25th October 2026
Hindu
Lakshmi Puja is a Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth, prosperity, and fortune. It is celebrated annually on the Amavasya (new moon day) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight), traditionally considered the third day of Diwali in most parts of India and Nepal.
31st October 2026
Christian
All Hallows’ Eve falls on 31st October each year, and is the day before All Hallows’ Day, also known as All Saints’ Day in the Christian calendar. The Church traditionally held a vigil on All Hallows’ Eve when worshippers would prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day itself.
19th October 2026
Hindu
Durgashtami, also known as Durga Ashtami or Maha Ashtami, is the eighth day of the Navratri festival celebrated by Hindus in honor of Goddess Durga. It holds significant religious and cultural importance, particularly in Eastern India, where it is a crucial part of the five-day Durga Puja festival
21st October 2026
Hindu
The festival of Dussehra, usually falls on the last day of the Durga Puja celebrations, which is also the tenth day after the start of Navratri. It is observed throughout India to commemorate the victory of Lord Rama over the ten-headed demon Ravana. He, Ravana, was the king of Lanka who had abducted Rama’s wife, Sita, and was subsequently vanquished in battle. Large effigies of him are burnt as the sun goes down. This day is celebrated as the ‘Victorious Tenth’ (Vijaya Dashami) and huge figures of Ravana alongside his son, Meghnada, and his brother, Kumbhakarna, are filled with fireworks and set on fire in public parks. In the UK some temples carry this out, even if on a smaller scale.
On this day, Hindus worship the goddess Durga, who, pleased with Rama’s devotion, gave him the secret knowledge of how to kill Ravana. By using this, he was able to defeat Ravana and rescue his abducted wife, Sita. On this last day of the festival, young men and small boys, dressed as Rama, as Lakshman, his brother, as Hanuman, Rama’s chief supporter, and as Ravana, the demon, proceed through the streets of the community as part of an elaborate float. Rama and Ravana engage in battle; Ravana is defeated. At the end of the day, images of Ravana are placed in lakes and rivers to symbolise his defeat.
Then at sunset Rama fires an arrow into giant sized images of Meghnada and Kumbhakarna, stuffed – as is the effigy of Ravana – with crackers and explosives; finally an arrow is shot into Ravana’s effigy also, to the encouraging shouts of ‘Ramchandra ki jai’, ‘Victory to Rama’, and large explosions ripple through the sky.
Dussehra also symbolises the triumph of the warrior goddess Durga over the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. The story relates how asuras or demigods had become powerful and tried to defeat the devas and capture heaven. The goddess Durga came to the rescue and took up the form of Shakti to kill Mahishasura. Riding on a lion, she fought him for nine days and nights. On the tenth day, she killed him. Thus, in both legends, the festival tells a story of the victory of good over evil.
Dusshera is celebrated with excitement and fervour across the country. People revel in the festivities by wearing new clothes, exchanging gifts, preparing delicacies, watching Ramlila plays and burning huge effigies of Ravana in the evening. However, every state in India has its own story behind the festivity and its own unique way of celebrating it. Dusshera is celebrated not just in India, but in other countries as well including Nepal, Bangladesh and many others. It is a time when Hindus all over the world visit their relatives and friends.
For the nine days of Navaratri, people fast and perform religious rites so as to sanctify themselves and take a step towards purity, piousness and prosperity. On the tenth day, they burn everything that is evil in them, hatred, maliciousness, greed, anger and violence (symbolically represented by the burning of effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhakaran) and so they emerge as better individuals filled with a sense of gratitude, devotion and reverence.
Though there are several legendary tales behind the festival and its celebration, all culminate by marking the rise of goodness over evil, of positivity over negativity. In burning the effigies people attempt to burn away all their selfishness, and then follow the path of truth and goodness. According to Hindu Scriptures, by worshipping the ‘shakti’ on these nine-days, householders attain the threefold powers, (physical, mental and spiritual), which help them live their lives as the gods direct.
The festival of Dusshera is noteworthy for both its moral and its cultural significance. People, irrespective of their creed, culture or religion, gather to vanquish all evil and unpleasant things and imbibe the goodness around them. The essence of the festival lies in its message: with devotion to the goddess it is possible to overcome all obstacles and emerge victorious and successful.
21st October 2026
Hindu
Durga Puja is a celebration of the Mother Goddess, and the victory of the revered warrior Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura. The festival honours the powerful female force (shakti) in the Universe.
In Nepal, Bangladesh and West Bengal and other north eastern areas of India, Durga Puja is the biggest annual festival and lasts for several days. In Kolkota (Calcutta) hundreds of pandals (decorated temporary shrines) are put up. The Goddess’s slaying of the demon is celebrated, and in Nepal the celebration may involve animal sacrifices. The festival frequently ends with the immersion of figures of Durga in rivers and in the sea.
The name ‘Durga’ means ‘inaccessible’, and she is the personification of the active side of the divine ‘shakti’ energy of Lord Shiva. In fact, she represents the furious powers of all the male gods, and is the ferocious protector of the righteous, and destroyer of the evil. Durga is usually portrayed as riding a lion, and carrying weapons in her many arms.
The celebration of total victory over this personification of evil, together with the role of the female goddess in achieving an annual victory as great as this, are grounds for widespread rejoicing throughout the Indian subcontinent. The immersion of the goddess in water is, however, an act of purification and adoration. It denotes cleansing and rebirth rather than drowning and destruction.
11th – 20th October 2026
Hindu
All around the world Hindu families gather at this time to participate in circle dances associated with the goddess Durga and with Lord Krishna. Navaratri means nine nights, the length of the festival. Hindus from different areas of India, and especially from Gujarat, celebrate it in different ways: in the north the Ram Lila is performed each night, in celebration of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, the demon king of Sri Lanka; many Punjabis worship the goddess daily during Navaratri, and observe a strictly vegetarian diet; on the eighth day, Durga Ashtami, Punjabi Hindus fast before conducting worship of the Goddess that involves honouring young girls as the embodiment of her power.
The significance of Navratri lies in offering devotion to the mother goddess Amba (Durga), who is worshipped in many forms. These are known as ‘shakti’ (power), since the tales tell of the goddesses’ power in the killing of demons. Parvati, the wife of Shiva is also said to have taken the forms of several different goddesses. In particular, the goddess Durga is worshipped for the first three days of Navratri, followed by the goddess Laxmi for the next three. The last three days are devoted to the goddess Saraswati. The significance of these female deities lies in the variety of methods they portray for deriving solutions to life’s problems, and so Durga triumphs over evil, Saraswati removes ignorance, and Lakshmi brings prosperity.
Navratri in India witnesses myriad forms of devotion across the country, but everywhere the common underlying theme is of the struggle between and the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated all over India and also among the Hindu diaspora with great enthusiasm. A common greeting during this festival is Shubh Navratri (Happy Navratri). Before the festival, skilled artisans prepare clay models of the goddess in her various forms. At the end of the festival these are transported to rivers or the sea where they are immersed.
Many Hindus take part in special ceremonies, rituals, fasts and festivities. People buy new clothes, prepare delicious sweets and organise gifts for family and friends. During Navratri, many Hindus in Gujarat and elsewhere wear colourful costumes and perform a special type of vigorous dance known as garba. Traditionally, garbas are performed around an earthen lamp or an image of the mother goddess. It is a devotional dance form that derives from the folklore of Lord Krishna singing and dancing with the gopis, using ‘dandiya’ or slim wooden sticks. Over the years the Navratri festival has seen many changes, with well-choreographed dance performances, high-end acoustics, innovations in music, and people dressed in made-to-order, bright costumes. Performances of the ‘Ramlila’, in which people enact scenes from the Ramayana are a regular feature.
1st October 2026
Zoroastrian
Jashn-e Mehergan is an Autumn festival, and like NoRuz its origins have been lost in antiquity. Mehergan is dedicated to the divinity Meher or Mithra, who is associated with the sun and with justice. The ripening of the crops and fruits at this time of the year is seen as symbolic of the ripening of the world into fullness, before the moment of the ultimate victory over evil. It evokes the physical resurrection of the body along with its immortal soul, as promised by the Lord, Ahura Mazda.
It is customary at this time to visit the Fire Temple to offer thanks to the Creator God, to participate in a jashan or thanksgiving ceremony, to listen to stories of King Faridoon’s triumphant capture of the evil Zohak, and to share in a special community meal. For this celebration, the participants wear new clothes and prepare a decorative, colourful table. The sides of the tablecloth are festooned with dry wild marjoram. On the table are placed a copy of the Khordeh Avesta (the ‘little Avesta), a mirror and a sormeh-dan (a traditional eyeliner or kohl), together with rosewater, sweets, flowers, vegetables and fruits, (pomegranates and apples), and nuts such as almonds or pistachios. A few silver coins and lotus seeds are set in a dish of water, scented with extract of marjoram.
A burner is also part of the table setting, ready for frankincense and seeds of Syrian rue to be thrown on the flames. At lunch time, when the ceremony begins, everyone in the family stands in front of the mirror to pray. Sherbet is drunk and then – as a good omen –kohl is applied around the eyes. Handfuls of wild marjoram, lotus and sugar plum seeds are thrown over one another’s heads while they embrace each other. The meal concludes with an appropriate drink, dancing and merrymaking.
Mehregan is an Iranian festival and is celebrated in honour of Mithra, the angel of covenants, and hence of interpersonal relationships such as friendship, affection and love. He is the greatest of the Yazats (angels), and is an angel of light, associated with the sun (but distinct from it), and with legal contracts. Mithra is also a common noun in the Avesta meaning ‘contract’. He is said to have a thousand ears and ten-thousand eyes.
Mithra figures prominently in the writings of other religions too. He is mentioned in the Rig Veda over 200 times, where the Sun is said to be the eye of Mithra. In the angelology of Jewish mysticism, as the result of Zoroastrian influence, Mithra appears as Metatron, the highest of the angels. He appeared as Mithras, god of the Mithraic religion popular among the Roman military. He is also mentioned in Manichaeism and in Buddhist texts. Mehregan, Tiragan, and Norooz, were the only Zoroastrian feasts to be mentioned in the Talmud, which is an indication of their popularity – and his.
4th October 2026 Simchat Torah (Jewish)
3rd October 2026 Shemini Atzert (Jewish)
This festival, whose name means ‘Rejoicing in the Torah’, marks the completion of the annual cycle of reading from the Torah. As the reading of the Law in the synagogue should be continuous, a second scroll is begun again as soon as the final portion of the Torah has been read from the first scroll; so, as the reading from Deuteronomy ends, with the next breath, Genesis begins without a break – the Torah is a circle that never ends. All the Torah scrolls are paraded around the synagogue, with children dancing and singing, as do many of the adults, giving as many people as possible the honour of carrying a Torah scroll. Progressive Jews frequently celebrate this one day earlier, combining it with the eighth day of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret.
The Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and given to members of the congregation to hold; then they march around the synagogue and everyone kisses the Torah scrolls as they pass. This ceremony is known as hakafot, which means “to march around” in Hebrew. Once the Torah holders return to the ark everyone forms a circle around them and dances with them.
There are seven hakafot in total, so as soon as the first dance is completed the scrolls are handed to other members of the congregation and the ritual begins anew. In some synagogues, it is also popular for children to hand out candy to everyone.
During Simchat Torah services the next morning, many congregations will divide into smaller prayer groups, each of which will use one of the synagogue’s Torah scrolls. Dividing the service up this way gives every person in attendance the opportunity to bless the Torah. In some traditional communities, only the men or pre-bar mitzvah boys accompanied by adults bless the Torah (post bar mitzvah aged boys are counted among the men). In other communities, women and girls are also allowed to take part.
Because Simchat Torah is such a happy day, services are not as formal as at other times. Some congregations will drink liquor during the service; others will make a game out of singing so loud that they drown out the cantor’s voice. Overall the holiday is a unique and joyful experience.
The association of joy with the reading and study of Torah recurs in much of Jewish worship, and celebrations such as Shabbat, Shavuot and Pesach all bear witness to the centrality of Torah to Jewish life.
31st October 2026
SAMHAIN (pronounced Sow-in) Wiccan Pagan
SAMHUINN Druid
For all pagan communities the wheel of the year is seen to begin at Samhain. This is the Celtic New Year, when the veil between the world of the dead and the world of the living is said to be at its thinnest. Samhain is the festival of death when pagans remember and honour those who have gone before. Fires are lit and ‘dead wood’ is burned before stepping into the darkness of winter. Pagans celebrate death as part of life. This is not a time of fear, but a time to understand more deeply that life and death are part of a sacred whole.
At Samhain the veil between the spirits and souls of loved ones are said to have more power and the ability to visit us. This is the time of year for remembering and honouring the dead, and many people will leave a plate of food and a glass of wine out for wandering sprits. (This is often called the Feast of Hecate). Samhain is also a time for personal reflection, and for recognizing our faults and flaws and creating a method for rectifying them.
It is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st. It is one of the two “spirit-nights” of the year, the other being Beltaine. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the thin veil between the worlds is lifted. Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the ‘Summer Lands’. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and to honour the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the aged Crone and her fading Consort.
Originally the ‘Feast of the Dead’ was celebrated in Celtic countries by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps for the ‘wandering dead’. Today many pagans still carry out this tradition. Single candles are lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Extra chairs are set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. Apples are buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who are lost or have no descendants to provide for them. Turnips are hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this is a night of magic and chaos. The Wee Folk became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Travelling after dark is not advised. People dress in white (like ghosts) and wear disguises made of straw, or sometimes dress as the opposite gender in the hope that they might perhaps be able to fool the Nature spirits.
This is the time when the cattle and other livestock are slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain are considered taboo, and left as offerings to the spirits. Bonfires are built, (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) and stones are marked with peoples’ names. Then they are thrown into the fire, to be retrieved the next morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretells that person’s fortune in the coming year. Hearth fires are also lit in the home from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes are spread over the harvested fields.
During the eighth century of the Common Era, the Catholic Church decided to use November 1st as All Saints Day. This was a sensible step since the local pagans were already celebrating the day, so it made sense to use it as a church holiday. All Saints’ became the festival to honour any saint who didn’t already have a day of his or her own. The mass which was said on All Saints’ was called All Hallow Mass – the mass of all those who are hallowed. The night before naturally became known as All Hallows Eve, and eventually morphed from Samhain into what is now called Halloween.
31st October 2026
Pagan
WINTER NIGHTS – Heathen
Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. The word Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows Evening, also known as Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve. Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting ‘haunted houses’, and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as of Australia and New Zealand.