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 […]

Zartosht No-Diso

On this important day (Zartosht No-Diso), Zoroastrians mark the death anniversary of the prophet Zoroaster, founder of their faith. Falling on the 10th of the month of Dae, it is […]

Wounded Knee Massacre (Day of Reflection)

Wounded Knee Massacre, (December 29, 1890), the slaughter of approximately 150–300 Lakota Indians by United States Army troops in the area of Wounded Knee Creek in southwestern South Dakota. The massacre was the climax of […]

Maidyarem

The midwinter festival of Maidyarem celebrates the evolution of animals. The fifth Gahambar falls on days 286 through 290, typically December 31 to January 4. Zoroastrians observe six seasonal festivals […]

Feast Day of St. Basil

Saint Basil the Great, (born AD 329, Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia—died Jan. 1, 379, Caesarea; Western feast day January 2; Eastern feast day January 1), Early church father. Born into a Christian family […]

World Braille Day

Each year, we work to get Braille into the hands of more blind people. January 4 marks World Braille Day in celebration of its creator, Louis Braille. Every day, thousands of […]

Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975

Indian Self-Determination is the ability for tribal communities to shape their own destinies, unencumbered by external forces which may undermine their authority. In the years following the disastrous policy of […]

Maghi

Sikhs and Hindus, especially in India’s Punjab region, both observe the first day of the month of Magh. In Sikhism, Maghi honors the martyred Chali Mukte (40 Liberated Ones), killed […]

José Martí’s birthday (Cuba)

José Martí (born January 28, 1853, Havana, Cuba—died May 19, 1895, Dos Ríos) was a Cuban poet and essayist, patriot and martyr, who became the symbol of Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain. His […]

National Freedom Day

February 1st is National Freedom Day in the United States. National Freedom Day is celebrated because on February 1st, 1865 Abraham Lincoln signed the joint resolution from the House and the Senate that eventually became the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution—the amendment that officially ended slavery in the United States. This year and every year, make it a […]