Month: January

CHRISTMAS EVE AND DAY – ORTHODOX AND RASTAFARIAN

06 January

6th – 7th January 2026

Christian – (Christian – Orthodox and Armenian: Julian calendar)

Many Orthodox and Armenian churches, and certain others related to them (including the Ethiopian and Rastafarian communities, see below) still use the Julian, rather than the Gregorian Calendar, that is currently used by Western Christians. Accordingly they celebrate Christmas and certain other festivals thirteen days after the Western churches, so that the 6th and 7th of January in the Orthodox calendar equate to the 24th and 25th December in the Western one.

The focus of their celebrations is the arrival of the three Wise Men to celebrate the birth of the infant Jesus, supported by the belief that one of them came from Ethiopia. Rastafarian tradition holds that Baltazar (Balthasar), one of the Three Kings, was from Ethiopia, and is often depicted as a black man even in the West. In Ethiopia, Lidät is celebrated with a special service at church. The more devout will fast on the gahad (Christmas Eve), and the even more devout for 40 days prior. At home, a big feast is prepared. No tree, no snow, no mistletoe. The main decoration depicts the Manger scene, where the Three Kings pay homage to the Infant. Tradition has it that Balthasar, the Ethiopian King, brought the frankincense. And, only children get presents. On this day, children play a hockey-like game called Genna, from where we get the alternative name of the Feast.

6th – 7th January 2025

Christian – Rastafarian and Ethiopian Orthodox

To Rastafarians it is a time not only to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the manner prescribed by tradition, but also to reflect on this event in the context of the original prophecy of his birth, seen as a manifestation of God not only as Priest but as King. The focus on January 7th as the date of his birth is held to be more accurate than the Western choice of a date with pagan connotations relating to the winter solstice.

Rastafarian Christmas celebrations in particular are lively and vibrant, and are evidence of the buoyant nature of these communities and their customs. At the same time the theological message of the incarnation is always visible in their corporate worship.

CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL

25 January

25th January 2026

Christian

The conversion of Paul the Apostle (also the Pauline conversion, Damascene conversion, Damascus Christophany and the “road to Damascus” event) was, according to the New Testament, an event in the life of Saul/Paul the Apostle that led him to cease persecuting early Christians and to become a follower of Jesus.

SHUSO

01 January

1st January 2026

Buddhist

For followers of Shin Buddhism, the New Year’s Day service is significant because it offers that wonderful opportunity to express our deep gratitude for the countless blessings we enjoy. Moreover, it enables us to realise the compassionate Heart of Amida Buddha which embraces us at all times. Where we have failed, we must strive to correct and rededicate ourselves to the Way of the Nembutsu.

 

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

18 January

18th – 25th January 2026 Christian
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an ecumenical Christian observance in the Christian calendar that is celebrated internationally. It is kept annually between Ascension Day and Pentecost in the Southern Hemisphere and between 18 January and 25 January in the Northern Hemisphere. It is an octave, that is, an observance lasting eight days. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is annually coordinated by the World Council of Churches, with participation by its member Churches, which include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Old Catholic Church, the Moravian Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, the Mennonite Churches, the Methodist Churches and the Reformed Churches, as well as the Baptist Churches and the Pentecostal Churches. The Roman Catholic Church, which is an observer in the World Council of Churches, celebrates the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

LABAJIE

26 January

26th January 2026

Chinese

Laba Festival

The Laba is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the La Month (or Layue), the twelfth month of the Chinese calendar. It is customary on this day to eat Laba Congee. The Laba Festival had not been on a fixed day until the Southern and Northern dynasties, when it was influenced by Buddhism and got a fixed time on the eighth day of twelfth month, which was also the enlightenment day of the Buddha. Therefore, many customs of the Laba Festival are related to Buddhism. It corresponds directly to the Japanese Rohatsu and the South Asian Bodhi Day.

NEW YEAR’S DAY / HOGMANAY

01 January

1st January 2026

National

A day widely observed throughout the UK, as is New Year’s Eve the preceding night, and especially in Scotland, where bagpipes, haggis and first footing are widespread. It is customary to make New Year’s Resolutions at this time.

GANJITSU

01 January

1st January 2026

Japanese

New Year’s Day celebrations in Japan are sometimes extended for up to three days, during which businesses are closed, families spend time together, decorations are put up and the first visit of the year is paid to local Shinto shrines.

THE NAMING AND CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS

01 January

1st January 2026

Christian

This day celebrates the circumcision or naming of Jesus at eight days old in accordance with Jewish custom, as recorded in Luke 2:21.

BIRTHDAY OF GURU GOBIND SINGH (1666 CE)

06 January

6th January 2026 (Bakrami Lunar Calendar)

Shiki

This day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru, who instituted the Five Ks and established the Order of the Khalsa on Vaisakhi (Baisakhi).

Gobind Rai was born on December 22, 1666. His father was Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru of Sikhism. In 1675 at the age of nine he became the 10th Guru on his father’s death and was the last of the ten human Gurus of the Sikhs. He was a student of Punjabi, Sanskrit, Brig Bhasha, Arabian, Persian and a number of other languages, and was highly regarded for his wisdom and leadership qualities. Throughout his life he wrote many poems about love, the worship of the Divine, equality and the putting away of superstition and idolatry.

On his birthday, historical lectures are conducted and poems are recited in praise of the Guru. Special dishes that are unique to this occasion are prepared and served during the festivities. Like other anniversaries associated with the lives of the Gurus, the day is referred to as a gurpurb, and is marked by the ending of an akhand path, an unbroken reading of the whole of the Guru Granth Sahib. This lasts for 48 hours.

In April 1699 Gobind Rai established the Order of the Khalsa after which point all initiated Sikh males were given the name Singh (meaning lion), and females the name Kaur (meaning leader) to emphasise equality and to remove caste distinctions. The Guru asked his devotees to bless him with initiation into the Khalsa and became Guru Gobind Singh. The Guru was a military genius, and when other approaches failed, he accepted the use of power and the sword to fight against tyranny in the defence of religious freedom. He fought twelve battles and his four sons were killed in campaigns against Mughal oppression. He instilled a martial spirit into his followers so that they would not fear the persecutions of the Mughal Emperors. He also gave Sikhs the new greeting of ‘Waheguru ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji Ki Fateh’, meaning ‘The Khalsa belongs to God; all victory is the victory of God’.

In 1708 Guru Gobind Singh was assassinated as he attempted to make peace with the Emperor, Bahadur Shah I. He left a great number of writings and his greatest contribution to Sikh tradition is that he instructed his disciples to consider the Guru Granth Sahib (the collection of writings from the previous Gurus), as their eternal Guru, and that this would be the source of the Gurus’ teachings, which would guide all their future decisions.

EPIPHANY

06 January

6th January 2026

Christian (Anglican and Roman Catholic)

This is the ‘twelfth day of Christmas’, but in the Church calendar the Epiphany season lasts until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The festival commemorates the first two occasions on which, according to Christian belief, Jesus’ divinity was manifested: when the three kings (also known as the wise men or Magi) visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, bearing symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; and when John the Baptist baptised Jesus in the River Jordan. The Roman Catholic and Protestant churches emphasize the visit of the Magi when they celebrate the Epiphany; the Orthodox churches focus on Jesus’ baptism.

Epiphany means manifestation or showing forth. It is also called Theophany (manifestation of God), especially by Orthodox Christians. Some Orthodox churches consider Jesus’ baptism to be the first step towards the crucifixion. The liturgical colour for the Epiphany season is white.

In many parts of Europe, the celebration of Epiphany is at least as important as the celebration of Christmas. While in England and her historical colonies the custom has long been to give gifts on Christmas Day itself, in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, Christians exchange gifts on Three Kings’ Day – the day on which the Wise Men brought their gifts to the Christ Child.

In some European countries, such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, children dress as the three kings and visit houses. In their roles as the kings, or wise men, they sing about the birth of Jesus and pay homage to the ‘king of kings’. They are rewarded with praise and cookies.

‘Dia de los Reyes Magos’ is the Latin American celebration of Epiphany, where it is the three wise men and not Santa Claus who bring gifts. Children write letters to the wise men telling them how good they have been and what gifts they want. In France ‘Le Jour des Rois’ (the Day of Kings), sometimes called the ‘Fête des Rois’, is celebrated with parties both for children and for adults. The ‘galette des rois’, or cake of kings, highlights these celebrations. This cake is round and flat, cut in the pantry, covered with a white napkin and carried into the dining room.

Children in Spain often fill their shoes with straw or grain (for the three kings’ horses to eat) and place them on balconies or by the front door on Epiphany Eve. The next day they find cookies, sweets or gifts in their place. In many Spanish cities the ‘three kings’ make an entry on Epiphany Eve, accompanied by military bands and drummers in medieval dress. Some countries in the Mediterranean welcome the ‘magic wise men’ who arrive by boat, bearing presents for children.

The gift of gold was the gift people usually gave to their King. By offering gold they were recognising Jesus as their King. The second gift, frankincense, is a white gum from a tree which, when hardened, will burn giving off a fragrant smell. It was burnt as an offering to God during worship, used as a medicine and a perfume. The third gift, myrrh, also a gum from a thorny tree, was used for healing wounds because it is an antiseptic that soothes redness and relieves pain, and so acts as a symbol of future suffering.

Epiphany is the day when some say that all Christmas decorations should be taken down, since otherwise bad luck will follow.
Matthew 21:1-12.