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The September full moon, sometimes called the Harvest Moon, the Corn Moon, or the Barley Moon falls on the 2nd of the month, and the new moon falls on the 17th. Both occurrences mark auspicious days in several faith traditions. And, of course, September 22nd marks the fall equinox (for the northern hemisphere).

The High Holy Days in the Jewish tradition usually constitute the biggest news in September. This year, both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur fall in September. Sukkot will happen in October. Here’s a run-down of what to expect.
Rosh Hashanah (sunset Sept. 18-nightfall Sept. 20): Rosh Hashanah literally means “head of the year,” more commonly known as the Jewish New Year. The biblical name, Yom Teruah, means “day of shouting/blasting,” and one of the coolest things about Rosh Hashanah is hearing the shofar blasts. This year will be 5781 in the Jewish calendar.
Yom Kippur (sunset Sept. 27-nightfall Sept. 28): This Jewish Day of Atonement is marked with a 25-hour fast (which is not easy). The Kol Nidre {coal knee-druh}, the prayer said at the first evening service, is actually in Aramaic (not Hebrew). And the service is called the Kol Nidrei.
Sikh Gurpurab (September 16): One of the fixed holy days in the Sikh tradition is the second day of Asu, which falls in mid-September. There are 10 human gurus in the Sikh tradition. This holy day honors the death of the 3rd Guru (Amar Das), the installation of the 4th Guru (Ram Das), the death of that guru, and the installation of the 5th Guru (Arjan).
Birth of Rumi (Sept. 30): Rumi was a 13th century Persian poet, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Historians aren’t quite sure where Rumi was born, but they seem to know exactly when he was born: September 30, 1207.

Special Note: It’s notoriously difficult to create interfaith calendars because so many different methods of tracking time are used throughout the world. However, one popular on-line interfaith calendar lists the date for a major Jain holiday, Paryushana Parva, as Sept. 21. It actually fell in mid-August this year.

Kids' Book Recommendations

There are lots of great kids’ book about Rosh Hashanah, including board books for infants! This Holidays Around the World book is one of our favorites for slightly older kids. Using real photographs, it explores how Rosh Hashanah is celebrated by Jewish kids all over the globe


 

More Reading

One of the first non-Christian holiday services I attended was Day 1 of Rosh Hashanah at our local Chabad House. Many synagogues, because they don’t deal with money on holy days, require pre-paid tickets for the High Holy days. Chabad generally does not, which is why I went there. It did not go very well, as you will read in this early blog post, Lessons from My First Rosh Hashanah.

I have also attended dzikrs (also spelled dhikr). Here is my previous blog post on that.
 

Video Recommendation

Rumi’s followers started the Mevlevi Order. Members whirl as a form dzikr (zik-er), which focuses on “remembering God.” There are lots of great videos of these whirling dervishes. Here’s one.

Latest News
As some of you know, our first kids’ book, We All Have Sacred Spaces, is now out! Click here to order. So, far all the Amazon reviewers give it 5 stars!



As always, please remember to follow us @FaithSeekerKids on Twitter and Instagram for news articles, interfaith webinars, book recommendations, and craft images!

 
We do not rest on our laurels here at Faith Seeker Kids! We just received the first illustration for our next kids’ book, Embracing Peace: Stories from the World’s Faith Traditions. Raman Bhardwaj is our illustrator, and this first illustration will accompany a Hindu story about Vahara the Boar, Vishnu’s 2nd avatar.
To celebrate having We All Have Sacred Spaces available for sale, ALL of our hard copy curriculums are ON SALE!
From now until the end of September, save $10 on any hard copy curriculum purchase. 
(Price includes tax and shipping! Sale price reflected below)
Click below or SHOP NOW

Curriculum Spotlight

Interfaith Made Easy, Unit #1, Peace Lower Elementary (Hard Copy)
Interfaith Made Easy, Unit #1, Peace Lower Elementary (Hard Copy)
$59.99
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Interfaith Made Easy Unit #1 Peace, Upper Elementary (Hard Copy)
Interfaith Made Easy Unit #1 Peace, Upper Elementary (Hard Copy)
$59.99
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Interfaith Made Easy Unit #1 Middle School (Hard Copy)
Interfaith Made Easy Unit #1 Middle School (Hard Copy)
$59.00
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Interfaith Made Easy Unit #1 Peace, Preschool - Kindergarten (Hard Copy)
Interfaith Made Easy Unit #1 Peace, Preschool - Kindergarten (Hard Copy)
$59.99
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