|
|
June 2009
|
16 June |
Martyrdom of Guru Argan Devi Ji (Sikh) |
^ Top |
|
|
Tuesday
 |
Gurpurps are festivals which celebrate the lives of Gurus. They celebrate through the akhand path which is a reading of scriptures that takes 48 hours to complete. Gurdwara's are decorated and people wear their smartest clothes and come together to eat special food.
This was the fifth Sikh Guru and the first Sikh Martyr. He laid the foundation for the Golden Temple, designed the four doors in a Gurdwara and declared that all Sikhs should donate a tenth of their earnings to charity. He also compiled all the Guru's writings in one scripture, now the Holy Scripture - the Guru Granth Sahib.
|
|
21 June |
Summer Solstice (Pagan) |
^ Top |
|
|
Sunday
 |
Solstice, Midsummer or Litha means the standing still of the sun. It is the longest day of the year and when the sun is at is maximum elevation. For some, this marks the marriage of the God and Goddess and see their union as the force that creates the harvest's fruits.
Many Pagans go to ancient religious sites such as Stonehenge or Avebury to see the sun rising on the first morning of summer.
|
|
27 June |
Duan Wu - Dragon Boat Festival (Chinese) |
^ Top |
|
|
Friday
 |
It is on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. This originated in the commemoration of a Chinese Patriot, Qu Yuan, who killed himself by jumping into the river Li after his country fell into enemy hands because his master would not take his advice. It is celebrated by a Dragon Boat Race and eating rice dumplings wrapped in Lotus leaves.
Shrewsbury holds an annual Dragon Boat Race on the River Severn in aid of The Severn Hospice.
Further details can be found on the Shrewsbury Summer Season website:
www.shrewsburysummer.co.uk
|
Further information
Natalie Hill
Equality and Diversity Officer
Telephone: 01743 260 200
|
|
|
|
