March - April
2023
March
Ghana Independence Day
Ghana Independence Day is celebrated every year on March 6. It is a public holiday
for the citizens of Ghana and also widely celebrated among Ghanaians living abroad.
If March 6 falls on a weekend, the following Monday will also be observed as a holiday.
Ghana Independence Day is also known as Ghana National Day. The celebrations commemorate
Ghana’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. The day is celebrated in public
office with carnivals, parades, and other events. Private citizens celebrate the day
with music and food, and some may even hoist the national flag at home.
Visit Ghana Independence Day web page for more information.
Holi
Holi, Hindu spring festival celebrated throughout North India on the full-moon day
of Phalguna (February–March). Participants throw coloured water and powders on one
another, and, on this one day only, license is given for the usual rankings of caste,
gender, status, and age to be reversed.
Visit Holi web page for more information.
Hola Mohalla
The Sikh holiday of Hola Mohalla (Hola) takes place during the first month of the
lunar calendar, Chet. This most often occurs during the month of March and takes place
a day after the Hindu festival that is called Holi. This unique holiday doesn’t just
occur on one single day of the year; it is a three-day celebration that includes a
wide variety of events.
Visit Hola Mohalla web page for more information.
Tunisia Independence Day
Since independence, March 20th has been celebrated as Tunisia National Day. The day
is marked by national celebrations, parades, and fireworks. Wreath-laying ceremonies
take place to honour those who fought for the country's independence. Citizens decorate
streets, cars, and buildings with the Tunisian flag and the national colors of red
and white. It is a day for Tunisians to reflect on their country’s history, celebrate
their independence, and renew their commitment to building a strong and prosperous
nation.
Visit Tunisia Independence Day web page for more information.
Bangladesh Independence Day
In 1971, West and East Pakistan fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War. This led
to the creation of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971. How can we trace this road to independence
through the British reports in The National Archives?
Visit Bangladesh Independence Day web page for more information.
April
Semana Santa, Guatemala
Antigua, GuatemalaWith so many festivals from around the world, you may not be surprised to know that in most of Latin America Easter is a very special time for many religious people. In Guatemala, you can find one of the most extravagant Easter celebrations in the Americas. The festival and its religious activities take place in April every year and it is one of the best things to do in Antigua for any visitor that is looking for a festival.
Iran Independence Day
Since 1925, Iran had been an absolute monarchy ruled by the Pahlavi dynasty. In 1978,
resistance against the rule of the Shah intensified, with marches, demonstrations,
and strikes paralyzing the country. Recognizing that he had lost control and suffering
from ill-health, the Shah left Iran on January 16, 1979.
Visit Islamic Revolution Day web page for more information.
Mahavir Jayanti
Mahavira Jayanti, the birthday of Mahavira, is celebrated by both sects in early April
with public processions.
Visit Mahavir Jayanti web page for more information.
Maundmauy (Holy) Thursday
Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday or Sheer Thursday, the Thursday before
Easter, observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist during
the Last Supper.
Visit Maundmauy (Holy) Thursday web page for more information.
Good Friday
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, the day on which Christians annually observe
the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Visit Good Friday web page for more information.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday, also called Easter Vigil, Christian religious observance that ends
the Lenten season, falling on the day before Easter Sunday.
Visit Holy Saturday web page for more information.
Easter Sunday
Easter, Latin Pascha, Greek Pascha, principal festival of the Christian church, which
celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion.
Visit Easter Sunday web page for more information.
Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar.
Vaisakhi is a spring festival which happens on the 13 or 14 April every year.
It is a day to celebrate 1699 - the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith.
Visit Vaisakhi web page for more information.
The Fuji Shibazakura Festival
JapanThis springtime floral extravaganza sees the blooming of hundreds of thousands of Shibazakura flowers at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. For the best experience visiting these vibrant blooms, you'll want to bring along your flower power gals.
Easter/Pascha (Orthodox)
Easter, Latin Pascha, Greek Pascha, principal festival of the Christian church, which
celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion.
Visit Easter web page for more information.
Yom HaShoah
Each year across the United States, state and local government organizations, workplaces,
schools, and religious and community centers host remembrance activities to reaffirm
our nation’s commitment to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive. The Days of
Remembrance run from the Sunday before Holocaust Remembrance Day (also known as Yom
HaShoah) through the following Sunday.
Visit Yom HaShoah web page for more information.
Laylat al-Qadr
Laylat al-Qadr, (Arabic: “Night of Power”) Islamic festival that commemorates the
night on which God first revealed the Qurʾān to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel
Gabriel (Jibrīl).
Visit Laylat al-Qadr web page for more information.
Eid-al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, and is celebrated
during the first three days of Shawwāl, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar (though
the Muslim use of a lunar calendar means that it may fall in any season of the year).
Visit Eid-al-Fitr web page for more information.
Yom HaZikaron
Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)—marking the systematic destruction of European
Jewry between 1933 and 1945 and recalling the short-lived Ghetto uprisings—is commemorated
officially on Nisan 27; many religious Israelis prefer to commemorate it on Ṭevet
10 (a fast day) now called Yom HaQaddish.
Visit Yom HaZikaron web page for more information.
Yom HaAtzma'ut
Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)—marking the systematic destruction of European
Jewry between 1933 and 1945 and recalling the short-lived Ghetto uprisings—is commemorated
officially on Nisan 27; many religious Israelis prefer to commemorate it on Ṭevet
10 (a fast day) now called Yom HaQaddish
Visit Yom HaAtzma'ut web page for more information.
Togo Independence Day
Togo Independence Day is an annual holiday observed on April 27. On this day, Togo
celebrates its independence from the French overseas colonial empire in 1960. Togo’s
name derives from the indigenous tribes’ language which means “a place where lagoons
lie.” Today is another year of celebrating the country’s independence. Togo, also
known as the Togolese Republic or the République togolaise, is a West African country
bordered on the west by Ghana, on the east by Benin, and on the north by Burkina Faso.
Visit Togo Independence Day web page for more information.
South Africa Independence Day
South Africa Freedom Day is an annual celebration held on April 27 in South Africa.
The day reminds South Africans of the immeasurable sacrifices made by individuals
and nations to break them away from the chains of unjust segregation by a selected
few. It reminds them of the efforts of their national heroes, particularly Nelson
Mandela. He is regarded as a champion of freedom, not only in South Africa but the
entire world. It is a day that not only marks the emancipation of South Africans from
apartheid but also returned their essential human rights in 1994.
Visit South Africa Freedom Day web page for more information.
2024
March
| Date | Holiday | Religion |
|---|---|---|
| March 8 | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu |
| March 13 | Birthday of L. Ron Hubbard | Scientology |
| March 16 | Ta'anit Esther | Judaism |
| March 19 | Feast of St. Joseph | Roman Catholic |
| March 19 - 20 | Naw Rúz | Baha'i/ Zoroastrian |
| March 20 | Ostara | Pagan and Wiccan |
| March 23 - 24 | Purim | Judaism |
