Equality Calendar

1 January

• Hogmany:  New Year Celebrations in Scotland
• New Years Day:  Bank Holiday / Public Holiday (extra day when New Years Day falls at a weekend)

3 January

• Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh(Sikh) 1666-1708: According to the Sikh Nanakshahi calendar, this day marks the birth of the tenth and final Sikh prophet-teacher. Guru Gobind Singh introduced many of the customs that Sikhs practise today including the 5 K's.

5 January

• Twelfth Night:  (Christian):  Christian observance of the close of Christmastide. Christmas decorations are taken down on 5th January (Twelfth Night)

6 January

• Epiphany: (Twelfth Day) (Christian Festival)
  The Epiphany honours the arrival of the Magi (three wise men) and the first public presentation of the Baby Jesus.
• Orthodox Christmas(Christian):  Many Eastern Orthodox and Armenian churches still use the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar. This means that they celebrate Christmas and other fixed festivals thirteen days after the Western churches, so the 7th Jan in the Orthodox calendar equates 25th December in the Western calendar
• Makar Sankranti / Lohri(Hindu) Harvest Festival:  Sankranti means to go from one place to another place (to change direction). It also means one meets another. The time when the sun changes direction from one constellation (of the zodiac) to another is
• Pongal(Hindu) Harvest Festival: Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu. Pongal falls in the mid-Jan every year and marks the reaping of crops and a special thanksgiving to God, the sun, the earth and the cattle. Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal
• Vasant Panchami / Saraswati Puja (Hindu):  This festival marks the first day of spring and is held to worship Sarawati, the goddess of learning. It is also known as Magh Sukla Panchami as it falls in the month of Magh (Jan-Feb)

25 January

• Burn's Night:  The birthday of Scotland's most famous poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796), celebrated with great festivity by the Scots. Burns Suppers are traditional celebrations on this day.
• Mahayana Buddhist New Year(3 days) (Buddhist):  New Year for Mahayana Buddhists celebrated on the first full moon day in January
• Tu B'Shevat -The New Year of the Trees (Jewish):  Tu B'Shevat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, is a holiday also known as the New Year for Trees. (Tu means 15) People plant trees in memory of a loved one or friend and eat fruit, particularly those that are  singled out by the Torah in its praise of the bounty of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.
• "Man is a tree of the field" (Deuteronomy 20:19) Note that in the Jewish calendar, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day.
• Birthday of Guru Har Rai(Nanakshahi calendar) (Sikh):  This day marks the birth of the seventh Sikh prophet-teacher.

2 February

• Candlemas Day (Christian festival)
• Maha Shivaratri(Great Shiva Night) (Hindu):  The main festival to worship Shiva, one of the most important forms of God. Many Hindus will fast and prayers are focused on Shiva and his shrines and statues.   Each new moon is dedicated to Shiva, but Maha Shivratri is especially important because it is the night when he danced the 'Tandav', his cosmic dance.
• Yuan Tan (Chinese New Year) (Chinese): 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit
• Parinivana (Nirvana Day) (Buddhist): Commemorates the death and enlightenment of Buddha.

14 February

• St Valentine's Day (Christian):  A time to tell someone that you love him/her. Both men and women can send cards. Traditionally names are not written on the cards.
• Milad - un-Nabi (Islam): Celebrating the birth of the Prophet Mohammad in 570ce

1 March

• St David's Day (Patron Saint of Wales)
  Celebrated in Wales in honour of Dewi Sant or St David, the patron saint of Wales. Many Welsh people wear a daffodil which is a national emblem of Wales.

8 March

Shrove Tuesday: Pancake Day (Christian)
Christian carnival day on the eve of Ash Wednesday, which begins Lent, a time of fasting and devotions. Pancakes are often served. The day concludes the season of Epiphany.

9 March

• Ash Wednesday (The start of lent, Christian festival)
  Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40-day period known as Lent (the 40 days - excluding Sundays - before Easter Sunday). In Christian churches there are services in which ashes are used to mark a cross on people's foreheads. Some Christians stop eating some type of food during Lent, and use the period for religious thought.

17 March

• St Patrick's Day ( Patron Saint of Ireland)
  The church festival of St. Patrick, is regarded as national day in Northern Ireland.

20 March

• Holi(Hindu):  One of the most colourful Hindu festivals, Holi begins with a bonfire to celebrate the death of Holika, the demon of winter
• Spring begins 'Vernal (or spring) equinox' and happens around 21 March.  Around March 20 or 21, the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world.

27 March

• British Summer Time Begins (daylight savings = clocks go forward 1 hour)

1 April

• April Fool's Day:  A day of jokes and tricks. You have to play the joke before 12 o’clock midday, otherwise the joke is on you.
• Birthday of Guru Tej Bahadur Singh Ji:  (Sikhism)

3 April

• Mothers Day / Mothering Sunday (3 weeks before Easter) A time for people living in the UK to think about their mothers. People often give flowers or chocolates or organise a special day out for their mothers at this time, and send a special "Mother's Day" card.

4 April

• Vaisaki / Ramayana begins: (Hindu) Start of an 8 day celebration of the birth of Lord Rama

13 April

• Vaisakhi: (Sikh) New Year, founding of the Khalsa order of the Guru

14 April

• Baisakhi: (Sikh) Birthday of Guru Nanak

17 April

• Palm Sunday (Christian)

19 April

• Passover or Pesach (Jewish):  Final two days.  Note that in the Jewish calendar, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day.

21 April

• Maundy Thursday ( Christian Festival):
  Christians remember the Last Supper, when Jesus met with his followers before he was betrayed by Judas and was captured by the Romans.

22 April

• Good Friday (Bank Holiday / Public Holiday) (Christian Festival)
  Christians remember the death of Jesus Christ, who was crucified (killed on a cross) by the Romans. Christian churches hold special services, and are often decorated with flowers.

23 April

• St George's Day (Patron Saint of England): It is the church festival of St. George, regarded as England’s national day (although not an official bank holiday). On this day some patriotic English people wear a rose pinned to their jackets.

24 April

• Easter Sunday (Easter Day) (Christian Festival)
  The most holy of Christian sacred days. The day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from his death by crucifixion. Observances include worship services beginning at sunrise, special music, feasting, and parades.

25 April

• Easter Monday (Christian Festival) (Bank Holiday / Public Holiday)

26 April

• Passover ends (Jewish)

1 May

• May Day
  Traditional English May Day celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen and dancing around a Maypole.

2 May

• Early May Bank Holiday (Bank Holiday / Public Holiday)

17 May

• Visakha Puja (Buddha Day): (Buddhist)

21 May

• Diversity Day

30 May

• Spring Bank Holiday (UK- Whit Monday) (Bank Holiday / Public Holiday)

2 June

• Coronation Day: gun salute
  Gun salute to mark the anniversary of the day when the Queen was crowned (in 1953). A 41-gun salute at 12 noon fired by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Hyde Park, London

8 June

• Shavuot (Jewish)  A two day celebration of the revelation of the ten commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.  Finishes on 9 June

16 June

• Birthday of Guru Arjan Dev Martrydom (Sikh)

19 June

• Father's Day (3rd Sunday of June)

21 June

• Summer Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)
  The longest day of the year,  when the Sun is at its most northern point in the sky. Due to Britain's northern location, the sun rises around 4:30 a.m. and doesn't set until 9:30 p.m. on this day.

15 July

• Asalha Puja / Dharnsa Day  (Buddhist) celebration of Gantama Buddha's first teaching
• St. Swithun's Day: Swithin (or Swithun) was a Saxon bishop in the 9th century. Legend has it that the weather on his feast day, 15 July, will determine the weather for the next 40 days.

1 August

• Yorkshire Day
  Celebrates the historic English county of Yorkshire, the largest region in England. Also anniversary of the Battle of Minden which was in 1759.
• Ramadan begins (Islam): Islamic month of fasting from dawn till sunset for 30 days ending with Eid-Ul-Fitr on 31 August.

8 August

• Happiness Day

28-29 August

• Notting Hill Carnival
  Around a million people take to the streets of Notting Hill in West London for the Notting Hill Carnival - Europe's biggest carnival.  Fabulous floats make a colourful circuit of the area and sound systems blast out music all day.

29 August

• Late Summer Bank Holiday  (Bank Holiday / Public Holiday)
  (last Monday in August, early August in Scotland)

22 September

• International Day of Peace

23 September

• First Day of Autumn.  This day is known as the autumnal equinox.  On 22 or 23 September, the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world.

28 September

• Navaratri (Hindu): A nine day festival to celebrate the triumph of good over evil

29 September

• Rosh Hashanah begins (Jewish), ends 30th September

1 October

• International Day of Older Persons

8 October

• Yom Kippur- Jewish

24 October

• United Nations Day

26 November

• Diwali - Hindu, Sikh

30 October

• British Summer Time Ends (daylight savings = clocks go back 1 hour) Greenwich Mean Time Begins

31 October

• Halloween

1 November

• All Saints Day (Christian)
  Christian day for honouring saints, known and unknown.

2 November

• All Souls Day (Christian)
  Christian day of prayers of intercession for the dead.

4 November

• Mischief Night
  The 4 November is known as Mischief Night in some parts of the country. This was the night when all sorts of naughty things were done - the main idea being to put things in the wrong place.

5 November

• Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night)

6 November

• Eid Al Adha - Islam

10 November

• Guru Nanak Dev Sahib Birthday - Sikh

11 November

• Armistace Day: 2 minutes silence at 11.00am

13 November

• Rememberance Sunday: The Queen, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries lay wreaths and observe a minute's silence (at 11am) at the Cenotaph to commemorate those who gave their lives for their country in both world wars. Afterwards, the Bishop of London takes a short service of remembrance.
• Kindness Day

20 November

• Universal Childrens Day

24 November

• Guru Tej Bahadur Martyrdom - Sikh

26 November

• Al Hijira Muharram - Muslim New Year

27 November

• Advent Sunday - Start of Advent
  Christian time of preparation for observing the birth of Jesus Christ.

30 November

• St Andrew's Day (Patron Saint of Scotland)
  It is the church festival of the St. Andrew, regarded as Scotland’s national Day (although it is not an official bank holiday).

1 December

• World Aids Day

3 December

• International Day of Disabled People

6 December

• St Nicholas Day

8 December

• Bodhi Day (Rohatsu)- Buddhism

10 December

• International Human Rights Day

21 December

• Hannukah begins - Jewish, ends 28th December
• Winter Solstice
  Shortest Day of the year, when the Sun is at its most southern point

24 December

• Christmas Eve 
  Christmas Eve is not a public holiday in the UK. Public transport services may finish earlier than usual.

25 December

• Christmas Day (Christian Festival)( Bank Holiday / Public Holiday)
  Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Observed by prayers, exchanging of gifts, and family parties.

26 December

• Boxing Day (Bank Holiday)
• St Stephen's Day

31 December

• Hogmanay (Scotland)
• New Years Eve: At midnight everybody joins hands and sings Auld Lang Syne.