Holidays Around the World By Month
January 1. New Years Day. There is tremendous diversity in how the new calendar year is welcomed around the world. In Korea, the holiday is called Solnal.January 14th. Ponggal Harvest. Southern India. Offerings of rice and prayers of thanksgiving to the Gods. This is a holiday that honors the sun and rain that ripen the rice crops. Families cook rice in new milk and wait for it to bubble. Then they cry "pongal," which means "it boils." People dance and offer some of the rice to Surya the Sun God before tasting. It is traditional to bathe and put on new clothes first. The first day of the holiday honors the sun, second day honors rain, and the third day honors cattle.
January 15 Martin Luther King Day United States.
January 15 Seijin-no-hi. Japan. Adults Day or Coming of Age Day, for people who have turned twenty during the previous year. Girls often get very dressed up and have elaborate pictures taken.
January 15 Full Moon Day. Korea.
January 15. Husband Day. Iceland. Customary for women to give gifts to men.
January 21- February 20. Chinese New Year. China. Check out these great Chinese New Year links:
http://kidslangarts.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=
http://www.chinatown-online.co.uk/pages/fun/names
Lantern Festival. End of New Year Festival in China. Parents buy children paper lanterns. After sunset, children play with their new lanterns. It is traditional for adults to try to solve riddles for prizes.
January 25 Burns Night. Scotland. Event to honor Poet Robert Burns, born 1759.
January 26 Australia Day. Australia. Commemorates finding of first white settlement in Australia in 1788.
January 26 Patriots Day. Dominican Republic. Honors Juan Pablo Duarte, born 1814, who helped free the Dominicans from Spain.
January 26 Republic day. India. Celebrates the date when India declared itself a republic independent from Great Britain in 1950. A huge parade is held in Delhi each year.
January Ramadan. Fasting during the day for one month worldwide for Muslims. Followed by the Feast of Fitr.
January Tu Bi'shevat. Israel. New Year for Trees.
January Tet Nguyen Dan. Vietnam. First day of first lunar month of the year. Check out http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/tet.html
February Black History Month. United States.
February Sarasuati Puja. India. Hindu Festival to honor Goddess of Learning, Sarasuati. Students ironically do not go to school on this day.
February 2 Ground Hogs Day. United States.
February 3 Setsuban. Japan. This holiday falls on the day before Spring begins, according to the lunar calendar. The tradition is to push out devils and welcome good fortune by throwing beans. People cry "Oni wa soto, huku wa uch!," which means "Devils out, good luck." It is customary to eat beans facing in special direction, which changes each year, and to eat as many beans as your age.
February 6 Waiting Day. New Zealand. 1840's treaty signed by the Maoris and the Europeans.
February 11. National Foundation Day. Japan. Patriotic holiday to remember founding of nation from accession to throne of first emperor.
February 13. Japan. Many Buddhists observe this day as anniversary of Buddha's death.
Shiva Ratri. Hindu holiday -- night of great Lord Ratri. Fasting and four worship ceremonies.
February 14 St. Valentines Day. Various countries, including United States.
February-March Purim. Israel and for Jews worldwide. The Feast of lots.
Basanth. First day of Spring celebrated in many parts of Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Timing depends on lunar calendar. Huge, elaborate kite flying contests are held in Pakistan.
Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Bolludagar Buns Day. Seven weeks before Easter, there are many, many variations on a holiday in which festivals are held prior to beginning Lent. Iceland and many Scandanavian countries celebrate Bolludagur or Bunsday, in which children get to spank their parents and collect one sweet bun for each spank. It is also traditional to eat pea soup. In many other countries, huge festivals or street carnivals are held.
Feb. 1-14. Mamacha Candicha. Peru. Many celebrations in the streets. This was originally an Inca feast, that over time took on a focus on the Virgin Mary. Traditionally, people dress like devils. There is a mixture of Andean and African songs.
February 25. Kuwaiiti National Day.
March Women's History Month -- United States.
March 1 Korean Independence Day since 1919.
First Tuesday in March Peace Corps Day.
March 3 Hinamatsuri. Japan. "Girls' Day." It is traditional for girls to have special, elaborate dolls called Hina dolls that are put out onto special shelves on this day, along with peach blosoms for decoration. Wishes are expressed for the future happiness of girls. It is traditional to drink a sweet drink called shirozake,brewed from rice gruel mixed with fermented rice.
March 8 Womens Day. China. A day to honor females. Women are given the day off. They are given gifts, and relieved of chores. Special dolls are displayed wearing red clothing. It is also Womens Day on March 8 in Italy and Russia.
March Lent. 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Lent is Old English for spring.
March 14 White Day. South Korea. Boys give presents to girlfriends. "Pay back" for Valentines. A Merchant's holiday.
Mid-March St. Urho's Day. Finland. St. Urho rescued the Finnish people by chasing grasshoppers out of Finland, saving crops. It is tradition to wear and eat things that are purple and green.
March 17 St. Patrick's Day
March 19 Father's Day. Italy. Gifts given.
Last Tuesday night in March before Ruz is Chahar-Shanbe-Soorey in Iran. Like Halloween. Children wear masks, and go door to door to get candy. People jump over bon fires while wishing for good health.
March 21 Jamshedi Navroz. Now Ruz. Fire jumping in Middle Eastern festival. 2500 years old. March 20-21 is celebrated as the first day of Spring by people of all religions across the Middle East. National Holiday in Iran. Ends with Sizdeh Bedar.
March 21. Sham al-Naseem. Egypt. On the first day of Spring the Muslims and Christians in Egypt welcome this day in a festive picnic, called Sham al-Naseem, which means "the smell of spring." It is customary to attend outdoor picnics. Two traditional foods include midamis or kidney beans, and fasiyah, dried fish. Egyptians may go out on the Nile on a boat to eat. They also greet one another kindly by saying "al Salamu Alaycum", which means "Peace be with you."
March 21. Human Rights Day. S. Africa. Est. by N. Mandela in 1991.
March 21 Nowrovz. Iran. Persian New Year. This feast dates back 2500 years. Gifts are given, and cookies of all kinds are eaten. This holiday is not related to Islam. It is a custom for people to arrange seven small dishes of nature's symbols on a table, like fruits, wheat sprouts, and a bowl of water holding gold fish. A mirror and several painted eggs (similar to Easter eggs) are also added to the arrangement to form what is called Haft-Sin, which means Seven S's, (because the name of these seven dishes begins with S in Persian.) The appearance of Haft-Sin table in homes sets the mood for the Persian New Year.
Full moon in March. Holi. India. Ancient East Indian harvest festival.
March 25. Greek Independence Day (freedom from Turkey). Parades, go to church, eat fish symbolizing Christ. The holiday symbolizes the re-birth of the nation and humanity.
March 26 Mother's Day. United Kingdom. Tradition began when child workers were given the day off to go see their mothers, and would take something special home to their mothers.
March Feast of Sacrifice. Eid-al-Adha. Three Day Muslim feast celebrating Ibraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael -- believe to be the forefather of the Arabs. It is traditional to reenact the sacrifice of a cow or ram.
March
Li Chum. China. This holiday signals the arrival of Spring. There are plowing ceremonies in farming areas. Government representatives visit fields where plows and oxens or water buffalo are waiting. People visit farms dressed colorfully, carrying flowers. Clay images of water buffalo -- the symbol for spring -- are carried in a parade. Parades include big buffalo made out of bamboo covered with different colored paper -- black, white, red, green, and yellow. These five colors represent the five elements of life to the Chinese: fire, water, metal, wood, and earth. When the parade reaches a temple, the clay buffalo are destroyed, and the big buffalo is burned. When people return home, plates with five kinds of fruits are presented as an offering to the gods. Plays are traditionally given on this holiday, and plum blossom parties are held. floating date March
Indonesia officially recognizes 5 religions: Moslem, Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist and Hindhu. Nyepi or The Day of Silence is the Hindhu New Year in the Balinese Saka (lunar) calender, usually at the end of March or at the beginning of April.