Activities for kids based on national holidays and international awareness days. Our calender gives you the date of major religious and secular dates in 2012.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
New Year’s Day and Hogmanay
1st of January
New Year’s Day is the closest thing to a worldwide public holiday. Hogmanay is a secular festival celebrated in Scotland.
Makar Sankranti
14th of January
The Hindu festival occurs roughly 21 days after the winter solstice, a time that Hindus consider to be particularly auspicious.
Chinese New Year
23rd of January
Chinese New Year is the most significant holiday in the Chinese calendar, where it is known as the ‘spring festival’.
Burns Night
25th of January
January 25th is the birthday of Scotland’s renowned poet, Robert Burns. Many Burns Night suppers will be taking place all over the world to commemorate his memory and his work.
February
Milad un Nabi
4th/9th of February
Milad un Nabi is a joyous occasion to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.
Sangha Day
7th of February
Sangha Day, also known as Magha Puja or Fourfold Assembly is the second most important festival in Buddhism. It is a day to celebrate friendship and honour the Buddhist community, or Sangha.
Valentine’s Day
14th of February
Valentine’s Day is a day for loved ones to acknowledge and celebrate their love for one another.
Pancake Day
21st of February
Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the last day before Lent, which is a time of abstinence and giving things up.
March
St David’s Day
1st of March
St. David’s Day is the feast day for Saint David, the patron Saint of Wales. Primarily observed in Wales, it takes place on the 1st of March every year and became a public holiday in 2000.
Holi
8th of March
A Hindu festival primarily observed in Northern India, Holi is celebrated with great fanfare every spring, usually over the course of 2 days, marking the end of the winter season.
Purim
8th of March
Purim is a holiday that celebrates the victory of the Jews of Persia over Haman, a royal aide, in the fourth century B.C.E.
St. Patrick’s Day
17th of March
St. Patrick’s Day is the feast day for Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It takes place annually on the 17th of March, which is widely recognised as the date of his death.
April
April Fools’ Day
1st of April
April Fools’ Day – or All Fools’ Day – is a day for celebrating and indulging in fun, foolishness and practical jokes.
Palm Sunday
1st of April
Palm Sunday is the first day of the Christian Holy Week, when Christians all over the world celebrate Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem and commemorate his death and resurrection.
Passover
7th of April
Passover is a Jewish festival that commemorates the liberation of Israeli Jews, who were freed from slavery and led out of Egypt by Moses.
Easter
8th of April
Easter Sunday is the last day of the Christian Holy Week, and is the day when Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Vaisakhi
13th of April
Vaisakhi is a harvest festival, and one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar. It is recognised as the beginning of the Sikh New Year.
Earth Day for Kids
22nd of April
Earth Day is a day to appreciate the world around us and think about how we can do our bit to protect it for the future.
St Georges Day
23rd of April
St George is the Patron Saint of England, Aragon, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece and many more. Read how St George’s Day is celebrated in England.
May
May Day
1st of May
Celebrated each year on the first day of May, May Day is a spring festival and public holiday.It is known as a time for love and romance, and for celebrating the coming summer season.
Wesak
5th of May
Wesak is the most important of Buddhist celebrations. It symbolises Buddha’s birthday and is celebrated during the full moon each May.
Ascension Day
17th of May
Ascension Day marks Jesus Christ’s final appearance to his disciples, and his ascension into heaven forty days after his resurrection.
Shavuot
27th of May
Shavuot is a Jewish harvest festival that takes place on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (late May or early June). It marks the beginning of the wheat harvest.
Pentecost
27th of May
Pentecost is a Christian festival which celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit and is considered as the birthday of the Christian church.
June
Summer solstice
20th of June
Summer Solstice has been a celebrated event for thousands of years as people have been fascinated by the incredible power of the sun.
Ratha Yatra
21st of June
Ratha Yatra is a Hindu festival cwhich celebrates the return of Hare Krishna to his birthplace of Vrindavana.
July
Asalha Puja
3rd of July
Asalha Puja (or Dharma Day) is a Buddhist festival which commemorates the beginning of Buddha’s teachings.
St. Swithin’s Day
15th of July
St. Swithin’s Day is the feast day for Saint Swithin (or Swithun), the patron saint of Winchester Cathedral.
Ramadan
20th of July
Ramadan is the name of the ninth - and perhaps the most significant - month in the Islamic calendar. It is believed that the Qur’an, the Islamic holy book, was first revealed during this month.
August
Lughnasadh (Pagan)
1st of August
End of Ramadan
18th of August
Bon Festival/Feast of Lanterns (Japan)
18th of August
Eid-ul-Fitr
18th of August
September
Rosh Hashannah
17th September
Ganesh Chaturthi
19th of September
October
Eid
26th of October
Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha to commemorate Ibrahim (Abraham) preparing to sacrifice his son to Allah (God), before Allah provides a ram instead. Eid-Ul-Adha is a day of happiness and a day to forgive and forget any differences.
Halloween
31st of October
Halloween is a festival that falls on the 31st of October each year. Full of tradition and superstition, Halloween is a night to celebrate the paranormal.
November
Guy Fawkes
5th of November
Guy Fawkes, or Bonfire night, is celebrated all over the UK on the 5th of November every year, wth firework and bonfire displays.
Remembrance Sunday
11th of November
Remembrance Sunday takes place on the closest Sunday to Armistice Day and commemorates those who have lost their lives in conflicts since World War One.
Diwali
13th of November
Diwali, or Dipawali, is India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year. It is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.
Al-Hijra
14th of November
Al-Hijra is the Islamic New Year, and the first day of Muharram, one of the most sacred months in the Islamic calendar.
Thanksgiving
22nd of November
Originally a feast to commemorate the season’s successful harvest, Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated since 1621 in America, and in Canada since 1578.
Guru Nanak’s birthday
28th of November
Guru Nanak was the founder of the Sikh religion, and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.
St. Andrew’s Day
30th of November
St. Andrew’s Day is the feast day for Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Barbados, Russia, Romania and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It takes place on the 30th of November every year.
December
Advent
2nd of December
Advent is the start of a new Liturgical year for Western churches. It is a season of waiting and preperation, before celebrating the Nativity of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day.
Bodhi Day
8th of December
Bodhi day falls on the 8th of December and commemorates the day when Siddhartha Gautauma (Shakyamuni) experienced enlightenment.
Hanukkah
8th of December
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights commemorating the rededication of the Temple.
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