Dates for your diary – April

8, International Romani Day

Celebrated annually since 1971, this day honours the culture, history and contributions of Romani (Roma, Sinti, Kale and others) people around the world, as well as raising awareness of the discrimination many still face. The date commemorates the first major international meeting of Romani representatives in London, where action was taken to start to promote the unique identity and unify Romani peoples.

14, Puthandu, Tamil

Also known as the Tamil New Year celebration, Puthandu is celebrated around mid-April and symbolises new beginnings. Festivities usually begin with kani, an arrangement of fruits, flowers, gold and a mirror, which is said to bring good luck for the year ahead. A typical Puthandu dish is mango pachadi, which has a balance of sweet, sour and bitter flavours to represent the variety of life experiences.
 

April’s dates at a glance

Religious/cultural

2        Hanuman Jayanti, Hindu
2        Maundy Thursday, Christian
2-5    Theravada New Year, Buddhist
2-9    Passover, Judaism
3        Good Friday, Christian
4        Holy Saturday, Christian
4        Lazarus Saturday, Orthodox Christian
5        Easter Sunday, Christian
5        Palm Sunday, Orthodox Christian
6        Easter Monday, Christian
7        Guru Tegh Bahadur Jayanti, Sikh
9        Guru Arjun Dev Jayanti, Sikh
9        Great and Holy Thursday, Orthodox Christian
10      Great and Holy Friday, Orthodox Christian
11       Great and Holy Saturday, Orthodox Christian
12       Pascha (Easter), Orthodox Christian
12       Divine Mercy Sunday, Catholic Christian
13-15    Songkran (Thai New Year), Buddhist
14      Yom Hashoah, Judaism
14      Puthandu, Tamil
14      Vaisakhi, Hindu and Sikh
18      Guru Angad Dev Jayanti, Sikh
19      Akshaya Tritiya, Hindu and Jain
19      Varshitapa Parana Jain
20      Rohini Vrat, Jain
21      First Day of Ridvan, Baha’i
21      Grounation Day, Rastafari
23      Saint George’s Day, Christian
25      Feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist, Catholic Christian
26      Mahavir Swami Kevalagyan, Jain
29      Ninth Day of Ridvan, Baha’i
30      Saint James the Great’s Day, Orthodox Christian
30      Guru Amar Das Jayanti, Sikh
30      Avalokiteshvara Day, Buddhist
30 Apr-4 May  Maidyozarem Gahambar, Zoroastrian

Awareness and Events

1       Fools’ Day
2      World Autism Awareness Day
6      International Asexuality Day
7      World Health Day
8      International Romani Day
22    Earth Day
25    World Malaria Day
26    Lesbian Visibility Day
28    World Day for Health and Safety At Work