Christmas

Christmas, Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ’s day”) is of fairly recent origin. The earlier term Yule may have derived from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the feast of the winter […]

New Year’s Day

In many countries the New Year begins on January 1. However, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, for centuries, other dates marked the start of the calendar, including March 25 and […]

St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day, feast day (March 17) of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. […]

Yom Ha’Atzmaut 2026

Held on the fifth day of the Hebrew calendar month of Iyar, Yom Ha’atzmaut is a modern holiday celebrating Israel’s independence in 1948. Israeli Independence Day is always immediately preceded by Yom Hazikaron - Memorial Day for the Fallen […]

World Press Freedom Day

World Press Freedom Day happens yearly on May 3, and acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a […]

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo, (Spanish: “Fifth of May”) also called Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, holiday celebrated in parts of Mexico and the United States in honor of a military victory in 1862 over the French […]

Declaration of the Báb

On May 23, Baha’i's around the world will celebrate the holiday known as the Declaration of the Báb. It commemorates when the Báb announced in 1844 that he was the […]

Memorial Day (US)

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2023 will […]

Day of Vesak

(also known as Visakha Puja, Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Buddha Day) "Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions […]

Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh

From the evening of May 28, 2019 through May 29, 2019, Bahá’ís around the world will celebrate the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the death of […]