Multicultural Calendar
This calendar is provided as a resource for the Gustavus Adolphus College and broader communities. It includes National/Cultural Days, Independence Days of countries, and Religious Observances from around the world. Consider using this information when scheduling appointments, holding meetings or planning events. Bolded dates represent events at Gustavus Adophus College. Source: Creative Cultural Communications Multicultural Calendar
| Date | Observance | Location, Religion, Peoples |
|---|---|---|
April 2011 |
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| April 5 | Ch'ing Ming Festival - It is a national holiday celebrated with visits to family graves in order to ask for blessings from the departed spirits | China, Taiwan |
| April 15 | Teach-In on Japan 2:30-4pm | Gustavus Community |
| April 16 | Mahavira Jayanti - This Day Celebrates the birthday of the Lord Mahavira who was the 24th leader of the Jain religion | Jain |
| April 19 | Passover Seder Dinner - 6pm in the Heritage Banquet Room. This time commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It begins with a ritual meal called 'Seder" when unleavened bread is consumed with special and symbolic foods | Jewish Gustavus Community |
| April 24 | Easter - The day celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from his tomb. Many Christians welcome Easter with a sunrise service. | Christian |
| April 30 | Walpurgis Night - Swedish annual festival of the witches. Huge bonfires are lit all over the country to scare them away as they fly overhead, headed for their annual sabbath in Brocken in the Harz Mountains in Germany. Young and old come together all over Sweden to celebrate around a communal bonfire with fireworks, signing and dancing continued until the early hours of the morning. |
Sweden |
| April 30 | Arbor Day - People all over the USA plant trees in order to help conserve American forests | USA |
May 2011 |
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| May 2 | Buddha's Birthday - Buddhism was founded in Northern India by the first known Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama who attained enlightenment in 535 BCE and assumed the title Lord Buddha | Buddhism |
| May 5 | Cinco de Mayo - Celebrates the victory of the Mexican Army over the French in 1862. Although the Mexican army was defeated, it has become a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. Parades, mariachi music, folkloric dancing and other activities mark this holiday | Mexico |
| May 13 | Our Lady of Fatima - This day marks the vision of the Virgin Mary by three shepherd children | Portugal |
| May 25 | Memorial Day - A remembrance for those who died in service to their country | USA |
August 2011 |
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| August 1 | Ramadan Begins - Holiest period of the Islamic Year commemorating the period in which Prophet Mohammed received divine revelations. Observing Muslims fast between the hours of sunrise and sunset during the entire month, read the Qu'ran and worship in a mosque or at home. | Islam |
| August 14 | Chung Yuan Festival - Known as the Feast of Lanterns by Japanese Buddhists. Prayer services are held to remember the ancestors, food is offered, and all houses are lit with lanterns. The most beautiful part of the ceremony is when thousands of lanterns are floated down the rivers to the sea to guide the spirits of the ancestors back to the other world. | China Taiwan |
| August 24 | Birth of the Prophet Zarathustra - Zarathustra is the founder of the Zoroastrian religion dating back to some time between 1500 and 1000 BCE. | Zoroastrian |
| August 29 | Notting Hill Festival - A West Indian street carnival with floats, bands and stalls. | England West Indian |
September |
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| September 15 | National Hispanic Heritage Month Begins - Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th because it is the day five Hispanic countries gained their independence - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. | United States of America |
| September 29 | Rosh Hashanah - First and second day of the Jewish New Year celebrating the anniversary of the creation of the world. | Jewish |
| September 21 | Eid-ul-Fitr - Marks the end of the Ramadan fast and is celebrated for three days. Date of observance varies according to the sighting of the new moon. | Islam |
| September 28 | Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement, the holiest and most solemn of all days in the Jewish year. | Jewish |
October 2009 |
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| October 3 | Harvest Moon Festival - A holiday observed in many parts of Asia paying homage to ancestors and expressing gratitude for rich crops. | China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea |
| October 11 | Coming Out Day - An international event giving gay, lesbian, and bisexual people an opportunity to come out to others about their sexuality. | GLBT Community |
| October 12 | Dia De La Raza - Celebration of Hispanic and Latino heritage in the Americas. | Mexico |
| October 14, 15 - Heritage Room | Safe Zone Training | Campus Community |
| October 17 | Diwali - The Hindu New Year. | Sikh, Hindu |
| October 31 | Halloween - The tradition goes back to the Celtic people 2,000 years ago who celebrated their New Year in late autumn and honored Samhain or Lord of the Dead | Canada, USA |
November 2009 |
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| November | National Native Month: American/Canadian - November is designated to honor and recognize all Native, Indigenous, and Aboriginal peoples. | United States of America, Canada |
| November 1 | All Saints Day - Day for honoring saints, known and unknown. | Christian |
| November 2 | Dia De Los Muertos - Also known as Day of the Dead, celebrated by building altars surrounded with flowers, food, and burning candles to honor the dead. | Parts of the United States, Mexico |
| November 2, 4, 7 | Our Story Conference focuses on Interracial Relationships | Campus Community |
| November 26 | Day of Hajj - Muslims perform the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. | Islam |
| November 26 | Day Of Covenant - Day established to safeguard the unity of the community. | Baha'i |
| November 26 | Thanksgiving Day - Early American settlers gave thanks for good harvests by decorating their churches with fruits and vegetables and celebrated dinner with venison and waterfowl. | United States of America |
| November 28 | Eid-ul-Adha - Conclusion of the Hajj, three day festival celebrating Abraham's test of obedience to Allah when he was asked to sacrifice his son. | Islam |
| November 29 | First Sunday of Advent - The beginning of the Christian church year. | Christian |
December 2009 |
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| December 1 | World AIDS Day - Designated by the World Health Organization and the United Nations to increase awareness and education of AIDS. | United Nations |
| December 9 - Alumni Hall | Gustavus celebration of Kwanzaa due to school being out of session on the 26th. | Campus Community, African-American Canadian |
| December 12 | Our Lady of Guadalupe - Important religious festival in Mexico where processions, dances, and visits are led to her Mexico City shrine. | Mexico |
| December 12-19 | Hanukkah - The eight day Festival of Lights celebrating Jewish victory over Syrians in approximagely 164 B.C. Legend has it that to rededicate the Temple, they found only one jar of holy oil and miraculously the candelabra remainded lit for eight days. | Jewish |
| December 16 | Posadas - Nine day celebration throughout Mexico. Processions of pilgrims go door to door asking for posada, meaning shelter. | Mexico |
| December 18 | 1st Muharram - Islamic New Year. | Islam |
| December 25 | Christmas Day - Day celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. | Christian |
| December 26 | Kwanzaa - A harvest festival. Families exchange gifts and have African-style feasts. | African-American/Canadian |
January 2010 |
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| January 11 | Seijin No Hi - Celebrates the coming the age of youth in Japan who are 20 years old. | Japan |
| January 13 | St. Knut's Day - The days between Christmas and St. Knut's Day are filled with parties for children and adults. After this day, trees are taken down to signify the end of the Christmas season. | Finland, Sweden |
| January 18 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Commemorates the leader of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. | United States of America |
| January 18 - Alumni Hall | Mixed Blood Theatre presents Daughters of Africa | Campus Community |
February 2010 |
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| February 2 | Groundhog Day - Folklore suggests that there will be six additional weeks of winter if the groundhog sees his shadow | Canada, USA |
| February 14 | Valentine's Day - Named after priest Valentine who was martyred in Rome for secretly marrying couples against the orders of the Roman Emperor, Claudius II | Canada, UK, USA |
| February 24 | Pancake Day (Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday) - This is the last day before Lent begins. Christian Lenten rules did not allow dairy products to be eaten, so pancakes were made to use the supplies of eggs, milk, butter and other fats | UK |
| February 26 - Carlson International Center | Soul Food Dinner with Southern Soul Food Cooking | Campus Community |
March 2010 |
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| March 8 | International Women's Day - The day began in the early 1900s to commemorate the strike by women needle trades workers in NYC and was revived in the 1960s | UN |
| March 16 | Gahambar Hamaspathmaedem - This day celebrates the creation of humans | Zoroastrian |
| March 17 | St. Patrick's Day - St. Patrick used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the Christian idea of the Holy Trinity, thus the use of the shamrock | Ireland |
| March 20 | Poutuerangi - A Maori celebration that marks the Autumn Equinox in the Maori calendar where they harvest their crops | Aboriginal/Maori, New Zealand |
| March 21 | Now Ruz (New Year) - Celebrated by Ismaili Muslims, it means 'new day' and celebrates the creation of fire on the day that Zarathustra received his revelation | Zoroastrain, Afghanistan, Islam Ismaili, Iran |
April 2010 |
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| April 4 | Ch'ing Ming Festival - It is a national holiday celebrated with visits to family graves in order to ask for blessings from the departed spirits | China, Taiwan |
| April 12 | Easter - The day celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from his tomb | Christian |
| April 21 | Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Memorial Day to commemorate the death of 6 million Jews by the Nazi regime | Jewish |
| April 24-25 | POW WOW - Annually celebrated wacipi in St. Peter and Mankato to promote positive interaction between Mdewakanton Dakota and non-Dakota people and to remember the 38 Dakota warriors killed in 1862 | Campus Community, Native/Indigenous |
| April 25 | Arbor Day - People all over the USA plant trees in order to help conserve American forests | USA |
May 2010 |
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| May 2 | Buddha's Birthday - Buddhism was founded in Northern India by the first known Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama who attained enlightenment in 535 BCE | Hong Kong |
| May 5 | Cinco de Mayo - Celebrates the victory of the Mexican Army over the French. Parades, mariachi music, folkloric dancing and other activities mark this holiday | Mexico |
| May 13 | Our Lady of Fatima - This day marks the vision of the Virgin Mary by three shepherd children | Portugal |
| May 25 | Memorial Day - A rememberance for those who died in service to their country | USA |