 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Religious festival" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Areligious festival is a time of special importance marked by adherents to thatreligion. Religious festivals are commonly celebrated on recurring cycles in acalendar year orlunar calendar. The science of religious rites and festivals is known asheortology.
Festivals(feriae) were an important part ofRoman religious life during both theRepublican andImperial eras, and were one of the primary features of theRoman calendar.Feriae ("holidays" in the sense of "holy days") were either public(publicae) or private(privatae). State holidays were celebrated by the Roman people and received public funding.Feriae privatae were holidays celebrated in honor of private individuals or by families.[1]
The 1st-century BC scholarVarro definedferiae as "days instituted for the sake of the gods."[2] A deity's festival often marked the anniversary (dies natalis, "birthday") of the founding of the deity's temple, or a rededication after a major renovation.[3] Public business was suspended for the performance of religious rites on theferiae.Cicero says that people who were free should not engage in lawsuits and quarrels, andslaves should get a break from their labors.[4] On calendars of the Republic and early Empire, thereligious status days were marked by letters such asF (forfastus), andN (fornefastus, when political activities and the administration of justice were prohibited). By the late 2nd century AD, extant calendars no longer show these letters, probably as a result of calendar reforms undertaken byMarcus Aurelius that recognized the changed religious environment of the empire.[5]
On surviving Roman calendars, festivals that appear in large capital letters (such as theLupercalia andParilia) are thought to have been the most ancient holidays, becoming part of the calendar before 509 BC.[6] Some of the oldest festivals are not named for deities.[7] During theImperial period, several traditional festivals localized at Rome became less important, and the birthdays and anniversaries of the emperor and his family gained prominence as Roman holidays. Games(ludi), such as theLudi Apollinares, were often dedicated to particular deities, but were not technicallyferiae, although they might be holidays in the modern sense of days off work(dies festi). After the mid-1st century AD, there were more frequentspectacles and games(circenses) held in the venue called a "circus", in honor of various deities or for imperial anniversaries(dies Augusti). A religious festival held on a single day, such as theFloralia, might be expanded with games over multiple days(Ludi Florae); the festival ofFlora is seen as a precursor ofMay Day festivities.[8]
A major source for Roman holidays isOvid'sFasti, a poem that describes and provides origins for festivals fromJanuary toJune at the time ofAugustus. Because it ends with June, less is known about Roman festivals in the second half of the year, with the exception of theSaturnalia, a religious festival in honor ofSaturn on December 17 that expanded with celebrations through December 23. Probably the best-known Roman festival, some of its customs, such as gift-giving and the prevalence of candles, are thought to have influenced popular celebrations ofChristmas.[9]
Japanese festivals andBarua festivals often involveBuddhist culture, as dopagoda festivals held asfairs held atBuddhist temples in countries such as Thailand. Features of BuddhistTibetan festivals may include the traditionalcham dance, which is also a feature of some Buddhist festivals inIndia andBhutan. Many festivals of Nepal are religious festivals involving Buddhism.
The central festival ofChristianity isEaster, on which Christians celebrate their belief thatJesus Christrose from the dead on the third day after hiscrucifixion. Even for Easter, however, there is no agreement among the various Christian traditions regarding the date or manner of the observance, less forChristmas,Pentecost, or various other holidays. BothProtestants andCatholics observe certain festivals commemorating events in the life of Christ, and as well asEastern Orthodox they often celebratepatronal festivals. Of these, the two most important are Christmas, which commemorates theBirth of Jesus, and Easter, which marks hisresurrection.
A celebration ofinterfaith dialogue, the first Festival of Faiths was held in Louisville, Kentucky,[10] and in 1998, SenatorWendell Ford passed a resolution in the United States Congress "to express the sense of the Senate that the Louisville Festival of Faiths should be commended and should serve as model for similar festivals in other communities throughout the United States."[11] Several cities throughout the United States now host interfaith festivals including Kansas City, Kansas,[12] St Louis, Missouri,[13] Indianapolis, Indiana[14] and Cincinnati, Ohio.[15]
'Utsava' is theSanskrit word for Hindu festivals, meaning 'to cause to grow 'upward'.[citation needed] Hindus observe sacred occasions by festive observances. All festivals in Hinduism are predominantly religious in character and significance. Many festival are seasonal. Some celebrate harvest and the birth of gods or heroes. Some are dedicated to important events inHindu mythology. Many are dedicated toShiva andParvati,Vishnu andLakshmi andBrahma andSaraswati.[16] A festival may be observed with acts of worship, offerings to deities, fasting, feasting, vigil, rituals, fairs, charity, celebrations,Puja,Homa,aarti etc. They celebrate individual and community life of Hindus without distinction of caste, gender or class.[citation needed] In theHindu calendar dates are usually prescribed according to thelunar calendar. Invedic timekeeping, atithi is alunar day.[citation needed] Among major festivals areDiwali,Gudi Padwa,Pongal,Holi,Ganesh Chaturthi,Raksha Bhandan,Krishna Janmashtami,Dasara or Dussehra, which may refer to the ten days of SharadaNavratri or the tenth day,Vijayadashami. Others includeOnam,Shivaratri,Ugadi, Rathayatra ofJagannath at Puri in Ilam, Nepal and many other places in Nepal and many other countries[citation needed]
Among majorIslamic religious festivals areEid ul-Adha,Eid ul-Fitr andRamadan.
Important festivals includeParyushan,Mahavir Janma Kalyanak andDiwali.
A Jewish holiday (Yom Tov orchag inHebrew) is a day that is holy to theJewish people according toJudaism and is usually derived from theHebrew Bible, specifically theTorah, and in some cases established by therabbis in later eras. There are a number of festival days, fast days (ta'anit) and days of remembrance.
Parwanaya is the largest Mandaean festival.[17]
Dehwa Honina orDehwa Ṭurma (the Little Feast) is a Mandaean religious festival which takes place on the 18th of Taura (Ayar), celebrating the return of the divine messengerHibil Ziwa from the World of Darkness to the World of Light.[18]
Mandaeans also celebrateDehwa Rabba (New Year's Day) andDehwa Daymaneh (Birthday ofJohn the Baptist).[19]
Natale di Roma, historically known asDies Romana and also referred to as Romaia, the festival linked to thefoundation of Rome, celebrated on April 21.[20] According tolegend,Romulus is said to have founded the city ofRome on April 21,753 BC. From this date, the Roman chronology derived its system, known by theLatin phraseAb Urbe condita, meaning"from the founding of the City", which counted the years from this presumed foundation.
The Baháʼí Faith has eleven holy days, which are important anniversaries in the history of the religion.
MajorSikh festivals includeGuru Nanak Gurpurab,Guru Gobind Gurpurab, Maghi, Poonai, Sangrand, andVaisakhi.
{{cite news}}:|first= missing|last= (help)Sorted by occasions, purposes or attributes | |||||||||||||||||
| Types |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Clothing |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Equipment | |||||||||||||||||
