Multicultural Calendar

Ugadi marks the beginning of the new Hindu lunar calendar. Celebrated mainly in the southern states of India, people awake before the break of day, bathe and decorate the entrance of their homes with mango leaves. They eat bitter Neem leaves with sweet jaggery to signify the bitter and sweet of life.

This marks the end of the Ramadan fast and is celebrated for 3 days. Date of observance may vary according to the sighting of the new moon. Dates vary by a day dependng on whether the Saudi Arabia or the North American Calendar is being observed. This calendar follows the North American dates, which are a day later.

A national holiday when family graves are visited to ask for the blessings of departed spirits.

A national holiday to honour King Rama I, who founded the Chakri Dynasty in 1782 and the founder of Bangkok as the capital of Thailand.

It is the 13th day after Nowruz or New Year. The number 13 is considered an unlucky number for the Persians, and therefore everyone leaves home for the day to go on picnics or trips.

The Church for Latter-day Saints was founded on the sixth of April 1830 at Fayette, New York.

Ram Navami celebrates the birthday of Rama, the seventh incarnation of God Vishnu. Hindus read the Ramayan, a Hindu epic, which tells the story of Rama, during the previous eight days.

2nd Month

This day celebrates the birthday of Lord Mahavira who was the 24th leader of the Jain religion and born around 599 B.C.

It is an ancient pilgrimage site to the sacred mountain, Sri Pada. According to legend, when Buddha visited Sri Lanka, he planted one foot on the north of the royal city, and the other foot on Sumana-Kuta (Adam’s Peak), about a hundred miles distance.

This day was created as a campaign to end bullying against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, continuing the fight for equality, diversity, and acceptance.

Begin previous sundown at 6pm, Pesach lasts for eight days. This time commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It begins with a ritual meal ‘Seder’ when no leavened bread is consumed with special prayers and symbolic foods.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was cheered by crowds who strew palms branches in his path. It is observed by worship services and parades using palm branches.

In southeast Asia, Songkran is recognized as the New Year for Buddhists. For Thais, it is a three-day religious festival in which homes are routinely cleaned, and water is sprinkled on monks paying visits and on statues of Buddha.

The first day of the solar year, this is an agricultural festival celebrating the harvest, especially in North India. Tamils and Sri Lankans celebrate their New Year on this day. In Kerala, South India this day is called Vishu. Especially important to the Sikhs, it marks this day in 1699, when the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, established the order of ‘Khalsa’.

On this day, Jesus ate the Last Supper and washed the feet of his disciples prior to his arrest and crucifixion.

On this day, Jesus ate the Last Supper and washed the feet of his disciples prior to his arrest and crucifixion.

Statutory Holiday in Canada This day commemorates the passion and death by crucifixion of Jesus and is a solemn day. Italian Catholics have a procession called the Way of the Cross.

This day commemorates the passion and death by crucifixion of Jesus and is a solemn day. Eastern Orthodox members fast on this day.  Macedonians make a plashtanitsa or picture of the dead Jesus on a large cloth to be carried in a procession.