Top 2 Religious Festivals of August

Top 2 Religious Festivals of August
Posted in Festivals in August on 22. Aug, 2009
The month of August is celebrated by many countries in the world with religious festivals and events. Since Christians and Muslims have the highest populations among religions of the world, the top two religious festivals of August are associated with them.

The name of the Ramadan Festival refers to the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. During this festival, Muslims across the world will fast during the daylight hours. This means they will have no food and no drink. The starting day of this festival depends on the time of the new moon’s appearance. This festival is a time of contemplation and worship for Muslims. It is also a time for them to strengthen their community and family ties. In addition, Muslims believe that throughout the duration of the festival, the “Jannat” or gates of heaven are open while the “Jahanam” or gates of hell are closed.

The Lammas Day is a religious festival for Christians wherein the first wheats of the year are harvested. To celebrate this, houses are decorated with garlands and processions of people holding lit candles. This festival is one of the oldest medieval festivals and has pagan connections. In medieval times, the fist loaves from the harvest were considered as the strongest religious element and were brought to the church. This is where the term of “lammas” was derived referring to “loaf mass”. Many superstitions and rituals are associated with the Lammas Festival that are connected with the pagan origins.