Spring Holy Days & Religious Observances

With Whitman’s rich religious diversity, there are lots of opportunities to experience some of the important (and often very fun) spring holy day religious observances taking place on our campus.

Last week, close to 100 students gathered for the Passover Seder hosted by Kehillat Shalom (above). The Seder is a symbolic meal that invites Jews to remember their own story of liberation. And this weekend, Christians on campus and all over the world celebrated Easter, the holiest of days in the Christian calendar.

Just as Judaism and Christianity are not monolithic in the ways they’re expressed and practiced, Buddhism too has many different versions and traditions. Nichiren Buddhism, centered on the equality and great potential of all people, is considered to be among the most diverse Buddhist communities in the world. This version of Mahayana Buddhism is characterized by chanting, sacred text study and empowering oneself. Several members of the Whitman community and friends in the surrounding area who are practitioners of this particular expression of Buddhism are hosting an Intro to Nichiren Buddhism Session on Sunday, April 27, at 1 p.m. in the All Faiths Room. All are welcome to join for information, snacks and community.

Perhaps the most exuberant and colorful religious tradition that takes place on our campus is the Hindu festival of Holi (below)—celebrated as the festival of colors, love, equality and spring. Hosted by the South Asian Student Association, Whitman’s Holi event will take place on Saturday, May 3, at noon on Stanton Field. They’ll provide all of the color, the water toys, the white t-shirts, the food and the music. You bring your inner child and desire to blow off a little steam. All are welcome!

Also of note, this Thursday is Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Some may recall that back in January, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life hosted a Holocaust Remembrance Day luncheon. There’s not been a mix-up in the calendar! In fact, there are two Holocaust Remembrance Days. The Jan. 27 date was established by the United Nations and marks the date on which the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army in 1945. Yom HaShoah is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.