Religious festivities are at the heart of the Asian community and their culture. They take place annually and involve traditional foods, clothing, music and prayers. The three most prominent festivals are Vaisakhi for the Sikhs, Eid for Muslims and Diwali for Hindus.

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Vaisakhi:
Is a harvest festival celebrated on the thirteenth April according to the solar calendar. It holds several points of significance for the Sikhs. Principally, on this day in 1699, their tenth Guru Gobind Singh organized the order of the Khalsa. And again on this day, Guru Arjan Das was martyred by the Muslim rulers.

Gurupurabs:
This Sikh festival is in honour of the Gurus. There are many mini festivities spread throughout the year, but three more prominent ones. The first is on the full moon of Kartik and celebrates the birth of Guru Nanak. The second is the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh and the final Gurupurab commemorates the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev. It is celebrated with the consumption of delicacies such as kheer (rice pudding) and halwa (semolina).

Lohri:
Takes place during December and January when youngsters sing folk songs in their localities to collect fuel and money to light up bonfires. Lohri’s are traditionally for new brides and new born babies.
Holla Mohalla: This festival serves as both a contrast and complement to Holi. It is celebrated with exuberance and colour at Anandpur Sahib. This is the very place Guru Gobind Singh instituted the pahul (baptism of the Khalsas), and elected the panj pyare (the beloved five), and militarized his followers into the order of Nihangs (warrior-mendicants).

Eid:
With the coming of the moon, Eid-ul-fitr marks the end of Ramadan – a month of fasting for the Muslims. It’s a celebration which features prayers, feasts and family get-togethers. Eid-ul-fitr is the first eid of the year and is celebrated on the first day of Shawaal, the tenth month in the Muslim calendar and means literally to ‘break fast’. The second important eid is on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar and is named Eid-ul-adha (celebration of sacrifice) and signifies self-sacrifice to Allah.

Laylatul-Qadr:
This is the first of the three special nights in the Islamic calendar. It is translated broadly as the ‘Night of Power’ and is traditionally believed to fall on the 27th day of Ramadan. The night symbolises the Qu’ran being bought down to the first heaven before it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and is also seen to be the night when blessings are sent down to true worshippers. There was much ambivalence to what day it actually fell on, during the early years of Islam and is often referred to as laylatim-mubaarakah too.

Laylatul-Bara’ah:
This is the second special night, translated as the ‘Night of Record’ and more commonly known as Shabi-baraat. It falls on the fifteenth night of Shabaan, the month before Ramadan. It is said to be a night of mercy, when Allah forgives those that have sinned.
But more significantly it symbolizes the belief that there is a tree in heaven which sheds a number of leaves on this night, each one containing the name of someone destined to die in the coming year.

Laylatul-Mi'raj:
The last of the night’s, defined as the ‘Night of Ascension’ marks Muhammad’s (PBUH) ascent to heaven. This like all the other nights is celebrated with prayers and is said to fall on the night preceding the 27th of Rajab.

Muharram:
The tenth day of Muharram was originally an imitation of a Jewish fast, but in later years after the death of Muhammad’s (PBUH) nephew Hussain and his followers at Karbala, it has become a time of mourning especially for Shi’ite Muslims.

Maulidun-Nabi:
This is Prophet Muhammad’s birthday and falls on the 12th day of Rabi-ul-Awwal.

Hindus:
Diwali:
Also known as Deepawali. This is the festival of Laxmi, the Hindu Goddess of prosperity, wealth and peace. The Ramayana, the story of Prince Rama and his wife Sita who overcame the demon Ravana is at the centre of the celebrations. The festival marks the safe return of the Prince and Princess after a battle with the demon.

People traditionally lit divas on their victorious return to the palace and during the 5 day celebrations even now Hindus fill their homes with these clay oil lamps, colourful lights and Rangoli pictures to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness.

Holi:
The festival which falls on a full moon in March every year was originally synonymous with good harvests and fertile land but has in recent times commemorated a legend from Hindu mythology. It symbolises the story of a King and his young son Prahlada who worshipped the Lord Vishnu much to his father’s dismay. After several failed attempts at killing his son, the King enlisted the help of his sister Holika who was said to be immune to burning, in order to burn alive the young Prince. However he emerged unscathed while his aunt perished in the burning fires.

The large bonfires of Holi reflect the burning of Holika. It also marks the immortal love of Lord Krishna and Radha and is celebrated with exuberance and extravagance. It is an opportunity for Hindu’s to shed their inhibitions by throwing brightly coloured powder (gulal) and water over each other.

Dussehra:
This festival marks the triumph of good over evil with the victory of Rama over Ravan in the Ramayana. Dussehra (or Vijaydashmi) is the tenth day of the battle when Rama killed the ten-headed demon. Hindus throughout the world celebrate it in different ways, but in India it is marked by the burning of effigies.

Navratri and Garba: These are the festivities which reach their climax at Diwali. Navratri or the Festival of Nine Nights is from Ashvin Sud 1 to 9 and devoted to the propitiation of Shakti or Divine Mother. It’s most common and popular form of celebration is Garba performed with a dhandiya (stick) dance. It is a Gujarati folk dance and takes place in squares and streets all over India, and in halls and homes throughout Britain.

Raksha-Bandhan: This is a celebration of sibling love when the sister ties a thread around her brother’s wrist and he promises to honour and protect her. Its meaning has changed over centuries; Rakhi began with women tying it on their husbands and in the middle-ages changed to being tied around any man who would then be obligated to protect her. Traditionally the rakhi threads should be charged with mantras and sanctified with rice or grass.