Traditions

Christianity Baptism The washing with water that brings a person into the Christian church, practiced by immersion or pouring since the first century. At conversion, or in infancy Christianity The Eucharist The shared bread and cup that Christians eat in obedience to Jesus, who broke bread at the Last Supper and said, Do this in remembrance of me. Weekly in most churches Christianity Lent The forty day season of fasting, prayer, and giving that prepares Christians for Easter, patterned on the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness. The forty days before Easter Christianity The Camino de Santiago The pilgrim road across Spain to the tomb of the apostle James at Santiago de Compostela, walked by Christians for more than a thousand years. Once in a lifetime, or walked in stages Judaism Shabbat The seventh day rest that Jewish families welcome with candles, wine, and bread, remembering both the creation of the world and the Exodus from Egypt. Every week, from Friday sunset to Saturday night Judaism The Passover Seder The ordered meal at which Jewish families retell the Exodus from Egypt, eating the foods of slavery and freedom at one table. Each spring, on the first nights of Passover Judaism Sukkot The harvest festival when Jewish families build a booth with a roof of branches and eat, and often sleep, under the open sky. Each autumn, for seven days Judaism Bar and Bat Mitzvah The coming of age rite at which a Jewish child takes up the commandments as an adult, and reads from the Torah before the congregation. At thirteen for a boy, and twelve or thirteen for a girl Islam The Hajj The pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim who is able is required to make once in a lifetime, following Abraham, Hagar, and the Prophet Muhammad. Once in a lifetime, for every Muslim who is able Islam The Ramadan Fast The month long fast from dawn to sunset through which Muslims mark the first revelation of the Qur'an, one of the five pillars of Islam. Each year, through the month of Ramadan Islam Salah, the Daily Prayers The five daily prayers that structure a Muslim's day, from before dawn to night, each with washing, standing, bowing, and prostration. Five times each day Islam Zakat The required annual giving of a portion of wealth to the poor, one of the five pillars of Islam and a duty, not a donation. Each year, on wealth held above the threshold Hinduism Kumbh Mela The great bathing festival where millions of Hindus gather at the meeting of sacred rivers, the largest religious gathering on earth. In a twelve year cycle, rotating among four river cities Hinduism Puja The offering worship at the centre of Hindu daily life, in which a deity is honoured as a royal guest with water, flowers, food, and flame. Daily, at home or in the temple Hinduism Diwali, the Festival of Lights The festival of lights that celebrates the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, kept with oil lamps, sweets, and fireworks. Each autumn, on the darkest night of the month of Kartik Buddhism Vesak The festival that marks the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, which tradition holds fell on the same full moon day. Each year, at the full moon in May Buddhism The Meditation Retreat The set apart time of intensive meditation, in silence, through which Buddhists train the mind to see things as they are. For a weekend, a season, or years Buddhism Pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya The journey to the place of the Buddha's enlightenment in India, where pilgrims sit under the descendant of the Bodhi Tree. Once in a lifetime, for many Buddhists Sikhism Langar The free kitchen of the gurdwara, where volunteers cook and serve a meal to everyone who comes, sitting side by side on the floor. Served daily at every gurdwara Sikhism The Amrit Ceremony The initiation by which a Sikh joins the Khalsa, drinking sweetened water stirred with a double edged sword, first given by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. Once, as a commitment undertaken for life Jainism Paryushana The holiest festival of Jainism, days of fasting and the asking of forgiveness from every living creature, down to the smallest. Each year, in the late summer monsoon season Bahá'í Faith The Nineteen Day Feast The regular gathering of each local Bahá'í community for worship, consultation, and fellowship, the foundation of Bahá'í community life. At the beginning of each of the nineteen Bahá'í months Bahá'í Faith Pilgrimage to Haifa and Akká The journey to the Bahá'í shrines in Haifa and Akká in Israel, the holiest places of the Bahá'í Faith, where its founders are buried. Nine days in the Holy Land, once in a lifetime for many Shinto Hatsumōde The first shrine visit of the New Year, when millions of Japanese go to a Shinto shrine to pray for health, safety, and good fortune. In the first days of the New Year