Krishna Janmashtami is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of the deity Vishnu. The holiday is celebrated on the eighth day of the month of Bhadrapada, also called Shravan, which falls in August or September of the Gregorian calendar. 

Krishna is viewed as the supreme god, so the holiday and festivities are important to Hindus. To celebrate, there is often a large festival, the reading and recitation of religious texts, dancing, constant devotional singing, fasting, and even enactments of the life of Krishna according to the Bhagavata Purana, one of eighteen central texts.

Bryant, E.F (2007). Sri Krishna: A Sourcebook. Oxford University Press.

The summer solstice marks the moment in the year when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky, ushering in the beginning of astronomical summer. It occurs around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and around December 21 in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing the year’s longest amount of daylight and shortest night.

The yearly event was very important to ancient people, who used the Sun’s position to note the passage of seasons. Many of these cultures built monuments to mark the day on which the Sun reached its height and welcomed the season with various celebrations. Some of these monuments have survived into modern times, and many of the festivals are still observed in parts of the world. 

Today, Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland  celebrate Midsummer by lighting bonfires, dancing around maypoles, and decorating homes with flowers and tree branches. In the neo-pagan religion of Wicca, the day marks one of the eight Wiccan festivals timed with a particular season. Wiccans worldwide celebrate Midsummer to honor the fertility of the Earth and note the passage of the year from a time of light to the gradual return of darkness. 

Sheposh, R. (2025). Summer Solstice. 

Salem Press Encyclopedia.

Vesak, also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Visak Bochea, and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South and Southeast Asia. It is among the most important Buddhist festivals, celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha in the Theravada, Tibetan, and Navayana schools of Buddhism. 

On Vesak, Buddhists assemble in their various temples before dawn for the raising of the Buddhist flag and the singing of hymns in praise of the holy triple gem: The Buddha, The Dharma (his teachings), and The Sangha (his disciples). Devotees often bring simple offerings of flowers, candles and joss-sticks, which symbolize the inevitable shortness and end of life. Throughout the day, special effort to refrain from killing of any kind is made, and many eat only vegetarian meals.

Fowler, Jeaneane D. (1997). World Religions: An Introduction for Students. Sussex Academic Press.