Diversity Calendar

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.(history.com)

February 1: National Freedom Day celebrates the signing of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery in 1865. The purpose of this holiday is to promote good feelings, harmony, and equal opportunity among all citizens and to remember that the United States is a nation dedicated to the ideal of freedom.

Major Richard Robert Wright Sr., a former slave, fought to have a day when freedom for all Americans is celebrated. When Wright got his freedom, he went on to become a successful businessman and community leader in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (americaslibrary.gov)

February 1: Imbolc – a Gaelic traditional festival marking the beginning of spring (diversitybestpractices.com)

February 2: Candlemas – A Christian holiday that celebrates three occasions according to Christian belief: the presentation of the child Jesus; Jesus’ first entry into the temple; and Virgin Mary’s purification. (diversitybestpractices.com)

Feb. 2 –Groundhog Day Each year on Groundhog Day, people flock to Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to await the forecast of the local rodent celebrity. Originating with German settlers, who came to Pennsylvania in the 1700s and brought their seasonal superstitions with them, legend has it that if Phil sees his shadow on February 2, the winter chill will continue. Oddly, if the weather is cloudy and he doesn’t see his shadow, we can expect warmer temperatures and early spring. (nationaltoday.com)

February 3: St. Blaise Day - (The Blessing of the Throats), the feast day of St. Blaise of Sebaste celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church and some Eastern Catholic churches. (diversitybestpractices.com)

February 3: Four Chaplains Day commemorates the anniversary of the sinking of the United States army transport Dorchester and the heroism of the four chaplains aboard. The Dorchester tragically sunk on Feb. 3, 1943, while crossing the North Atlantic, transporting troops to an American base in Greenland. A German U-boat fired a torpedo that struck the Dorchester, killing 672 of the 902 officers and enlisted men, merchant seamen and civilian workers aboard. Many of those survivors owe their lives to the courage and leadership exhibited by four chaplains of different faiths, who, in sacrificing their lives, created a unique legacy of brotherhood.

As soldiers rushed to lifeboats, Reverend George Fox (Methodist), Jewish Rabbi Alexander Goode, Reverend Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed) and Father John Washington (Roman Catholic) comforted the wounded and directed others to safety. One survivor watched the chaplains distribute life jackets, and when they ran out, they removed theirs and gave them to four young men. (legion.org)

February 12-14: Losar, the Tibetan Buddhist New Year, a time of renewal through sacred and secular practices. Losar festival, which has its origin in the 15th century, celebrates the Ladakhi or Tibetan New Year. It is said to last 15 days, but the first 3 days are the most important ones. (India.com)

February 14: St. Valentine’s Day also called St. Valentine’s Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. The holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day. It came to be celebrated as a day of romance from about the 14th century. (Britannica.com)

February 15: Nirvana Day (Parinirvana Day) - Parinirvana Day (or Nirvana Day), the commemoration of Buddha’s death at the age of 80, when he reached the zenith of Nirvana. February 8 is an alternative date of observance. (diversitybestpractices.com)

February 15: Susan B. Anthony Day celebrates the birth of Susan B. Anthony. She is best known for promoting women's rights and starting up the women's suffrage in the United States. She was born in west Grove, Massachusetts, on February 15, 1820, and devoted most her life to anti-slavery and women's rights, including the right to vote. She was the first American woman to have her likeness on a coin in the U.S. (timeanddate.com)

February 15: Presidents' Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents' Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents' Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present. (history.com)

Feb. 16: Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) the last day for Catholics to indulge before Ash Wednesday starts the sober weeks of fasting that accompany Lent. Though named for its former religious significance, it is chiefly marked by feasting and celebration, which traditionally preceded the observance of the Lenten fast. It is observed by various Christian denominations. The term “Mardi Gras” is particularly associated with the carnival celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana. (diversitybestpractices.com)

Feb. 17 Ash Wednesday the first day of Lent on the Christian calendar. Its name is derived from the symbolic use of ashes to signify penitence. It takes place immediately after the excesses of the two days of Carnival that take place in Northern Europe and parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. (diversitybestpractices.com)

February 25-Feb. 28: Intercalary Days or Ayyám-i-Há - Bahá’í celebrated by people of the Bahá’í faith. At this time, days are added to the Bahá’í calendar to maintain their solar calendar. Intercalary days are observed with gift giving, special acts of charity, and preparation for the fasting that precedes the New Year. (diversitybestpractices.com)

February 25-26: Purim, a Jewish celebration that marks the time when the Jewish community living in Persia was saved from genocide. On Purim, Jewish people offer charity and share food with friends. (diversitybestpractices.com)

February 26: Lantern Festival, the first significant feast after the Chinese New Year, named for watching Chinese lanterns illuminate the sky during the night of the event. (diversitybestpractices.com)

February 27: Maghi-Purnima, a Hindu festival especially for worshippers of Lord Vishnu. Millions of devotees take a holy bath on this day. Devotees also carry out charity work on this day. (diversitybestpractices.com)

February 27-March 28: Magha Puja Day (also known as Makha Bucha), a Buddhist holiday that marks an event early in the Buddha’s teaching life when a group of 1,250 enlightened saints, ordained by the Buddha, gathered to pay their respect to him. It is celebrated on various dates in different countries. (diversitybestpractices.com)