Discovering the Jewish Calendar

It was Hillel II who created a standarised Jewish calendar and leap year. It meant that holidays could be celebrated on the same date every year for Jews.

Rather like the most conventional calendar used, the Jewish one has months that are 29 or 30 days long and 12 or 13 months per year. Beacuse it actually takes 12.4 lunar months to complete a yearly cycle (365 and a quarter days), a year does not divide neatly into 12 months. The earliest Jews relied on seeing the new moon to judge when the beginning of the month would be.The Sanhendrin will declare the first of the month, also called rosh chodesh once the people observed the new moon. The agricultural cycle also has something to do with the number of months in each year.Adar Bet or the additional month is added on the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th year of the whole 19 years cycle for the Jews.

The Hebrew Calendar

The name for the official Israeli calendar is the Hebrew Calendar. As soon as the new moon is seen, a new month will begin. Months in the Hebrew calendar are called: Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat and Adar.The leap year in Jewish calendars makes it possible that each holiday is celebrated on the same season every year.

Festivals

Festivals in the Jewish calendar are still widely observed, and accordance with tradition is usually quite strict.They are already part of the customs of the people and they have been mirrors of the national life of the Jews.

Jewish Holidays

Jews place a great deal of importance on celebrating the holiday dates in the calendar. Each holiday provides a good opportunity for people to reflect on their life and the year that has passed.These holidays promote the sense of being one with fellow believers. The day of rest is the Shabbat (or Sabbath) and is the most important day of the week. There are other days during the year when working is not allowed, and they are centred around festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. Also, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipper are kept as days of rest.

Jewish days start during sunset so in celebrating the holidays, usually some confusion arises.Some still follow the ancient practice of adding an extra day to their holidays while others stick to having the holiday just for a day. Usually, festivities start on the evening before the main day’s events occur.

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Cambodian Ancestors’ Day – all the facts!

Cambodia respectful on Ancestors DayCambodia Ancestor’s Day: September 24,2009

This religious holiday is celebrated in Cambodia.

In Cambodia, respect for older people extends further than holding the door for old ladies. The Cambodians even have a whole day dedicated to respect for their deceased relatives, called the Festival of the Dead. The other popular name for this festival is Spirits Day, although it can also be called the Festival of the dead. Ancestors’ Day is always celebrated on the 15th day of the 10th month of the Khmer calendar. The idea is that dead elders ancestors come to walk the earth again on this day, and need to be given sustenence during their visit. This year’s festival falls on 24th September.

Understanding the history of Dead Spirits Day

Cambodia has 80 percent Buddhists population and according to Buddhist beliefs, the lives that we live after death, are predicated by the actions that we took when we were living. If for instance, a minor sin is commited in life, this will be punished with a relatively small punishment in the afterlife – such as being given a small mouth as a ghost.With a small mouth, it is hard to eat.Other, more severe, punishments could include being crippled or having no mouth at all.

General belief puts it that during this period, the Demon (King of hell) will release all the spirits ( the dead that cannot make their way to heaven or to reincarnation) to roam the world.These spirits are very afraid of light. Due to their not being allowed into heaven, the spirits have suffered terribly and are rather ugly by this stage.

For fifteen days, the spirits will roam around looking for food – they can usually find it in Pagodas where such food is left for them. Because the Spirits do not like to share, they will only eat what has been left for them. If nothing has been left for them, the family of the relative can expect a curse or spell to be cast on them. The curse could result in bad luck for a whole year, or worse! It’s incentive enough to make most Cambodian families leave some kind of offering for their deceased loved ones.

Traditions and customs

People of Cambodia celebrate this day in a very unique way.The first 14 days of the festival is called Dak Ben.During Dak Ben, the neighborhood of a pagoda is divided into 14 groups. The community then shares the duties of maintaining the Pagoda for this time with one party responsible for a separate area.Despite the division, crossing from one group to another is still allowed and welcomed. Those responsible on the day will bring sticky rice and coconut milk as an offering for the spirits.The last day Pchum Ben is the most auspicious day of the event where everyone celebrates, meets and has fun.

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Guy Fawkes Day: November 5, 2009

Among a few of the lesser known festivals centred in the British colonies is the Guy Fawkes day. The event is celebrated to commemorate a foiled plot to overthrow the government by blowing up the houses of parliament. Guy Fawkes was the lead of a group of Catholic conspirators. The plot was to kill James I – then King of England – and blow up the houses of parliament. However, the group was discovered before the plot could be executed.The festival since then has been a celebration of what England was and what it has been since the event had occurred so many centuries ago.

History of Guy Fawkes Day

The plot of this foiled gun powder incident can be in detail seen in the movie V for Vendetta that actually made the premise of the entire plot more interesting and brought to focus the entire nature of such an act.The act was viewed as treason and the men were punished by death. A visionary, Guy Fawkes inspired a group of people to commit the crime, and despite being killed is still held to be something of an inspiational figure.The plot itself is remembered by its day, the 5th of November, the starting lines of the “Remember, Remember the 5th of November…” poem.

The Custom of Guy Fawkes Day

The main event during Guy Fawkes Day is that of fireworks display. Large bonfires are also lit in towns across Britain. Other commonwealth countries also celebrate this festival includeing Canadar and South Africa. Australia also sometimes commemorates this day.

Owing to a fireworks ban, some other territories no longer celebrate the day – including Barbuda and Antigua. In Canada, the festival has a particular following in Newfoundland and Labrador. The night is often abuzz with the smell of fire and smoke at night. England naturally puts on the large displays! Quite often, large fireworks displays are put on to commemorate the festival, and municipal bonfires are lit.The festival which is Over 400 years still seems to have its followers all over the world. With an idea that could last forever, Guy Fawkes Day continues to be celebrated on the 5th of November annually.

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