Today@Dal

Each year the Dalhousie Office of Human Rights, Equity & Harassment Prevention (HREHP) develops a mosaic calendar of religious holidays and cultural dates for faculty, staff and students.

See below for a sample of June dates to observe, reflect, celebrate or promote throughout the university community. The spring and summer calendar is available on the website, http://hrehp.dal.ca/Calendar/.

All Jewish and Islamic Holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the first date shown.

May 26-June 9

Scotia Festival of Music
Scotia Festival of Music is an annual two-week chamber music festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia boasting over 50 public events during the first two weeks of June.  Featuring international talent of the highest caliber, the festival offers Highlight Concerts, Recitals, open rehearsals, master-classes, coaching sessions, lectures, and more. Our Young Artist Program allows young gifted musicians to enroll and study for two weeks with some of the world's best classical musicians. Come and join us in 2013 as we celebrate our 34th anniversary.
Dalhousie Arts Centre
6101 University Avenue
Halifax, NS

May 30-June 2

Cedar Festival
Lebanese Culture with a Canadian Twist, May 30, 2013 – June 2, 2013, savour the sights, sounds and tastes of everything Lebanese!

The festival includes three evenings of world class entertainment, authentic Lebanese cuisine, Lebanese musical and cultural shows, children’s fun play area, mouth-watering pastries, and much, much more.

The 2013 Cedar Festival will boast one of the largest menus of the Festival season, with savory Mediterranean cuisine. For four spectacular days, the grounds of Our Lady of Lebanon Parish in the Fairview neighbourhood in Halifax will be transformed into a busy Beirut marketplace, with immortal Lebanese hospitality, feel Lebanese for a day at Cedar Festival 2013.
Location
Our Lady of Lebanon Parish
3844 Joseph Howe Drive
Halifax, NS
 
June 5

Lailat al Miraj (IS)
Mohammad ascends to heaven where he speaks to God, who gives Muhammad instructions to take back to the faithful regarding the details of prayer. According to traditions, the journey is associated with the Lailat al Mi'raj, as one of the most significant events in the Islamic calendar.

June 16

Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (SI)
Guru Arjan Dev Ji (Born in Amritsar, Punjab, India on April 15, 1563 – May 30, 1606 Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on September 1, 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das. Some of his accomplishments include: Huge number of hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib (over 2000), compiled and installed for the first time the holy Sikh Book(Adi Granth), enhanced the Structure of Sikh Society by introducing the Masund system, and was the first Sikh Guru to be martyred.

Father’s Day
The idea for creating a day for children to honour their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. Sonora Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Sonora was raised by her father after her mother died. She wanted him to know how special he was to her and to acknowledge his parental sacrifice. She thought that he was a courageous, selfless and loving man and he was born in June. In 1926 a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City. Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. In 1972 President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday in June.

June 19

Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is a celebration of the Christian understanding of God in Three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). It comes one week after Pentecost. (Western Churches)

All Saints Day
Honors Christian saints throughout the ages. (Eastern Churches)

June 20

World Refugee Day (UN)
For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own Refugee days and even weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day which is an expression of UN solidarity with Africa, which hosts the most refugees, and which traditionally has shown them great generosity.

Litha
(Also called Midsummer’s Eve) celebrates the consummation of the sacred marriage in which the energy of the god is poured out in the service of life. His sacrifice, resulting in his total immolation by the end of the season, sets the standard of self-giving in service to the goddess. Litha comes on the June solstice.

June 21

National Aboriginal Day (Canada)
First proclaimed by the Governor General of Canada on June 13, 1996, June 21st every year has become a day in the Canadian calendar that presents Aboriginal peoples with a great opportunity to express great pride for their rich diverse cultures with their families, neighbours, friends and visitors. National Aboriginal Day is a fun filled day for the whole family and an opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal people and their contribution to make Canada the great nation that it has become.

June 21-23

Nova Scotia Multicultural Festival
The Festival honors participating artists, performers and the cultural groups they represent through display of their arts, skills, and knowledge. It also seeks to increase awareness of the rich variety of Nova Scotia’s historic, cultural and ethnic traditions.
Halifax Seaport (near Pier 21)

June 24

Rahmat (BA)
The sixth month of the Baha’I year

St. Jean Baptiste Day/Fete Nationale des Québécois
Every year, on the 24th of June, all Québécois get together with friends and family to celebrate their Fête Nationale (National Holiday).  The event originated more than 2000 years ago, in pre-Christian Europe, as the pagan celebration of the summer solstice. It was originally held on the 21st, but with the arrival of Christianity, it transformed into Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, and moved to the 24th. Both celebrated the symbol of light; the sun of the summer solstice and Saint-Jean-Baptiste who opens the way for the light of Jesus-Christ. The ancients used to light a great bonfire on the evening of the 24th to honour the sun, a tradition that continued into the middle Ages.

Before the Revolution, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day was a very important event in France. In the night between the 23rd and 24th, the king himself used to light a great Saint-Jean bonfire. This tradition was brought to New France by the first colonists. In the beginning, Saint-Joseph had been designated as the patron saint of New France (just like Saint-Patrick is to Ireland). The problem was that his Holy day is in March and the Québec climate during that time of the year is not very favourable for celebrating. It is for this very practical reason that Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day became more popular, the end of June being a great time to have fun outside. Today, the holiday has lost its religious meaning but has kept its traditional name.

June 27

Multiculturalism Day (Canada)
On November 13, 2002, the Government of Canada, by Royal Proclamation, designated June 27 of each year as Canadian Multiculturalism Day.  Multiculturalism Day celebrates diversity; our commitment to democracy, equality, and mutual respect; and the contributions of various multicultural groups and communities to Canadian society.

June 29 – July 3

Ghambar Maidyoshem(ZO)
Ghambar Maidyoshem celebrates the creation of water, the sowing of the summer crop and the harvesting of grain.