Wesak is a very colourful and happy celebration. Homes may be cleaned and decorated. 

          In many countries, Buddhists will visit their local temple for services and teaching. They will give offerings to the monks of food, candles and flowers. Chanting and praying are an important part of Wesak.
          The 'Bathing the Buddha' ceremony is also often included. Water is poured over the shoulders of the Buddha as a reminder to purify their own minds from greed, hatred and ignorance.
          Gifts are taken to an altar to be offered to the Buddha statues. This shows respect and gratitude to the Buddha for his life and teachings.
          Giving to others is an important Buddhist tradition. Buddhists make a special effort to give to people in need at Wesak.
          Celebrations vary from one country to another. In Thailand and Indonesia, for example, special Wesak lanterns are made of paper and wood. In China, dancing dragons are incorporated into the celebrations.
          Another popular custom in some countries is to release caged birds. This represents letting go of troubles and wishing that all beings are well and happy.

By Leo E’2
          

It is believed that devotees who pray to Ganesha are able to fulfil their wishes and desires, they are set free of sins and it leads them on the path of knowledge and wisdom.
 
 There are four main rituals which are performed during the 10-day long festival which are named as Pranapratishhtha, Shhodashopachara, Uttarpuja, and Ganpati Visarjan.
 
 Weeks before the festival actually begins artisans start preparing clay idols of Ganesha in different poses and sizes.
 
 The Ganesha idols are installed in beautifully decorated 'pandal' at homes, temples or localities. The statue is also decorated with flowers, garlands and lights. A ritual called Pranapratishhtha is observed where a priest chants mantra to invoke life in the diety.
 
 Prayers are then offered to Ganesha's idol in 16 different ways. This ritual is called Shhodashopachara.

People celebrate by singing or playing religious songs, dancing to drum beats and by lighting up fireworks-- all of which add to the festive mood.

 

The Uttarpuja ritual is then performed which is about bidding farewell to Ganesha with deep respect. This is followed by Ganpati Visarjan, a ceremony wherein the statue is now immersed in water. While carrying the statue to the sea and while immersing it, people generally chant in the Marathi language 'Ganapati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya' which means 'Goodbye Lord, please come back next year'.

While some devotees celebrate this festival at home, others pay their visit to Lord Ganesha at public pandals. People offer their due respect, prayers and offerings to Ganesha. Dishes like Lord Ganesha's favourite Modak, Pooran Poli, and Karanji are prepared for friends, family and visitors.

People were their traditional costumes, sarees and Kalamkari blouse or Kalambkari dresses. 

by: Melina E1

The centerpiece of the Seder table is the Seder Plate. Many Jewish families own a specially designed platter with designated sections for each food, but any large plate or platter can work, as long as each of the following six Seder foods are represented on the plate:

Green Vegetable (Karpas): A green vegetable, usually sprigs of parsley, is one of the first things eaten in the Seder, dipped in salt water. The salt water symbolizes the tears shed during slavery, and the vegetable symbolizes different things, according to different sources, from the arrival of springtime and new life, to the Israelite's lowly origins. Some people use celery on their plate for Karpas, or boiled potatoes, a nod to the shortage of green vegetables in times of hardship.

Matzah: This flat, cracker-like piece of bread is the commonly associated with Passover. Also spelled matzoh or matzo, it represents the speed with which the Israelites escaped from Egypt — there was not enough time for bread to rise, so they baked it unleavened.

Jews eat matzah, or unleavened bread, throughout the eight days of Passover, but on the Seder table, there is a stack of three matzoh. Early on in the service, one piece is broken in half and hidden in the house. The children at the Seder hunt for this afikomen (or dessert) later, and the finder often gets a prize.

If you can make your own matzah, tradition dictates it must be made in only 18 minutes from start to finish: partly as tribute to the haste of the Israelite's departure, and partly because this is how long it takes for a grain exposed to liquid to ferment.

Bitter Herbs (Maror): Horseradish or romaine lettuce are the most common representatives of bitter herb on the Seder plate. It is symbolic of the bitterness and harshness of life as enslaved people. The bitter herb is used twice in the ceremony: once, eaten on its own, and again, with charoset between pieces of matzo. This "Hillel sandwich" is named for a sage who believed the combination represented a positive approach to the hardships in one's life.

Charoset: Derived from the Hebrew word for clay, charoset represents the mortar the Israelites used to build the Pharaoh's monuments while they were enslaved. Charoset is usually made from apples, walnuts, wine or grape juice, cinnamon, and honey or sugar. Other recipes might use dried fruit like dates or figs and almonds.

Shank Bone (Z'roa): The shank bone has its roots in the lamb that was scarified by the Israelites just before their departure from Egypt. On another level of interpretation, the word z'roa means arm, representing the outstretched arm with which God safely took the Israelites to freedom. This is one of the few things on the Seder plate that isn't eaten: instead it's a visual reminder of the sacrifice.

While some still use a roasted lamb shank bone, others choose to roast a chicken neck or thigh, because Jewish belief forbids sacrifices outside a temple (and, indeed, animal sacrifices are not performed at all anymore), so using chicken will dispel any mistaken notion, symbolic or not, that a sacrifice has occurred. Vegetarians often substitute a roasted beet.

Egg (Beitzah): A hard-boiled or roasted egg, like many other Seder foods, has dual meanings. Some say it is a traditional food of mourning, since its roundness evokes the circle of life. Others say it is a way of flouting the pagan traditions the Egyptians observed, such as not eating eggs or meat. Finally, a more overt interpretation is that eggs symbolize rebirth or the future. The egg on the Seder plate is usually hard-boiled, and most hosts make enough so each guest can eat one at the end of the service, often dipped in salt water.

Orange: The orange is a newcomer to the Seder plate; it's only been in recent years that some more progressive Jews have added it to their ceremony. Susannah Heschel, a professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College, proposed the orange be included to recognize and accept gay and lesbian Jews. Each guest eats a segment and spits out the seeds, symbolically rejecting homophobia. Others, however, view the orange on the Seder plate as a representative of the importance of women in Judaism.

Wine: Those with low tolerances, beware: four glasses of wine are consumed throughout the Seder, and as with all the other foods, there are multiple explanations for why there are four; two are the liberation from the Pharaoh's four evil decrees, and the four ways God promised He'd deliver the Israelites to freedom. An extra glass of wine is traditionally placed at the door to the house for the prophet who supposedly visits every Jewish house on Passover.

Dressing for Dinner: When attending Seder, dress elegantly and modestly in conservative silhouettes and subdued colors. A knee-length dress with a cardigan or a skirt and blouse for women, and slacks, a button up, and jacket for men are appropriate depending on location.
There are no traditional colors of this holiday, but some people consider all shades of red, green, blue, and white colors as typical ones for Passover. Red symbolizes the sprinkling of the blood on the doorpost and white symbolizes sheep that was butchered.


Video:
https://youtu.be/Ej6n_2KJ_OI

Nick Zournatsidis
E2

 

Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—is considered the most important holiday in the Jewish faith. Falling in the month of Tishrei (September or October in the Gregorian calendar), it marks the culmination of the 10 Days of Awe, a period of introspection and repentance that follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. According to tradition, it is on Yom Kippur that God decides each person’s fate, so Jews are encouraged to make amends and ask forgiveness for sins committed during the past year.

What do people do on this festival?

Jews mark the day of Yom Kippur by fasting for 25 hours. They also wear white and they don't wear make-up, perfume, or leather shoes. The most important part of Yom Kippur is the time spent in the synagogue. Even Jews who do not go to the synagogue very much will go on Yom Kippur. The day is spent in continuous prayer.

Do they eat something special?

Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement, and is a day (usually upward of 24 hours) for fasting, with no food or drink. If you do keep the fast (even most of it), what you choose to eat afterward is important. The last thing you want is a bad stomachache, or worse.

There are two meals associated with Yom Kippur: the pre-fast meal and the break-fast meal (obviously, for the duration of the fasting holiday, no food or drink is allowed). The pre-fast meal is known as seudah ha-mafaseket (literally, “meal of separation” or “concluding meal”).

Do they wear something special?

Many Jews wear white clothing during Yom Kippur (married men often wear a white robe called a kittle) and there are several reasons for this. One is to be like the angels, as during Yom Kippur the object is to atone and become pure, lighter and more transparent. Every Jew is buried in the same simple plane white robe, and wearing white is a reminder of mortality.

Interesting facts about Yom Kippur

The Yom Kippur War occurred when Syria and Egypt attacked Israel on Yom Kippur hoping that their army would be distracted by the holiday.

According to tradition, it is on Yom Kippur that God decides each person's fate, so Jews are encouraged to make amends and ask forgiveness for sins committed during the past year.

Children and pregnant women are not permitted to fast. 

The common greeting on this holiday is "have an easy fast". 

Major League Baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax was Jewish. He decided not to pitch in game 1 of the World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur. The next major Jewish holiday after Yom Kippur is called Sukkot. Yom Kippur is the second of the High Holy Days after Rosh Hashanah.
 
 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFNHtqrEGPw&t=231s

Jerry/Big J E’1

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year according to the Chinese lunar calendar. 

The festival signals the end of winter and the beginning of the spring, and the start of a new year. It is the most important holiday in China. Celebrations are observed in China and also in East Asian countries.

On this festival people put up decorations, eat reunion dinners with families on New Year's Eve, do firecrackers and fireworks, give red envelopes and other gifts, and watch lion and dragon dances.

They eat special food that symbolize good luck such as: 

Chinese usually wear red or other brightly-colored clothes on New Year's Day, to go with the festive and upbeat mood. Red is China's good luck color, believed to scare away spirits of bad fortune. Some families wear traditional Chinese clothing like qipao or Tangzhuang.    

From head to toe, all clothes and accessories worn on New Year's Day should be brand-new. Some families still wear traditional Chinese clothing like qipao, but many families now wear regular, Western-style clothing like dresses, skirts, pants, and shirts on Chinese New Year's Day. 

The five-clawed dragon is the emperor's sacred symbol of imperial power, representing its dignity. Even though dragons are mythological animals, they are symbols of the natural world, they are the rulers of the seas and the skies. Dragons are bringers of wealth and good fortune so they are actually the epitome of what Chinese New Year is all about, a celebration of luck and good fortune for the coming year. The dragon symbol is the sign of authority and is worn on robes of the Imperial family and nobility.

Throughout the ages, the Chinese have used lanterns not only as sources of light or simple paper decoration, but they symbolize vitality, social status and good luck. Around the world, the round, red lantern remains one of the most easily recognized trademarks of Chinese culture.

By Christina E'2