1 World Peace Day (UN)

5 Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday (Sikh)

6 Epiphany or Feast of Three

Kings (Christian)

8 TES Online published

13 Lailat ul Qadr (Islam)

Night of Power, for praying in mosque

19 Martin Luther King Day

Eid-ul-Fitr (Islam) Festival of Fast-breaking, celebrating the end of

Ramadan

22 TES Primary magazine (PE project) published

25 Burns Night: anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet Robert

Burns (1759-1796), celebrated with a special meal including haggis

February

12 Charles Darwin’s birthday

TES Online published

14 St Valentine’s Day

Mahashivaratri (Hindu) Great Night of Shiva

15 Passing away of Buddha (Mahayana Buddhism)

16 Chinese New Year (Year of Rabbit)

Shrove TuesdayMardi Gras

17 Tibetan New Year

Ash Wednesday (Christian), first day of Lent, a six-week fast to recall the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness

26 Hold Your Tongue Challenge: sponsored silence in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief

TES Primary magazine

(Modern languages project) published

March

1 Nuclear-free Pacific Day (CND)

St David’s Day (Wales)

1-7 Landmine Awareness Week (UK)

2 Holi (Hindu): Spring festival with bonfires, offerings, spraying of

colours and water in honour of Krishna

Hola Mohalla (Sikh): games, pranks, sports and pilgrimages, baptisms

Purim (Jewish): celebrates escape from massacre with food, alcohol and charades

8 International Women’s Day (UN)

Commonwealth Day

9 Barbie is 40 years old: 1 billion dolls have been sold since 1959

10 Tibet National Day

12 TES Online published

14 Mothering Sunday

17 St Patrick’s Day (Ireland)

18 Yom ha’Arafat (Islam): devout Muslims who can afford to make pilgrimage

to Mecca

19 TES Primary magazine (Science project) published

21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN)

World Day for Water (UN)

23 World Meteorological Day(UN)

25 Rama Naumi (Hindu):celebrates birthday of the god Rama, hero of the Ramayana

27 Eid-ul-Adha (Islam): Festivalof Sacrifice to commemorate the Prophet

Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice everything for God, including his son Ishmael

28 British Summer Time begins

Palm Sunday (Christian) marks Jesus’s entry in triumph into Jerusalem;

start of Holy Week

April

1 Maundy Thursday (Christian) commemorates last supper Jesus shared with disciples. A time for charity

All Fools’ Day (English)

Passover (Pesach - Jewish): first day of eight-day celebration of Jewish Exodus from slavery in Egypt; eating of unleavened bread

2 Good Friday (Christian) to mark crucifixion of Jesus

International Children’s Book Day

4 Easter Sunday (Christian): resurrection of Jesus; giving of Easter eggs

5 Festival of the Hungry Ghosts (Chinese): families honour ancestors by visiting graves and shrines and chanting

Birth of Kwan Yin (Chinese): The embodiment of Mercy - offerings and prayers made to her by those who seek help

7 World Health Day (National Humanist Association)

11 Easter Day (Greek Orthodox)

13 Holocaust Memorial Day (Jewish)

14 Baisakhi (Sikh): commemorates the founding of the Order of the Khalsa,

the community of Sikhs who undertake to uphold the faith

Theravada Buddhist New Year

16 TES Online published

17 Islamic New Year (1420)

23 St George’s Day (England)

World Book Day (and Shakespeare’s birthday)

TES Primary magazine (Geography project) published

25 ANZAC Day (Australian New Zealand Army Corps Gallipoli landing in 1915)

May

8 VE Day (end of World War II in Europe 1945)

8 International Red Cross and Red Crescent Day

13 Ascension Day (Christian): Jesus lifted up to heaven 40 days after resurrection

14 TES Online published

15 International Conscientious Objectors Day (International Peace Council)

International Day of Families (UN)

21 Shavuot (Jewish) festival of giving of law

22 Birth of the Buddha (Chinese Buddhist): images bathed with scented water or tea

23 Whitsun (Christian): coming of the Holy Spiriton the disciples

28 Forget-me-not Day (Amnesty International, founded 1961) for prisoners of

conscience

TES Primary magazine (Maths project) published

30 Vesakh (Theravada Buddhist): celebrates birth, enlightenment and passing into Nirvana of Buddha

31 World No Tobacco Day (UN)

June

4 International Day for Children as Victims of War (International Peace Council)

5 World Environment Day (UN)

11 TES Online magazine

published

17 Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikh)

19 National Quiet Day (National Retreat Association)

20 Fathers’ Day

21 Midsummer’s Day

International Humanist Day (British Humanist Association)

25 TES Primary magazine (History project) published

26 Milad-un-Nabi (Islam): birth of Prophet Mohammed

International day against drug-abuse and illicit trafficking (UN)

International day in support of victims of torture (CND)

28 Birth of philosopher and education theorist Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

July

8 Dalai Lama’s birthday

11 World Population Day (UN)

28 Asalha (Theravada Buddhist) Buddha’s first sermon

31 Enlightenment of Kwan Yin, embodiment of mercy (Chinese)

August

6 Hiroshima Day (nuclear bomb dropped on Japan 1945)

9 Nagasaki Day (nuclear bomb dropped on Japan 1945) (CND)

11 Total eclipse of the Sun

15 Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Catholic)

26 Raksha Bandhan (Hindu): celebrates love of siblings

27 TES Primary magazine (ICTproject) published

September

3 Janmashtarni (Hindu): birth of god Krishna celebrated

World Literacy Day (UN)

8 International Literacy Day (UN)

10 TES Online published

11 Rosh Hashanah (5760): Jewish New Year

15 International Day of Peace (CND)

16 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (UN)

20 Yom Kippur (Jewish Day of Atonement): most important Jewish day, fast 25 hours sunset to sunset

24 TES Primary magazine (Music project) published

25 Succoth (Jewish) First day of Tabernacles

October

1 International Day of Older Persons (UN)

2 Simchat Torah (Jewish feast of rejoicing in law) processions and apples for children

4-8 Children’s Book Week (National Children’s Book Trust)

7 National Poetry Day (Poetry Society)

9 World Post Day (UN)

15 TES Online published

16 World Food Day (UN)

17 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (CND)

One World Week: ordinary people working together reforming the future in developing world

19 Dusshera or Durga Puja (Hindu): nine-day festival when different forms of the goddess Durgha, destroyer of evil, are honoured

21 Apple Day (Common Ground)

22 TES Primary magazine (Art project) published

24 United Nations Day (UN)

Kathina (Theravada Buddhist): month of celebration

31 Halloween (PaganChristian): largely secular celebration based on pagan festival of spirit world and medieval feast of All Saints

British Summer Time ends

November

1 Day of the Dead: Mexican celebration of departed loved ones

7 Diwali (Hindu): festival of lights, worship of Lakshmi goddess of wealth, return of Rama and Sita from exile

8 Hindu New Year

Refugee Week (Refugee Council)

11 Armistice Day (ending of World War I, 1918)

12 TES Online published

14 Remembrance Sunday (to commemorate those killed in World War I and World War II)

20 Universal Children’s Day (CND)

21 World Television Day (UN)

23 Guru Nanak’s birthday (Sikh) - first guru

24 Guru Thegh Bahadur’s martyrdom (Sikh) - ninth guru

Evolution Day: anniversary of publication of “The Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin (1859)

26 TES Primary magazine (English project) published

30 St Andrew’s Day (Scotland)

December

1 World Aids Day (National Aids Trust)

Prisoners for Peace Day (International Peace Council)

2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (Anti-Slavery International)

4 Chanukah (Jewish): eight-day lighting of candles to celebrate freedom from tyranny

9 First day of Ramadan (Islam)

10 Human Rights Day (Amnesty)

22 Midwinter - shortest day

24 Amitabha Buddha’s birthday (Chinese)

25 Christmas (Christian)

29 International Day for Biological Diversity (UN)

31 Millennium Holiday (UK)

Dates of religious festivals may vary and will be determined by the sighting of the Moon. Jewish festivals commence at dusk on the eve before the date stated