10th November 2026
Hindu
Bestu Varas, also known as the Gujarati New Year, is a significant Hindu celebration that marks the beginning of the Vikram Samvat year. It is celebrated on the day after Diwali, and signifies the start of a new financial year for businesses.
9th November 2026
Jain
This is India’s annual festival of lights, celebrated throughout the nation. In Jainism it has special significance, as on this day Lord Mahavira gave his last teachings and attained ultimate liberation (nirvana).
9th – 12th November 2026
Sikhi
For Hindus this is a New Year festival lasting from one to five days, during which fireworks are set off and lights are hung out. It is a festival of light, coinciding with the darkest night of the lunar month. It is generally associated with Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity, or with the victorious return of Rama and Sita after their exile. Divali marks the beginning of the Indian financial year.
9th November 2026
Hindu
Govardhan Puja, also known as Annakut or Annakoot, is a Hindu festival celebrated on the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika, on the fourth day of Diwali. Devotees worship Govardhan Hill and prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to Krishna as a mark of gratitude.
28th November 2026
Bahai
Abdu’l-Baha was the eldest son of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith. Born in Persia in 1844 and named Abbas, Abdu’l-Baha was the eldest son of Baha’u’llah, and from the age of eight, He shared His Father’s exile and imprisonment. Throughout His life, He demonstrated praiseworthy qualities and was known for His loving kindness, selfless spirit of service, and generosity, especially towards those in need. Baha’u’llah referred to Him as “the Master”, “the Mystery of God” and “a shelter for all mankind”, however, Abdu’l-Baha preferred to be called “Abdu’l-Baha”, meaning “the Servant of Baha”, in reference to His servitude to Baha’u’llah and His teachings.
In Baha’u’llah’s will and testament, He instructed all to turn to Abdu’l-Baha as the authorized interpreter of the Baha’i Writings and also as the perfect exemplar of the Baha’i Faith’s spirit and teachings.
When finally released from prison, Abdu’l-Baha traveled to Egypt, Europe, and North America, to promote the Baha’i teachings, giving numerous public talks and interviews, and meeting with people from all walks of life.
When Abdu’l-Baha passed away at the age of 77 on 28 November 1921, in the Holy Land, His funeral was attended by 10,000 mourners of numerous religious backgrounds. In spontaneous tributes to an admired personality, He was eulogized as One who led humanity to the “Way of Truth,” as a “pillar of peace” and the embodiment of “glory and greatness.”
26th November 2026
Bahai
Every year in late November Baha’is around the world honor unity on the Day of the Covenant. This special Baha’i Holy Day recognizes and celebrates the appointment of Abdu’l-Baha as the Center of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant, that unbroken, unified line of guidance which safeguards the Baha’i Faith from division and disunity.
So Baha’is celebrate the unity of their Faith—and the essential unity of all Faiths—on the Day of the Covenant. They also recognize, on this special day, the wider covenant that exists between God and humanity, which expresses itself in the singular purpose, common principles, and prophetic connections that link every Faith. This eternal covenant between God and humanity calls on each human being to recognize and accept all of the founders of the world’s great Faiths, acknowledging the system of divine education Baha’is call progressive revelation.
The Baha’i teachings say that God reveals religious and mystical truth through a systematic succession of prophets and messengers throughout history. Baha’is see those great teachers, the founders of the world’s major Faiths, as bringing different stages in one continuous spiritual educational system for all humanity.
Those messengers of God, history tells us, each made a promise to their followers that they would return to lead humanity to God again. This greater eternal Covenant, which calls on every person of faith to recognize and accept the next prophet of God, forms the basis of the successive system of divine education called progressive revelation.
Baha’is see the unity of religion as an organic, unbroken chain of God’s messengers, who all taught the same essential Faith. This great Covenant – God’s promise never to leave His creation bereft of guidance – has held true throughout every time and civilization.
1st November 2026
Christian (Western Churches)
(The Catholic Church in England and Wales moves this festival to the nearest Sunday if it falls on a Saturday or a Monday.)
All Hallows’, originally All Martyrs’
This day provides a chance to offer thanks for the work and witness of all Christian saints, recognising that not all are known or specially celebrated. Many churches stress this day rather than Hallowe’en, which falls the day before, by holding events especially designed for children.
2nd November 2026
Christian
On this day in particular the departed are remembered and prayers on their behalf are offered. From earliest times Christians have prayed for the souls of the dead. In the year 998, All Souls, ‘the faithful departed’, began to be remembered in the Church calendar on this day.
2nd November 2026
Rastafari
One of the holiest days of the Rastafarian year, it celebrates Haile Selassie’s accession to the Ethiopian throne. It cements the role Ethiopia plays at the heart of Rastafarian tradition.
Amongst followers of Rastafarianism, a religion which developed in the 1930s in Jamaica under the influence of Marcus Garvey’s “Back to Africa” movement, Haile Selassie I is regarded as a messiah who will lead the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora to freedom. The date of his coronation is celebrated by believers throughout the world as one of the most sacred days of the Rastafarian calendar.
Haile Selassie’s birthname was Tafari Mekonnen. When he was crowned Emperor in 1930, he assumed the name Haile Selassie, “Might of the Trinity”, as well as the title “King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”
He reigned until 1974, when he was deposed in a military coup following famines and economic turmoil in the country. Put under house arrest by the military authorities, he died in 1975, reputedly of natural causes, although many believe he was killed on the order of the military. Rastafarians themselves believe that Selassie is still alive, and that his widely reported death is part of a conspiracy to discredit their religion. In the end, the dissent which toppled his government came from the same group of elite intellectuals to which he had afforded support and education, in opposition to the influence of feudal tradition.
Custodianship of the popular opinion of Haile Selassie has gradually moved towards the Rasta movement, as the movement itself has gained more freedom, not least through the spread of reggae music. This tradition has proved very efficient in disseminating basic knowledge of Selassie into popular conscience, especially in the Caribbean. Just as old Ethiopians swear on Selassie as Janhoy (meaning the Elephant, as in the Emperor who is greater than the King of the jungle, the Lion), throughout the English-speaking parts of the region it is common to substitute ‘God knows’ with ‘Selassie knows’. Iconic images of His Imperial Majesty can be found virtually anywhere.
8th November 2026
Hindu
Deepawali or Diwali, the Hindu new year’s day, is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights: deep means ‘light’ and ‘avali’ a row’, so divali is ‘a row of lights’. It coincides with the darkest night (15th) of the lunar month of Kartik, which usually falls in late October or early November. The festival is marked by four days of celebrations, which literally illuminate the country with their brilliance and dazzle with their joy. Traditionally every house will set out tiny clay pots with wicks and oil all around their home, and in locations where Diwali is a national holiday, public places are also lit up with beautiful candles and lamps. Families exchange gifts at this time and share a special dinner with relatives and friends.
Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali reflects a different tradition. All four view the festival as a celebration of life and of joy, and they all share a powerful sense of the value of goodness and virtue. Various legends point to its origin. Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, with Lord Vishnu. Others view it as a celebration of her birthday, since Lakshmi is said to have been born on the new moon day of Kartik; many see it as a day when she fulfils the wishes of her devotees.
Diwali also commemorates the return from exile of Lord Rama (along with his wife, Sita, his loyal brother, Lakshman, and his chief supporter, Hanuman), culminating in the vanquishing of the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and bursts of fire crackers.
In Bengal, the festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Kali, the dark goddess of strength. Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, is also worshipped in Hindu homes on this day. In Jainism, Deepawali has added significance as marking the great event of Lord Mahavira’s attaining the eternal bliss of nirvana.
All of the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story to tell. Homes are illuminated with lights and noisy firecrackers fill the skies as an expression of human respect for the gods, whose help is sought in the quest for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, and prosperity.
For Hindu families this is a time to clean their homes from top to bottom, so that when the lamps are lit their houses will be suitable for Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and knowledge, to enter their home and bless them with good fortune for the coming year. It is traditional for families to make offerings to the goddess, chiefly of fruit, rice pudding, flowers and other assorted gifts.
In addition to that, the exchange of presents during Diwali has become a mandatory part of the celebration. Friends, families, colleagues all share Diwali gifts with each other as an expression of affection. A special feast is shared with delicious food that includes different varieties of sweets.
Indians love colours and this is reflected in various ways. Rangoli is one example, a unique form of art work based on beautiful and symbolic designs and patterns. These are colourfully presented all across India, and are usually created on floors or open spaces.
On this day, Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books for the year and pray for success and prosperity during the coming months. Husbands buy new garments for the family. Employers purchase new clothes for their employees, and the wealthy feed the poor.
The tradition of gambling on Diwali is also legendary: it is believed that on this day the goddess Parvati played dice with her husband Lord Shiva. She decreed that whoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuing year.
In each legend, myth, and story the significance of Deepavali lies in the victory of good over evil. It is a time when everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others during the previous year. When the oil lamps are lit, there is an air of freedom, festivity, and friendliness everywhere.