International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Every 9 August commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982. There are an estimated 476 million indigenous peoples in the world living across 90 countries. They make up less than 5 per cent […]

Tisha B’av 2024

Tisha B’av (The Ninth of Av) is a day of mourning and fasting. The holiday commemorates various tragedies that befell the Jewish people throughout history, particularly the destruction of the two temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE. It is believed that many of the tragedies remembered on Tisha B’Av actually occurred on this date. Tisha […]

Obon (Ullambana)

Urabon, shortened as Obon is a Japanese term translated from the Sanskrit word ‘Ullambana’ which actually means ‘to hang upside down’. It is used to imply the excruciating suffering, be it physical or spiritual, when one is hung upside down. The festival is considered an Invitation to the Dead because it is believed to be […]

Dormition of the Theotokos

The feast of the Dormition or Falling-asleep of the Theotokos is celebrated on the fifteenth of August, preceded by a two-week fast. This feast, which is also sometimes called the Assumption, commemorates the death, resurrection and glorification of Christ’s mother. It proclaims that Mary has been “assumed” by God into the heavenly kingdom of Christ […]

National Nonprofit Day

National Nonprofit Day recognizes the goals and positive impacts nonprofits have on communities and the world.

Marcus Garvey Day

Marcus Garvey Day "commemorates Marcus Moziah Garvey, a Jamaican-born Black political activist, publisher, and journalist (to name a few). Garvey was probably the most charismatic Afro-American leader until Dr. Martin […]

Raksha Bandhan 2024

Originating from Sanskrit, the term Raksha Bandhan translates as “bond of protection.” Observed on the full-moon day during Shravana (July-August), the 5th month in the Hindu lunar calendar, Raksha Bandhan […]

Jizo Bon Festival

Jizo Bon is a festival that celebrates Jizo Bodhisattva, a guardian deity of children and travelers. It consists of traditions that originated in the ancient capital of Kyoto and were […]

National Women’s Equality Day

The United States Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women full and equal voting rights on this day in 1920. Every year on August 26, we commemorate […]