abu Simbel Festival (Egypt) - Built by Ramses II, his temple is angled so that the inner sanctum lights up twice a year: once on the anniversary of his rise to the throne and once on his birthday. The other date for this event is Feb. 22.

Eid al-Fitr - the Breaking of the Fast, celebrates the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.

Chulanlongkorn Day (Thailand) - Commemorates the birth of Rama V, a progressive ruler who ruled from 1868 to 1910.

Departure of the Swallows (USA) - Visitors from all parts of the world gather in great numbers to witness the "miracle" of the departure of the swallows from the ruins of the old stone church of San Juan Capistrano in Southern California.

United Nations Day (UN)

World Development Day (UN)

Jnana Panchmi - Some Jains celebrate Jnana Panchmi, transcendent wisdom, by fasting for 36 hours. Others perform rituals and pray for right knowledge.

National Day "Ochi" (Greece) - Marks the anniversary of when Prime Minster Metaxas, said "no" (or "ochi" in Greek) to the invasion of Albania by the Italians, thereby entering themselves into World War II.

Daylight Saving Time ends in North America

Samhain - celebrates the Celtic New Year. The dying God returns to the womb of the Goddess in preparation for rebirth at Yule. The souls of those who have died during the turning of the past year's wheel are bid farewell. It also marks the third and final harvest. Vegan Wiccans harvest nuts, the kernels of which are symbols of wisdom. As the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is thinnest at this time, ancestors can join the celebrations.

Halloween - (USA, Canada) - This western world tradition marked by children in costumes going door-to-door for candy, originated in Ireland. Halloween is the eve of All Saints' Day and was a celebration of all saints and martyrs. Over time the holiday has strayed from its religious background and become a cultural event.

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No Child Left Behind/ Blue Ribbon School Award