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Faith festivals celebrated in Redbridge
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redimanager
#1 Posted : 28 October 2008 12:30:12(UTC)
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Joined: 12/12/2007(UTC)
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We would like to wish everybody celebrating today a very happy Diwali and Happy New Year. :d

The three main faiths in Redbridge marking the festival today are Hindus, Jains and Sikhs.

Diwali symbolises the victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. It's main focus is Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Sikhs also celebrate this day (as Bhandi Chhor Divas ) because the sixth Guru reached Amritsar on Diwali after his release from prison. Among Jains, this day is celebrated as the anniversary of Lord Mahavira's death.

How will you be celebrating today? How have you got involved in Diwali celebrations?


Useful links:
Faith Forum Page on Redbridge i

Firework Safety Advice

We would also like to pass on our best wishes to residents who celebrated Eid-al-Fitr ( Islam), Yom Kippur (Judaism) and the Birthday of the Bab (Baha'i ) this month. :d



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redimanager
#2 Posted : 28 October 2008 18:03:41(UTC)
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It is strange that I, as a Christian Mayor, do not feel strange when I say that I wish happiness to all the residents of Redbridge who are today celebrating the Festival of Diwali or as those who are celebrating say “The Festival of Light”, because it is now very important to be able to understand and join in with the many multi-faith festivals held each year in our very multicultural borough.
A few years ago I had to look up what it all meant and was very surprised to find that it was very similar to my own celebration later this year “Christmas” were we to give gifts and presents to our families and friends, in Britain as in India it is a time for thoroughly spring cleaning the home and for wearing new clothes and most importantly decorating buildings with fancy lights. The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil; light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance, although the actual legends that go with the festival are different in different parts of India.
The best description I found explaining Diwali was “Regardless of the mythological explanation one prefers, what the festival of lights really stands for today is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill, and a religiously sanctioned celebration of the simple – and some not so simple – joys of Diwali”.
My own feelings follow that statement, May I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very happy Diwali.


Cllr Loraine Sladden
Mayor
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redimanager
#3 Posted : 31 October 2008 11:10:44(UTC)
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Today is the celebration of Samhain, a pagan festival.

This literally means 'summer's end', this festival is a celebration of endings and transformation. Popularly known as Halloween, it is also for many Pagans a celebration of New Year.


There will be a fire festival to mark this occasion at Forest Farm Peace Gardens in Hainault

How will you be celebrating today?
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dopeyf
#4 Posted : 31 October 2008 21:31:33(UTC)
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Posts: 554
It is strange that I, as a Christian Mayor, do not feel strange when I say that I wish happiness to all the residents of Redbridge who are today celebrating the Festival of Diwali or as those who are celebrating say “The Festival of Light”,

I trust that a politically correct Lady Mayor will extend the same curtesy to the ethnic majority at Christmas .
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redimanager
#5 Posted : 28 November 2008 12:23:07(UTC)
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Sunday 30 November is the start of Advent, an important occasion in the Christian calendar.

Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas; this is the season of preparation for Jesus Christ's birthday, which is celebrated on Christmas Day.

What will you be doing during the time of Advent?
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crazycat
#6 Posted : 28 November 2008 13:43:48(UTC)
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:)

In our household we celebrate Advent and Eid as we have Muslims and Christians within our family.
Who say's Muslims and Christians cannot get along?
We get along just fine.
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redimanager
#7 Posted : 01 December 2008 13:21:07(UTC)
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The Mayor’s Message for Advent

This weekend was the start of the Christians annual event known world wide as “Christmas”. You will have, by now gathered that I wish to let all the people this Borough know and understand the meanings of each of its main religious festive events. At this time of the year the Christian communities start off their main festive season with ADVENT.
This religious period is not dissimilar to that of the Asian Festival of Diwali, that is to say a period of time leading up to the main event. This period of time is known as Advent – the meaning of which is taken from the Latin word ‘adventus’ meaning ‘arrival’ and it is literally the time waiting for the coming of Jesus to earth, the main event being ‘Christmas’ the birth of the Christians Saviour, Jesus Christ. It also shares a connection with the Jewish festival at this time of the year, Hanukah, with the traditional lighting of candles for a religious reason.
Advent is also when traditionally the festive menu is planned, gifts are chosen and wrapped, songs (carols) sung, Christmas cards written and sent, and houses are cleaned and highly decorated, and special symbolic floral arrangements are produced. ‘A Wreath’ made from evergreen branches in the shape of a circle symbolise eternity and the four candles (traditionally red) stand in the circle. Each candle represents one of the four Sundays of Advent and one is lit on each of these four Sundays. In the very centre is a fifth candle. This one is white and known as the Christ Candle and it is on the actual day main day of the festival, Christmas Day.
The meaning of all this is: the wreath represents God’s eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning and no end, to the Christian the hope in their God, the hope in newness, of renewal, of eternal life. The four candles stand for Hope, Peace, Love, Joy and the final candle in the centre represents the birthday of their saviour. It is especially a time for all to share in the happiness of the period and a welcome to join in the celebrations.

Peace, Love and Joy to everyone,

From,

Cllr Loraine Sladden
Mayor of Redbridge.
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crazycat
#8 Posted : 01 December 2008 14:33:31(UTC)
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:roll:

Dear Lady Mayor,

I always say you cannot please everybody and no matter how hard it you try to keep everyone happy you never will.

Let me wish everyone a Happy Christmas, Happy Eid, Happy Hanuka and anything else that I may have forgotten.

Best wishes
Crazycat
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redimanager
#9 Posted : 05 December 2008 17:49:09(UTC)
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Sunday 7 December is the start Eid - ul- Adha, an Islamic festival.

The Festival of Sacrifice marking the day after Arafat. The Day of Arafat is the most important day in the Hajj ritual. This is traditionally a four day holiday.

It marks the sacrifice made by Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) people celebrate this festival with an Eid prayer on the morning of the first day and share meat with their relatives and the poor.

Happy Eid to everyone in Redbridge celebrating the festival.
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redimanager
#10 Posted : 09 December 2008 10:59:12(UTC)
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Mayor’s Message for Eid

I am very pleasantly amazed to learn that yet another celebration at this time of the year – Eid or to give it the full title Eid-ul-Adha, has so much in common with other festive periods of other faiths at this time.

Once again, like those other faith festivals, it is a period to rejoice, to give and to spend precious time with family and close friends, as well as giving to those less fortunate, so that they too may enjoy and celebrate Eid.

It is a celebration of the occasion when Allah appeared to Ibrahim in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son, despite the work of the Devil, Ibrahim’s faith in his God was so strong that he followed his wishes and the Lord Allah was so pleased with his act of obedience, he provided a lamb as the sacrifice in place of Ibrahims son. This has now been followed by Muslims all over the world. Those people who have the means, sacrifice a sheep and they share out the meat with family and friends, as well as the poorer members of the community.

In Britain, this sacrifice is symbolic, with the lamb coming from the proper slaughterhouse and having been prepared in the correct manner for the householders to cook and offer as their sacrifice.

The celebration of Eid-ul Adha is usually over a period of 1 to 4 days and it starts with Muslims going to the Mosque for prayers, dressed in their best clothes, and thanking Allah for all the blessings they have received. It is also a time, when they visit family and friends as well as offering presents, At Eid it is obligatory to give a set amount of money to charity, as a symbol of the giving, in order that they, the poor, can also buy new clothes and food and enjoy, by joining in with the celebrations.

This truly a marvellous way to celebrate and like all the other faiths festivals of this time of year, may it long continue and may I as the Mayor of Redbridge take this opportunity of sending Love and Best wishes to all of you, celebrating this festival:

“Have A Very Happy Eid-ul Adha”

Councillor Loraine Sladden
Mayor
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crazycat
#11 Posted : 10 December 2008 10:19:36(UTC)
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I guess I am lucky in my household as we celebrate both Eid and Christmas its great being a Catholic married to a Muslim our children can have the best of both worlds.
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etoc2001
#12 Posted : 17 December 2008 17:35:33(UTC)
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Is it a co-incidence that all these festivals involving light occur in the middle of winter? Except for Eid of course which travels forward 10 days every year on a shorter calendar.

Seasons Greetings to all
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redimanager
#13 Posted : 19 December 2008 15:39:12(UTC)
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Monday 22 December is Chanukah (Festival of Light)

This celebrates the rededication of Jerusalem's Second Temple and the miracle of its menorah (nine stem candelabrum), which was kept alight for eight days with one day's oil. The lighting of the menorah on each night of the festival commemorates this miracle.

Happy Chanukah to everyone in Redbridge celebrating the festival. :)
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redimanager
#14 Posted : 19 December 2008 15:53:08(UTC)
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The Mayor’s Message for Chanukah

Chanukah, the festival of lights, is one of the very important festivals celebrated by the Jewish People, all over the world. I was very honoured and pleased to be asked to give a message for the Jewish people here in the London Borough of Redbridge.

For all those who are not familiar with the reasons and traditions of this festival, I would like to tell you a little about it, in the way that it was passed on to me by one of our own synagogues here in Redbridge.

“The story of Chanukah hails back to a period in history when the Jews were forbidden to follow their faith and many were killed and persecuted, eventually and band of Jewish people known as the Maccabees put together an army and revolted against their oppressors and won the battle, although their temple and their way of life was all but destroyed, they set about cleaning up the temple and resurrecting the peoples faith.
Without relating the whole story, the main part that was the main source or history of the festival of lights, was the fact that when they came to light the Menorah (the special nine branch candelabra) they found only enough oil for one day. However, a miracle occurred and the Menorah continued to remain alight for eight days on only that one days supply.”

The main traditions of Chanukah include lighting candles on a Menorah every night for eight nights in the home, eating food cooked in oil (Doughnuts, potato pancakes etc.) the giving of presents, holding parties and celebrations
This sort of celebration is again very similar to all the other faith celebrations at this time of the year, so having wished them all the very best, may I take this opportunity to wish all those residents throughout the borough who are celebrating Chanukah.

A very happy Chanukah, with love and best wishes from my family to all of yours.

Councillor Mrs Loraine Sladden, The Worshipful the Mayor of the London Borough of Redbridge.
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redimanager
#15 Posted : 19 December 2008 16:23:12(UTC)
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Thursday 25 December is Christmas Day. Christmas Commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is widely celebrated by the exchanging of gifts.

Happy Christmas to everyone in Redbridge celebrating this day :)

The Mayor's message for Christmas.

What can I say? What can I do? Much worthier people than I have said it all many times before. The Christmas message is more than two millennia old and it has been related in all countries of the world. It has been repeated in many languages, mums and dads have passed it on down through the ages, sometimes a little exaggerated, and occasionally a little under told.
All in all the message has survived through these many years, two world wars, many other conflicts between peoples of differing faiths and race, and yet it still lives on! Not only in the eyes of the children as they open their gifts but throughout the years in all our hearts
So what can I say or do? It is easy: May I on behalf of the London Borough of Redbridge, and from my own family to all the other families throughout not only Redbridge, but the rest of the world

“Have a Very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year”

COUNCILLOR MRS LORAINE SLADDEN
MAYOR

View the Leader of the Council Cllr Alan Weinberg's Festive greeting
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Equaliser
#16 Posted : 19 December 2008 16:24:49(UTC)
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Will there be greeting for followers of the Jedi discipline on May 25th. If I remember rightly, although a small minority, 0.5 percent of people locally identify as Jedi a similar number to Barking & Dagenham as you may see here
http://www.statistics.go...1/profiles/rank/jedi.asp
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etoc2001
#17 Posted : 19 December 2008 16:52:22(UTC)
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Why May 25th? Is the Force stronger then?
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Equaliser
#18 Posted : 19 December 2008 18:35:21(UTC)
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May the Fourth would be silly, and it seems that George Lucas thought May 25th was a special day.

Maybe it's the birthday of Luke, or Obi-Wan, or even the greatest of them all Qui-Gon Jinn.
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redimanager
#19 Posted : 24 December 2008 12:28:56(UTC)
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Friday 26 December is Zarthost-No-Diso an event celebrated by followers of Zoroastrianism.

This is a symbolic anniversary of the Prophet Zarathushtra's death. Special prayers are recited and traditionally all Zoroastrians go to the fire temple as a mark of respect and remembrance to the prophet.


Regards to everyone in Redbridge marking Zarthost-No-Diso. :)
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crazycat
#20 Posted : 24 December 2008 19:13:26(UTC)
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Joined: 28/11/2008(UTC)
Posts: 80
:d :d :d

Thank you Lady Mayor we are very lucky to have such a good Mayor.
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