21st – 25th September 2026 Higan
23rd September 2026 Shun No Hi
23rd September 2026 Buddhist
Japanese
This celebration marks the autumn equinox for Japanese people. As at the spring equinox, harmony and balance are the themes; sutras are recited and the graves of relatives are visited. September 22 is the equinox, the 24-hour period when day and night are the same length, the beginning of Autumn. On this day the sun shines at the equator for 12 hours. On the next day, days begin to become shorter than nights in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the past, the autumnal equinox in Japan was called shuki–koureisai (the autumn festival of the Emperor’s spirits). On this day, the emperor worshipped his ancestors by himself. Nowadays it is called Shuubun-no-hi and is a national holiday. It is the middle day of higan, a seven day period when the people of Japan commemorate their ancestors. Memorial services often take place at Buddhist temples, and many people visit their family’s graves with offerings of rice cakes, flowers, incense sticks, and offer prayers to comfort the spirits of their ancestors. Although Buddhism is common in India and China, these countries have no similar custom.
Higan has Buddhist origins. It literally means the “other side of the river of death”. The two sides of the river represent the worlds of life and death. During these days, Japanese families honour and pray for the repose of their deceased ancestors. This is different from Obon where the spirits of the dead are said to visit the houses of their relatives. At this time of year, living relatives are the ones who visit graves. They clean the tombs and offer prayers and flowers. They also burn incense sticks and offer sweet rice balls called Ohagi.
Higan, for Buddhists, is a good time to focus on the 6 Perfections: Dana (generosity), Sila (virtue), Ksanti (patience), Virya (effort), Dhyana (meditation, also ‘zen’), and Prajna (wisdom). Just as the worlds of death and life are separated by a river, so the Buddhists believe the 6 Perfections will be the bridge to cross from this life to Nirvana.
26th September – 2nd October 2026
Jewish
This is an eight day long harvest festival which commemorates the 40 years the Jews spent in the wilderness on the way from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. A temporary hut or a frail booth – called a sukkah – is built outside the house each year at this time for eating meals and for visits and socialising. In hot countries families may live in their sukkah during the festival. The roof has to be open in part to the elements, so that the stars may be visible through the gaps, and is covered with branches and leaves and decorated with fruit.
Spending time in the family’s temporary sukkah recalls their newfound liberty in days gone by, an element that underlies many of the festivals Jews celebrate, constantly reiterating and revisiting the central narrative of the Jewish story, the Exodus from Egypt and the journey to the Promised Land. It also recalls the fragility of life – both during the Exodus and in the present day – and the fact that all creation is dependent on the goodness of the Almighty for its life and comfort. Extending hospitality to others, and especially to the needy, is a particular Sukkot custom.
Many synagogues build sukkot that are used for communal meals and celebration, since many homes have no room for a personal sukkah. In Israel, blocks of flats are frequently built with their balconies not directly above one another so that the balcony can be used to build a small sukkah which it will be properly open to the sky as required. On each day of the festival special sections of the Torah and the Prophets are read, including the instruction to dwell in booths. The book of Ecclesiastes is also read.
Four species of plant, the lulav (palm branch), the etrog (a yellow citrus fruit), three branches of the hadas (myrtle) and two of the aravah (willow) are used each day of the festival, the etrog in the left hand and the other branches, bound together, in the right. They are waved side by side in all four directions of the compass and up and down to demonstrate the universality of the Almighty, while reciting appropriate blessings. This follows the teaching of the Torah in Leviticus (23:40) ‘On the first day, you will take for yourselves a fruit of a beautiful tree, palm branches, twigs of a braided tree and brook willows, and you will rejoice before the L-rd your G-d for seven days.’ Above all else, this is a festival of rejoicing at the bounty enjoyed at harvest time as a gift from G-d by the people of Israel.
Leviticus 23:33-43.
NB The first two days and the last two days are full festival days when, for Orthodox Jews, work is not permitted.
25th September 2026
Chinese
This Mid-Autumn festival celebrates the moon’s birthday. Traditionally, offerings of moon cakes are made by women to the goddess of the moon. Offerings are also made to the rabbit in the moon, who is pounding the elixir of life with a pestle. ‘Spirit money’ is bought along with incense and offered to the moon by women. They also make special ‘moon’ cakes containing ground lotus and sesame seeds or dates. These contain an image of the crescent moon or of the rabbit in the moon, and children holding brightly coloured lanterns are allowed to stay up late to watch the moon rise from some nearby high place.
21st September 2026
Jewish
The 10th day of Tishrei, the 7th Month of the Jewish Calendar
This is the final day of the ten days of repentance, following on from Rosh Hashanah, and is the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar. The Torah calls it the ‘Sabbath of Sabbaths’, and it is marked by ‘afflicting the soul’ – chiefly expressed through a total fast that lasts for 25 hours. Jews spend the eve and most of the day in prayer in the synagogue, asking for divine forgiveness for past wrongs and resolving to improve in the future in their attempt to live a moral life. In the days before the festival they will have tried to set right any breakdown in their relationships with others. Now they ask the Almighty for forgiveness before the gates of heaven are closed and the record books are sealed, so that they may live throughout the coming year as He would wish.
Many Jews who observe no other religious customs refrain from work on this day, observe the fast and attend the lengthy synagogue services. On this uncomfortable day washing, bathing, anointing the body, sexual activity and wearing leather shoes or coats are all prohibited to those over 12 or 13 years of age, though dispensations are available for people in poor health or in childbirth. White clothing is worn to express purity, and some wear a white kittel reminiscent of the shroud that is used to bury the dead, but more importantly also reminiscent of the extremely simple costume of the High Priest when the Temple still stood in Jerusalem.. This is the only festival of the year when men wear their prayer shawls for evening worship.
The services are lengthy, and involve prostration and standing erect for up to an hour at a time. The Kol Nidre (All Vows) service on the eve of the festival encourages repentance for all types of sins, including for instance mistreatment or exploitation of others, arrogance, selfishness and gossip – the ‘evil tongue’ in its many forms. The closing service (Neilah) at the end of the period of fasting lasts for an hour, during which the doors of the Ark are kept open and accordingly all must stand. The Book of Jonah is read and a common greeting ‘G’mar Chatimah Tovah‘ (May you finally be sealed for good) is offered by all to each other. A long blast on the shofar concludes the main proceedings, followed as on Shabbat by the Havdalah (separation) ceremony, and finally a shared meal.
This is a time for making gifts to the poor (often via charities) in accordance with the instructions of the Torah and the Talmud, albeit nowadays in a spirit of generosity rather than as expiation for guilt – although for some the concept of the scapegoat or the sacrificial chicken that carry away our guilt may still survive.
Leviticus 16:4-34, 23:27-32.
11th September 2026
Rastafari
Ethiopian families love to celebrate their New Year, which they call Enqutatash, ‘gift of jewels’, with presents and visits. They celebrate a four year cycle, in which each year is named after an evangelist. It is claimed that the Queen of Sheba was in fact an Ethiopian, and that when she returned from her visit to King Solomon, her chiefs welcomed her back by replenishing her treasury with enku, ‘jewels’.
Rastafarians throughout the world honour it too. It is a spring festival that has been celebrated since early times, and the cessation of the rains marks a month of transition from the old year to the new. Early in the morning everybody goes to Church wearing traditional Ethiopian clothing. Afterwards there is a family meal of injera (flat bread) and wat (stew). Children dance through the villages dressed in their new clothes at this time, and in the evening households light bonfires as the focus for much singing and dancing. Girls go from house to house handing out bouquets and singing songs, and boys sell pictures that they have painted so that they will have sufficient money to buy presents for members of their families.
8th – 15th September 2026
Jain
These are eight days of purification, devoted to study, prayer, meditation and fasting, and ending with a period of confession and forgiveness. Often monks will be invited to give teachings from the Jain scriptures. Paryushana means ‘to stay in one place’, which signifies a time of reflection and repentance. Originally the practice was monastic for the most part.
15th September 2026
Hindu
Ganesh Chaturthi (or Vinayaka Chaturthi) is a Hindu festival that honours the birth of the beloved Hindu elephant-headed god, Ganesh, (also known as Ganesha, Ganapati and Vinayaka). He is the son of Shiva and Parvati, and is a popular god of wisdom and prosperity, worshipped for his ability to remove obstacles and bring good fortune. He is accordingly invoked by Hindus at the outset of any auspicious events, rites and rituals such as marriage, journeys, etc. This festival is particularly significant for Hindus from Maharashtra and is celebrated in a major way in Mumbai (Bombay). Celebrations last for one, five or ten days, and conclude with the immersion in water of the image of Ganesh.
There are numerous stories in Hindu mythology associated with the birth and life of this elephant-headed god, whose vehicle is the rat. Legend has it that Parvati created Ganesh out of the sandalwood dough that she used for her bath. She then breathed life into him. Leaving him to stand guard at the door, she went to have her bath in privacy. When her husband, Shiva returned, the child who had never seen him before refused to let him enter. Shiva cut off the head of the child and entered the house. When Parvati, learnt that her son was dead, she was distraught and asked Shiva to bring him back to life. He sent his servants to fetch the head of the first creature they met. They encountered a young elephant, cut off its head, and Shiva fixed it on the body of Ganesha.
Another story tells of the wedding of Ganesh. Shiva and Parvati decided that one of their sons, Kartikeya or Ganesh, whichever was the first to circumambulate the earth three times, would be the first to be married. Kartikeya flew off on his vehicle – a speedy peacock. Ganapati’s vehicle, the rat, was no match for it. But Parvati showed Ganesh, as the more devoted of the two, a simpler way to win. She advised him to walk around his parents, and explained that whoever offered puja to his parents and circled round them would receive the same merit as he who went around the earth. So Ganapati won the race and married first, showing that he who respects his parents attains what he most wishes.
Furthermore, as the designated scribe for the Mahabharata, Ganesh is said to have removed one of his tusks and from it carved a quill. He used this to write the epic poem on palm leaves as the sage Ved Vyas recited it to him. The writing of the epic is said to have taken three years!
On the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi, ardent followers of the god meditate early in the morning on the stories connected with Ganesha. After taking a bath, they go to the temple and offer prayers to him, along with coconut and sweet pudding. They pray with faith and devotion that he will remove all the obstacles they experience on their spiritual path. They also worship him later on at home.
Life-like clay models of Ganesha are made some two to three months prior to the day of the festival. The size of these images may vary from threequarters of an inch to over 25 feet. The artists who create the images of Ganesh often compete with each other to make bigger and more magnificent and elegant ones. These larger versions can be anything from 10 metres to 30 metres in height. Once an image of Ganesh is created, a special ceremony is undertaken to invoke the god’s holy presence into the image. Offerings of sweets, flowers, rice, coconut and coins are made to the deity, and the image is also anointed with red chandan powder. Prayers are offered to Ganesha every day during the festival, and temples devoted to him organise special events and prayers. Those who have an image of Ganesha in their house also treat and care for him as a well beloved guest.
For 10 days, Ganesha is worshipped. On the 11th and last day of the festival, his image is taken through the streets in a procession, accompanied by dancing and singing, to be immersed in a lake, river or the sea. This symbolises his journey towards his abode in Kailash, where he takes with him each year the misfortunes of all humanity.
12th – 13th September 2026
Jewish
(New Year’s Day, 5780 years from the creation of the world). Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of ten days of repentance and self examination, during which God sits in personal judgment on every individual. The blowing of the ram’s horn (shofar) in the synagogue is a reminder of Abraham’s sacrifice of a ram instead of his son, Isaac. Apples dipped in honey are eaten in the hope of a ‘sweet’ new year. The greeting is ‘Leshanah Tovah Tikatev’ (may you be inscribed for a good year).
The sequence of repentance that Rosh Hashanah starts accentuates the Jewish conviction that God forgives the sincere penitent – that He is a merciful judge. While that does not relieve each person of the responsibility to accept the consequences – including punishment – for their actions, it means that Jews do not see people as essentially ‘sinners’, merely ‘people who inevitably sin and must repent’. The mood is solemn in synagogue, but it is not sad at all. Everyone present knows that this happens every year, but that does not relieve them of the need to try again. At the same time, the haunting notes of the shofar make the festival somehow timeless and simple. Unlike many other Jewish festivals, there are very few practices or customs associated with the day, though it is very widely observed and families frequently travel long distances to gather for the festive meals.
Genesis 22, Leviticus 23:24-25.