dates for your diary – July

8 Jul-17 Aug, South Asian Heritage Month

This annual event honours and celebrates the impact of South Asian communities and their heritage on life in the UK. This year’s theme is Roots to Routes, looking at each person of South Asian heritage’s personal or family journey to the UK, asking everyone of this heritage to look at how this shapes their identity and seeking to find connections through this shared experience of uprooting. Find out more and see what’s happening near you: South Asian Heritage Month.

15, Saint Vladimir the Great Day, Orthodox Christian and Eastern Catholic

St Vladimir the Great (aka St Volodymyr) is one of the most important figures in the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches, because he brought Christianity to Kievan Rus in the 1st century, replacing the Slavic paganism as the state religion. This transition had a huge and lasting impact on the entire region and its identity. The day is celebrated with church services and processions.

July’s dates at a glance

Religious/Cultural

3 –    Feast of the Saint Thomas the Apostle, Christian
6 –    Ashura, Islam
9 –    Martyrdom of the Báb, Baha’i
10 –  Asalha Puja (Dharma Day), Buddhist
15 –  Saint Vladimir the Great Day, Orthodox Christian
19 –  Guru Har Krishan Jayanti, Sikh
22 –  Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, Christian
23 –  Birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie, Rastafari
25 –  Saint James the Great’s Day, Christian

Awareness and Events

14 –    International Non-Binary People’s Day
18 –    Nelson Mandela International Day
18 Jul-17 Aug – South Asian Heritage Month
28 –    World Hepatitis Day