During the COVID pandemic, Revelers kept community and celebration alive by sharing how they prepared for the important holidays and traditions in their own lives in our virtual “Revels Book of Days”. Relive their virtual offerings as each year turns from one holiday to the next. Note, these dates are from when these holidays were celebrated in 2020-2021.
September 25 – 27
The High Holidays
Revelers share family traditions, recipes, songs, and stories for the Jewish High Holidays.
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September 10
Celebrating Tsukimi
Celebrate the Harvest moon viewing with Revelers by reading poetry and making crafts!
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October 9 – 16
Harvest Bounty and Sukkot
Revelers show how to build a sukkah, make decorations, and more for Sukkot!
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September 22
Autumnal Equinox
Our “Season of Reveling” continues with a musical celebration of the start of Autumn and the arrival of crisp Fall weather.
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October 17 – 18
Simchat Torah
Learn how members of the Revels community are celebrating one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar.
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Sept 26 – Oct 5
Navaratri
This festival of nine nights of celebration and dance is dedicated to the Mother or Divine Goddess.
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October 7 – 8
Mawlid an Nabawi
Revelers from across two continents offer a traditional song known throughout the Muslim for the Birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.
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October 29
Shabbat & Havdalah
Revelers share how they prepare to celebrate Shabbat and Havdalah with challah baking and ritual blessings.
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October 24
Diwali
Revelers share reflections on the Indian Festival of Lights, and how they prepare to celebrate.
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October 31
Halloween
Enjoy this traditional “Souling Song” from the Cheshire region of England around 1893.
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November 1
Maryland Emancipation Day
The Washington Revels Jubilee Voices presents a performance celebrating the day that enslaved African Americans in Maryland were freed!
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November 1-2
Dia de los Muertos
See how our Revelers celebrate the Mexican “Day of the Dead” holiday.
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December 18-26
Chanukah
“Chanukah (which means dedication) is an eight-day celebration of lights during the darkest part of the year…”
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December 6
Saint Nicholas Day
On Saint Nicholas Day 2020, we held a special singalong to teach our virtual Winter Solstice Revels audience ‘sings’ in advance.
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December 13
Sankta Lucia Festival
A Swedish holiday came to life, with help from Revelers of all ages!
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December 21
The Winter Solstice
Learn how to prepare to burn your own “beseeching fire … to keep the year alive” in this fun video!
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January 22
Lunar New Year
Happy Lunar New Year! Learn now to make nian gao (New Year Rice Cake, 年糕) from Galene Wong.
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January 25
Robert Burns Day
Celebrate the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns with a toast, and a wee bit of Auld Lang Syne.
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February 5-6
Tu B’Shevat
Learn about “Jewish Arbor Day” in this post from Reveler Rowyn Peel and wish a tree “Happy New Year!”
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March 6-7
Purim
See the many traditions that make up this joyous holiday, including special recipes from the Revels community.
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March 17
Saint Patrick’s Day
Revelers share their Irish traditions on social media, starting with a video from our 2014 Irish Christmas Revels, to mark this Saint’s Day celebrated in Ireland and around the world.
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March 20
Spring Equinox
Each year we “Welcome Spring!” at our virtual Community Sing on March 21! Watch the recording of this year’s event on Facebook Live. (No FB Account needed to watch.)
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April 15 – 23
Passover
Learn how members of the Revels community are celebrating one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar.
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April 11
Spring Pub Sing
To welcome Spring, members of the Revels community lead a virtual song circle in timeless favorites! We had a great time, and Pub Sing attendees are enjoying their on-demand video access through the end of April.
April 22
Earth Day
Raise your voice at our annual Earth Day-Eve Community Sing, and then enjoy a re-broadcast of last Fall’s virtual “Emerald Stream” performance to celebrate our beautiful planet.
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May 1
May Day
To mark May Day 2021, we relived our first-ever virtual choral performance: Now Is the Month of Maying (in the time of COVID) with the Washington Revels Gallery Voices.
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May 5
Cinco de Mayo
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, sing along with this gem from the early days of Daily Antidote of Song and guest artist Lilo Gonzalez, who led us in a joyous rendition of “De Colores” to brighten one of the early days of the pandemic.
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May 8
Mother’s Day
Revelers wrote in to share their experiences as Stage Mothers and Stage Children in our annual productions. Learn what makes the “Stage Family” experience so powerful for our performers as we celebrate mothers everywhere!
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May 22
Celebration of Spring!
With dances, parades, and plays filmed live on location at historic Glen Echo Park, the Revels community welcomed the “Greening of the Year” with a virtual festival for all ages.
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