Festivals & special days
103 stories through the year, in calendar order. Tap one to visit its day.
January
- 1 Jan Every year New Year's DayNew Year's Day is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. It is one of the most celebrated public holidays in the world, often welcomed …
- 1 Jan 1600 Scotland starts counting its new year from 1 JanuaryScotland decided that each new year would begin on 1 January instead of 25 March. Until then, the year number had changed in late March, in the sprin…
- 2 Jan Every year Bank holiday (Scotland)In Scotland, 2 January is a bank holiday as well as New Year's Day, so many people get two days off to start the year. The extra holiday is given eac…
- 4 Jan Every year World Braille DayWorld Braille Day celebrates braille, a writing system that blind and visually impaired people read by touch. Braille can be read on embossed paper o…
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5 Jan
Every year Twelfth NightTwelfth Night is the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas and marks the end of the Christmas season. Some traditions hold it on 5 January and o…
Photo: Giotto, Public domain
- 6 Jan Every year Epiphany (Three Kings' Day)Epiphany is a Christian feast day, also called Three Kings' Day. In Western churches it mainly remembers the visit of the Magi, or wise men, to the b…
- 11 Jan Every year Kagami birakiKagami biraki, meaning 'opening the mirror', is a traditional Japanese ceremony usually held on 11 January. At New Year, many families display kagami…
- 12 Jan Every year YennayerYennayer is the first month of the Amazigh, or Berber, calendar, and its first day is celebrated as the Amazigh New Year. Many people in North Africa…
- 13 Jan Every year LohriLohri is a winter folk and harvest festival celebrated mainly in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. It usually falls on 13 or 14 January and ce…
- 14 Jan Every year Makar SankrantiMakar Sankranti is a Hindu mid-winter harvest festival in India and Nepal, usually held on 14 January. It marks the Sun's journey northwards after th…
- 19 Jan Every year TimkatTimkat is the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox celebration of Epiphany, held on 19 January, or 20 January in a leap year. It remembers the baptism of …
- 20 Jan 1986 Martin Luther King Jr Day is a US national holiday for the first timeMartin Luther King Jr Day was celebrated as a national holiday across the United States for the first time. It honours the civil rights leader, who l…
- 21 Jan Every year National Hugging DayNational Hugging Day is held every year in the United States. It was created by Kevin Zaborney. The day celebrates the power of hugs between family m…
- 23 Jan Every year Bounty Day (Pitcairn Islands)Bounty Day is a public holiday on the Pitcairn Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. It marks the day in 1790 when sailors who …
- 25 Jan Every year Burns NightOn Burns Night, people in Scotland and around the world celebrate the life and poetry of Robert Burns on his birthday. Many hold a Burns supper, wher…
- 25 Jan 1858 Mendelssohn's Wedding March is played at a royal weddingFelix Mendelssohn's Wedding March was played at the wedding of Queen Victoria's daughter, also called Victoria, to Prince Friedrich of Prussia. After…
- 28 Jan Every year Data Privacy DayData Privacy Day is an international event held every year to raise awareness of privacy and data protection. It encourages people to look after thei…
February
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1 Feb
Every year Imbolc (Saint Brigid's Day)Imbolc, also called Saint Brigid's Day, is a traditional Gaelic festival held on 1 February. It marks the beginning of spring and falls about halfway…
Photo: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0
- 2 Feb Every year Groundhog DayGroundhog Day is a tradition in the United States and Canada. An old belief says that if a groundhog leaves its burrow and sees its shadow, winter wi…
- 2 Feb 1814 London's last frost fair is held on the frozen River ThamesThe last ever frost fair was held on the frozen River Thames in London. It began on 1 February and lasted four days, and an elephant was even led acr…
- 3 Feb Every year SetsubunSetsubun, which means 'seasonal division', is a Japanese festival held the day before the start of spring in the old calendar. Its traditions are mea…
- 6 Feb Every year Sámi National DaySámi National Day is a celebration for the Sámi people, held in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It marks the date of the first Sámi congress, hel…
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10 Feb
Every year Arabian Leopard DayArabian Leopard Day draws attention to the Arabian leopard, the smallest kind of leopard. It is native to the Arabian Peninsula, where it once lived …
- 11 Feb Every year International Day of Women and Girls in ScienceThis day encourages women and girls to take an equal part in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The United Nations General Assembly c…
- 13 Feb Every year World Radio DayWorld Radio Day celebrates radio and the way it brings information, entertainment and learning to people everywhere. UNESCO, part of the United Natio…
- 14 Feb Every year Valentine's DayValentine's Day began as a Christian feast day for Saint Valentine, who lived in the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. In the 14th and 15th centuries,…
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14 Feb
1613 Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James I, marries Frederick VPrincess Elizabeth, daughter of King James VI and I, married Frederick V, a German prince, at Whitehall Palace in London. The celebrations included f…
Photo: Unidentified painter, Public domain
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21 Feb
Every year International Mother Language DayInternational Mother Language Day is held around the world every year on 21 February. Your mother language is the first language you learn at home. T…
Photo: Mostaque Ahammed, CC BY-SA 2.0
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22 Feb
Every year World Thinking DayWorld Thinking Day is celebrated every year on 22 February by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, and by many Scout groups too. It is a day to think about G…
Photo: Carl Vandyk, Public domain
- 22 Feb 2022 'Twosday' brings a date full of twosTuesday 22 February 2022 was nicknamed 'Twosday', joining the words 'two' and 'Tuesday'. Written as 22/02/2022 or 22/2/22, the date is a palindrome, …
- 23 Feb Every year MashramaniMashramani, or 'Mash', is a festival in Guyana usually held on 23 February, Guyana's Republic Day. It celebrates the country becoming a republic in 1…
- 25 Feb Every year Feast day of Saint Æthelberht of KentSome churches remember Saint Æthelberht, King of Kent, on this day. He was the first Anglo-Saxon king to become a Christian, soon after the missionar…
- 28 Feb Every year Kalevala DayKalevala Day, also called Finnish Culture Day, celebrates Finland's culture and its national epic poem, the Kalevala. Elias Lönnrot put the Kalevala …
- 29 Feb Every year Bachelor's DayIn a leap year, February gets an extra day, the 29th, to keep the calendar in step with the seasons as the Earth travels around the Sun. By an old Ir…
October
- 1 Oct 1960 Nigeria becomes independent from the United KingdomNigeria became an independent country, no longer ruled by the United Kingdom. At midnight in Lagos, the Union Jack was lowered and Nigeria's green an…
- 2 Oct Every year International Day of Non-ViolenceThis United Nations day is held on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was one of the key leaders of India's campaign for independence, and he led…
- 3 Oct Every year National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol)In South Korea, National Foundation Day is a public holiday called Gaecheonjeol in Korean. It celebrates the legend of how the first Korean state, Go…
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3 Oct
1863 Abraham Lincoln names the last Thursday in November as ThanksgivingUS President Abraham Lincoln declared that the last Thursday in November would be Thanksgiving Day. He did this while the United States was fighting …
Photo: Alexander Gardner, Public domain
- 3 Oct 1990 East and West Germany are reunited as one countryEast Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic, ceased to exist and became part of West Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany. For the fi…
- 4 Oct Every year World Animal DayWorld Animal Day is an international day of action for animal welfare, which means the care and wellbeing of animals. It is held every year on the fe…
- 5 Oct Every year World Teachers' DayWorld Teachers' Day celebrates the work of teachers all over the world. It began in 1994 and is held every year on 5 October. That date marks the sig…
- 6 Oct Every year World Space WeekWorld Space Week runs every year from 4 to 10 October and is celebrated in more than 95 countries. It is an international celebration of science and …
- 8 Oct Every year World Space WeekWorld Space Week is held every year from 4 to 10 October. More than 95 countries take part. The week celebrates science and technology and the ways t…
- 9 Oct Every year World Post DayWorld Post Day is held every year on 9 October. It marks the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union, which began in Switzerland in 1874. The Union…
- 10 Oct Every year World Mental Health DayWorld Mental Health Day helps people around the world learn about mental health. It also challenges stigma – unfair, negative attitudes towards peopl…
- 11 Oct Every year International Day of the Girl ChildThe United Nations declared the International Day of the Girl Child, which was first held on 11 October 2012. It supports more opportunities for girl…
- 12 Oct Every year Children's Day in BrazilIn Brazil, this is Children's Day, a celebration in honour of children. Many countries hold a Children's Day, but they choose different dates. The id…
- 15 Oct Every year Shwmae Su'mae DayShwmae Su'mae Day is held in Wales every year to celebrate the Welsh language. 'Shwmae' and 'Su'mae' are friendly greetings used to start a conversat…
- 16 Oct Every year World Food DayWorld Food Day is held around the world every year. It marks the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. Many organ…
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19 Oct
Every year Oxfordshire DayOxfordshire Day celebrates the historic English county of Oxfordshire. The date is also the main feast day of St Frideswide. She is the patron saint …
Photo: David Hawgood, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 20 Oct Every year Arbor DayIn the Czech Republic, 20 October is Arbor Day. Arbor Day is a special day when people are encouraged to plant trees. Many countries have one, and it…
- 22 Oct Every year International Stuttering Awareness DayInternational Stuttering Awareness Day, also called International Stammering Awareness Day, is held every year on 22 October. It was first held in th…
- 23 Oct Every year Mole DayMole Day is an unofficial holiday for chemists and chemistry students, held from 6:02 in the morning to 6:02 in the evening. Written American-style, …
- 24 Oct Every year World Polio DayWorld Polio Day was set up by Rotary International to mark the birthday of Jonas Salk. Salk led the first team to develop a vaccine against polio, a …
- 25 Oct 1809 Britain celebrates the Golden Jubilee of George IIICelebrations were held to mark King George III beginning the 50th year of his reign. The event was also called the Grand National Jubilee. It was the…
- 28 Oct Every year International Animation DayInternational Animation Day celebrates the art of animation, the making of moving pictures from drawings, models or computer images. It was set up in…
- 29 Oct 1923 Turkey is proclaimed a republicThe Republic of Turkey was proclaimed, after the end of the Ottoman Empire. A republic is a country that is not ruled by a monarch, such as a king or…
- 31 Oct Every year HalloweenHalloween, also called All Hallows' Eve, is celebrated in many countries on 31 October. It is the evening before All Hallows' Day, or All Saints' Day…
November
- 1 Nov Every year Calan GaeafCalan Gaeaf is the first day of winter in Wales. The night before, Nos Galan Gaeaf, was traditionally a spirit night, when spirits were thought to be…
- 2 Nov Every year All Souls' DayAll Souls' Day is a Christian day of prayer and remembrance for people who have died. In Western churches it comes straight after Halloween (All Hall…
- 3 Nov Every year Culture Day (Japan)Culture Day is a public holiday in Japan, held every year on 3 November. It celebrates culture, the arts and learning. Typical events include art exh…
- 5 Nov Every year Bonfire NightBonfire Night, also called Guy Fawkes Night, is celebrated with bonfires and firework displays, mainly in Great Britain. It began in 1605, when peopl…
- 6 Nov Every year Feast day of St IlltudThis is the feast day of St Illtud, a 6th-century Welsh saint also known as Illtud the Knight. He founded a monastery and school at Llanilltud Fawr i…
- 7 Nov Every year Students' Day (Maharashtra, India)In the Indian state of Maharashtra, 7 November is Students' Day. It marks the day B. R. Ambedkar first started school. Ambedkar grew up to be a lawye…
- 10 Nov Every year World Science Day for Peace and DevelopmentWorld Science Day for Peace and Development is one of the special days marked by UNESCO, the United Nations organisation for education, science and c…
- 13 Nov Every year World Kindness DayWorld Kindness Day is an international day that encourages people to be kind to one another. It was started in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a…
- 15 Nov Every year Shichi-Go-SanShichi-Go-San, which means 'seven-five-three', is a traditional Japanese festival day for young children. It celebrates the growth and well-being of …
- 16 Nov Every year International Day for ToleranceThe International Day for Tolerance was declared by UNESCO in 1995. It aims to make people more aware of the dangers of intolerance. Intolerance mean…
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17 Nov
Every year Feast day of St Hugh of LincolnAnglican churches remember St Hugh of Lincoln, a monk who became Bishop of Lincoln. After an earthquake badly damaged Lincoln Cathedral in 1185, Hugh…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
- 19 Nov Every year World Toilet DayWorld Toilet Day is a United Nations day that encourages action on the global sanitation crisis. Sanitation means having clean, safe toilets and ways…
- 20 Nov Every year World Children's DayWorld Children's Day celebrates children around the world. It is held on 20 November because the United Nations issued the Declaration of the Rights …
- 23 Nov Every year Labour Thanksgiving Day (Japan)Labour Thanksgiving Day is a public holiday in Japan, held on 23 November every year. The law that created it calls it a day to respect people's work…
- 24 Nov Every year Feast day of St EanflædThis is the feast day of St Eanflæd, a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon princess, queen and abbess. She was the daughter of King Edwin of Northumbria and beca…
- 26 Nov Every year Feast day of Isaac WattsThe Episcopal Church in the United States remembers Isaac Watts on this day. Watts was an English minister who wrote around 750 hymns. They include '…
- 26 Nov 1789 The USA holds a national Thanksgiving Day proclaimed by WashingtonA national day of thanksgiving was held in the United States, as announced by President George Washington at the request of Congress. Washington was …
- 27 Nov Every year Lancashire DayLancashire Day is the county day of historic Lancashire in England. It marks the day in 1295 when Lancashire first sent representatives to Parliament…
- 27 Nov 1924 The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held in New YorkThe first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in New York City. It is put on every Thanksgiving by the department store Macy's, and it has beco…
- 30 Nov Every year St Andrew's DaySt Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day and the feast day of St Andrew, Scotland's patron saint. In the New Testament, Andrew is the disc…
December
- 3 Dec Every year International Day of Persons with DisabilitiesThe United Nations has promoted this day since 1992. It aims to help people understand disability issues and to support the dignity, rights and well-…
- 5 Dec Every year Saint Nicholas' EveThe evening of 5 December comes just before the Feast of St Nicholas on 6 December. In folk tales from the Alps, Saint Nicholas visits children that …
- 8 Dec Every year Bodhi DayBodhi Day is a Buddhist festival, marked on this date in Japan. It remembers the day when the Buddha is said to have reached enlightenment, a deep un…
- 10 Dec Every year Human Rights DayHuman Rights Day is celebrated around the world every year on 10 December. It marks the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted …
- 11 Dec Every year International Mountain DayInternational Mountain Day is held every year on 11 December. The United Nations General Assembly set it up in 2003. The day encourages people to dev…
- 13 Dec Every year Saint Lucy's DaySaint Lucy's Day is a Christian feast day for Lucia of Syracuse, who lived in the early 300s. A legend says she took food to Christians hiding in the…
- 15 Dec Every year Zamenhof DayZamenhof Day, also called Esperanto Book Day, is the birthday of L. L. Zamenhof, who created the language Esperanto. It is the most widely celebrated…
- 17 Dec 497 BC Ancient Rome holds the first Saturnalia festivalThe Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a festival in honour of the god Saturn, for the first time. Saturnalia featured a public feast, followed by gift-gi…
- 18 Dec 1892 Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker is first performedThe Nutcracker, a ballet with music by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is set on C…
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19 Dec
1843 Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is publishedCharles Dickens's short novel A Christmas Carol was published in London. Its main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is an old miser, a person who hates sp…
Photo: Charles Dickens, Photographer: Heritage Auctions, Inc. Dallas, Texas, Public domain
- 20 Dec Every year International Human Solidarity DayInternational Human Solidarity Day is held each year by the United Nations and its member countries. Solidarity means people standing together and su…
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20 Dec
1946 The film It's a Wonderful Life has its premiereIt's a Wonderful Life, an American Christmas film directed by Frank Capra, had its premiere at the Globe Theatre in New York. Its first reviews were …
Photo: "Copyright 1946 RKO Radio Pictures Inc.", Public domain
- 22 Dec Every year National Mathematics Day (India)India celebrates National Mathematics Day on 22 December, the birthday of the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who was born in 1887. He began his r…
- 23 Dec Every year Tom Bawcock's EveTom Bawcock's Eve is a festival held every year on 23 December in the village of Mousehole, Cornwall. It remembers Tom Bawcock, a legendary local man…
- 23 Dec 1823 The poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas is first publishedThe poem 'Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas' was published in the Troy Sentinel, a newspaper in New York State, USA. It is now better known as 'Tw…
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24 Dec
Every year Christmas EveChristmas Eve is the evening, or the whole day, before Christmas Day, when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many churches hold a service at m…
Photo: J. Hoover & Son, Public domain
- 24 Dec 1818 The carol Silent Night is sung for the first timeThe Christmas carol 'Silent Night' was first performed in a church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. Its words were written by Joseph Mohr and its …
- 24 Dec 1914 Soldiers stop fighting to celebrate in the Christmas truceDuring the First World War, British and German soldiers began unofficial ceasefires along parts of the Western Front to celebrate Christmas. Soldiers…
- 24 Dec 1955 NORAD begins tracking Santa's Christmas Eve journeyAccording to the story, the NORAD Tracks Santa programme began after an advert printed the wrong phone number. Children who rang it reached an Americ…
- 25 Dec Every year Christmas DayChristmas Day is the festival when Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the Bible say Jesus w…
- 25 Dec AD 597 Augustine baptises thousands of people in Kent at ChristmasAugustine, who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury, baptised thousands of people in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent on Christmas Day. Baptism i…
- 26 Dec Every year Boxing DayBoxing Day is a holiday on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day. It began in the United Kingdom and is also celebrated in several Commonwealth co…
- 27 Dec Every year Twelve Days of ChristmasThe Twelve Days of Christmas are a Christian festive season, running from Christmas Day to Twelfth Night on the evening of 5 January. 27 December, th…
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31 Dec
Every year Hogmanay and New Year's EveHogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and for welcoming the New Year in the Scottish way. Celebrations often carry on into New Year…
Photo: Robbie Shade, CC BY 2.0
- 31 Dec 1907 New York holds its first New Year's Eve ball drop in Times SquareNew York City held its first New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square. It became a yearly event. Times Square, in Midtown Manhattan, is one of the bu…