Holy Thursday Culture/religion: Christianity Date: April 14 Holy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter and commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Communion prior to his arrest and crucifixion, as well as his institution of the priesthood. Jesus celebrated the dinner as a Passover feast. The Last Supper was the final … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – April 11-17, 2022
Qingming Festival Culture/religion: Chinese heritage Date: April 5 With a history of over 2,500 years, Qingming, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day is an important day of sacrifice for most people in honoring their ancestors. One of the most popular activities on this day is to show respect to one’s ancestors by visiting their graves, offering food, burning incense … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – April 4-10, 2022
Purim Culture/religion: Judaism Date: March 17 Purim is a Jewish festival celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. The celebration commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian empire from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as told in the Megillah … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – March 14-20, 2022
Irish American Heritage Month Culture/religion: National observance Date: March Irish American Heritage Month celebrates the contributions Irish Americans have made to the United States. The first celebration dates back to 1792 with the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City. In October 1990, Congress passed Public Law 101-418 establishing March 1991 as … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – February 28-March 6, 2022
African American Heritage Month Culture/religion: National observance Date: February African American History Month, also known as Black History Month, evolved out of “Negro History Week,” which was first celebrated in 1926, sponsored by the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History* (ASNLH). The ASHLH chose the second week of February to celebrate Negro … [Read more...] about Cultural and religious observances – January 31-February 6, 2022