February 2024
►National Heart Month
World Hijab Day
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Hijab is a veil that some Muslim women wear in the presence of men outside of their immediate family. The hijab usually covers the head and chest. Many women wearing hijab go through a lot of difficulties and often are on the receiving end of rude behavior and comments. 1st February is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges faced by hijabis. On this day non-hijabis can experience hijab as a means to foster religious tolerance and understanding.
― Mona Eltahawy (Egyptian-American journalist, NYC, born 1967) |
Time to Talk Day
| Conversations have the power to change lives – helping to create supportive communities where we can talk openly about mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it |
Imbolc / Candlemas | Pagan
| In the Celtic seasonal calendar, Imbolc marks the beginning of the lambing season and signals the beginning of Spring and the stirrings of new life |
World Cancer Day
Waitangi Day | New Zealand
| Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. For most people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Māori, it is a time for reflecting on the Treaty and its place in modern New Zealand |
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female genital mutilation (FGM)
Chinese New Year
| Year of the Tiger |
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
| In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015 |
| Read Dr Hilary Hamnett's blog here: International Day of Women and Girls in Science | Eleanor Glanville (lincoln.ac.uk) |
Shrove Tuesday | Christian | 'Pancake Day'
| Many Christian churches in the United Kingdom observe Shrove Tuesday as the last day before the fast for the Lent period. Traditionally in the UK this is the day to eat (and race!) pancakes |
Ash Wednesday | Christian |
| The first day of Lent for Western Christian churches. Lent is the period of preparation (usually 40 days) leading up to Easter, the most important festival in the Christian calendar. Christians around the world observe Lent different ways. Traditionally it is a time for fasting / giving something up / abstinence |
St Valentine's Day | Christian
| Originating as a Christian feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, through later folk traditions it has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world |
Parinirvana (Nirvana Day) | Buddhist
| Mahayana Buddhist festival marking the anniversary of Buddha’s death. Pure Land Buddhists call the festival 'Nirvana Day'. It remembers the death of the Buddha when he reached the age of 80. When he died, Buddhists believed that he reached a state of Parinirvana, which means Nirvana without end. Nirvana is a state of complete understanding, when no more suffering can be experienced. Buddhists may celebrate the day by going to Buddhist temples or monasteries or with meditation |
