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Midsummer doesn’t have many major Christian and Jewish religious holidays. But a lot did happen in July. Here’s a glimpse.
July 10
Martyrdom of the Bab, Bahá’í
Baha’i is a religion that started in Iran in the 1800’s and developed from Babism. The martyrdom of the Bab is an important holy day.
The Bab was the religious leader of Persia. In 1850, Persian leaders who disapproved of the Báb’s teachings decided to execute the Báb.
This holy day is marked by rest, including special prayers read at noon (the scheduled time of execution).
Mizra Husayn-Aiwas, an early follower of the Bab, took the name Bahá’u’lláh, sometimes spelled Baha Ullah, meaning The Glory of God, who claimed to be the prophet of Bab prophecy, established the Bahá’í Faith.
The main Bahá’í belief is that human beings, religion and society should be one. It is said that to achieve this goal, prejudice should be abandoned, gender equality should be treated, education should be universal, and a world federation should be established.
July 13
Obon (Ulaanbana), Buddhism/Shinto
Obon is a time when Buddhists and Shinto people worship their ancestors. Calendar differences mean that some regions hold festivals in August. August dates are busy travel times due to the holidays. Lanterns were hung to guide their spirits home. Dances, cemetery visits, fireworks and offerings are part of the festivities.
People visit the cemetery to clean family tombstones. The house was cleaned and a special altar set up for the holidays. Many people visit others, especially extended families. A special temple service allows people to make offerings to “unfortunate souls”.
July 23
Birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie, Rastafarian
November 2, 1930, Lars Tafari Maconin is crowned Emperor Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia.
In 1930, a leader of the World Association for the Betterment of Negroes told followers to set their sights on Africa, where a black king would be crowned, and that king would be the redeemer. Soon after, Selassie was crowned, and many saw him as a god, leading to Rastafarianism.
Its association with ska and reggae and their followers emigrated to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom led to the spread of the religion from Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Rastafarianism has never been a single religion. Rastas draws on many ideas, including black supremacy, attempts to return home to Africa, mysticism, Christianity, and the use of marijuana in certain circles. Since the religion developed from ex-slaves who were slave bishops to Christianity, many Rastas say the King James version has been broken.
July 24
Pioneer Day, Mormons
On July 24, the Mormon Church commemorates the day in 1847 when leader Brigham Young and the first Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. The group left Illinois seeking immunity from persecution. First celebrated in 1849, this day is a national holiday.
Because of continued persecution, including the destruction of buildings, church leaders have been discussing a westward migration since 1842.
July 26
Asalha Puja Day (Dhamma Day), Buddhism
Also known as Dharma Day, this is the day Buddhists commemorate the first teachings of the Buddha. It usually falls in July. Dharma can be transformed into truth, is the term for the path of enlightenment.
Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in India in the mid-500s BC, left his wealthy family in search of a better way of life and eventually created a philosophical system that taught that right thinking and self-denial would bring the soul to Nirvana.
In his first sermon, he laid out the basic principles of Buddhism that extreme teachings should be avoided in life.
source: interfaith-calendar.org/2022.htm, bahai-ottawa.org/upcoming_events_holy_days.html, www.us.bahai.org/The World Book; Webster’s New World Dictionary; The Way We Worship, William McIris; HarperCollins Dictionary of Religions, Jonathan Z. Smith; Perennial Dictionary of World Religions, Keith Crim; Encyclopaedia Britannica; www.japan-guide.com/e/e2286.html; timeanddate.com/holidays/us/pioneer-day; www.britannica.com/topic/Rastafari; www.history.com/topics/religion/history-of-rastafarianism; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Press; www.learnreligions.com/latter-day-saints-4684874; thebuddhistcentre.com; www.bbc.co.uk
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