Some June Interfaith Inspirations

For Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest, June marks Miso’o, the season of Sockeye salmon, which is the most important food source for the coming year.  In Arizona, this is also the season of the Hopi Kachina Dances, in which long lines of dancers (representing various spirit-powers) perform in the open plazas of Hopi pueblos.

Judiasm Shavuot June 2-3 ~
Shavuot celebrates the Israelites receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai.  
It is one of the three "foot festivals", as well as Passover and Succot (Tabernacles),
in which the Jewish men used to go by foot to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, Israel.
Shavuot is also called Chag Habikurim, Festival of the First Fruit.
This commemorates Jewish inhabitants of Israel bringing their first fruits
to the Temple and offered sacrifices.

Baha'i Nur ~ June 4 ~
The beginning of the fifth month of the Bahá’í year, Nur means “light.”

Islam The Hajj ~ June 5-9 ~
Annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.

Islam Eid-al-Adha ~ June 7-10 ~
Annual Festival of Sacrifice in commemoration of the Mecca pilgrimage, celebrated by all even if they weren't on the pilgrimage. Care is taken to feed the poor and hungry as part of the festival.

Interfaith World Ocean Day ~ June 8 ~
Celebrating, honoring, and recognizing the importance of our oceans
including the challenges faced with pollutionand climate change.

Christianity Pentecost ~ June 8 ~
Christian observation of the day when the God the Holy Spirit came to the disciples in the forms of tongues of fire and rushing wind. Known as the birthday of Christian churches, it is a traditional day for baptism and confirmation of new Christians.

• Interfaith Happy Father's Day! ~ June 15 ~
  On June 19, 1910, a Father's Day celebration was held at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington
  by Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, the civil war veteran William Jackson Smart,
  was a single parent who raised his six children there.

Sikh Guru Arjan Dev Martyrdom ~ June 16
Sikh time of remembering those who have suffered for the faith.
Observed by reading the Guru Granth Sahib.

Juneteenth ~ June 19 ~
An American holiday celebrating when the last enslaved peoples finally learned of their freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation, granting all enslaved people freedom, was signed into law on January 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln. It wasn't until June 19, 1865 that the last enslaved people of African descent living in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom from the slavery system.

ChristianityNew Church Day ~ June 19 ~
Swedenborgian Christian (Church of the New Jerusalem) annual commemoration of the vision document, "The True Christian Religion", by Emanuel Swedenborg in 1770. 

Interfaith World Refugee Day ~ June 20 ~
World Refugee Day serves to commemorate the strength, courage and resilience of millions of refugees that have been forced to flee their homes out of fear of persecution or to escape disasters. The day also aims to recognize refugees for their contribution to the world. According to the United Nations, there are more than 50 million people displaced by war and violence, of which 33 million
are internally displaced while the other 17 million are refugees, mostly in neighboring nations.

The United Nations General Assembly designated World Refugee Day in December 2000.
It is celebrated every June 20th, a day chosen in order to coincide with Africa's previously celebrated Refugee Day.

• It is estimated that 50% of refugees are under the age of 18.
• The Syrian refugee crisis is the worst that the world has seen since World War Two.
• The country with the highest number of refugees is Pakistan with 1.6 million refugees.
• Under international law, refugees are not allowed to be forced back
  to the countries they have fled.
  I know what it's like when you are a refugee, living on the mercy of others and having to adjust.  – Martti Ahtisaari, the tenth president of Finland
  
  

  Wicca/Pagan Summer & Winter Solstice ~ Litha & Yule
  ~ Northern and Southern Hemispheres ~ June 20
  Celebrate with us here!
  Solstice is the time when the earth is most inclined towards or away from the sun.
  It is the most southern or northern point depending on the hemisphere.
  In the Northern hemisphere in June, the observance is Litha, Wicca celebration of the sacred marriage in which energy of the gods is poured into the service of life.
  In the southern hemisphere, this is the shortest day of the year.
  It marks the first day of the season of winter. Winter Yule is the time when the sun child
  is reborn, an image of the return of all new life born through the love of the Gods.
  Within the tradition, Yule is regarded as the New Year.
  Also a Norse pagan celebration of the winter-born king, symbolized by the rebirth of the sun.

• More Summer Solstice Facts

  • On the Summer Solstice, the North Pole receives 24 hours of daylight,
    and the South Pole receives 24 hours of darkness.
  • Solstice comes from the Latin words for "Sun" and "to stop."
  • Many Native American tribes celebrated the Summer Solstice by holding "sun dances".
  • On the summer solstice, the Earth's axis is tilted the most, up to 26°

  Summer Feast – Native American spirituality
  A day to honor the coming and going of the seasons, celebrated with songs,
  prayers, and storytelling.

• First Nations or Aboriginal Day in Canada
  A day to honor and celebrate the indigineous people of Canada

• Baha'i Rahmat ~ June 23
  The beginning of the sixth month of the Bahá’í year, Rahmat means “mercy.”

  Christianity Church of Latter-Day Saints ~ June 27 ~
  Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  Recalling the assassination of the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum while they were incarcerated in Carthage, Illinois, in 1844 C.E.g

  Zoroastrianism Ghambar Maidyoshem begins ~ June 29
  A celebration of the creation of water, the sowing of the summer crops, and the harvesting of grain.  This festival continues through Monday, July 3rd.

   

  Christianity Saint Days ~ Peter & Paul ~ June 29 ~
  Christian honoring of the disciples chosen by Jesus to give leadership to the church.