Your month ahead – May

4-10, Deaf Awareness Week 

This annual campaign focuses on promoting understanding of deafness and improving inclusion for deaf and Deaf people. This year, it highlights the importance of accessible communication and equal access to information and services. The week aims to raise awareness of Deaf culture and British Sign Language, while encouraging individuals, organisations and communities to remove communication barriers.

27-29 (depending on moon sighting), Eid al-Adha, Islam

Eid al-Adha is also known as ‘Big Eid’, and is different from Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha remembers a story from the Qur’an in which Allah asks Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, Ismail, to prove his faith. When Allah sees that Ibrahim is willing to make the sacrifice, he replaces the boy with a ram. To honour this sacrifice, traditionally Muslims get together and eat a sacrificial animal, donating a portion of the meat to those in need. If you don’t celebrate yourself, wish Muslim colleagues, neighbours and friends an Eid mubarak this year!

May’s dates at a glance

Religious/cultural

1 –     Beltane, Wicca and Pagan
2 –     Twelfth Day of Ridvan, Baha’i
3 –     Feast of Saints Philip and James, Catholic Christian
5 –     Lag Baomer, Judaism
6 –     Midfeast, Orthodox Christian
14 –   Ascension of the Lord, Catholic Christian
14 –   Feast of Saint Matthias, Catholic Christian
18 –   Rohini Vrat, Jain
21 –   Feast of the Ascension, Orthodox Christian
22-23 – Shavuot, Judaism
24 –   Declaration of the Báb, Baha’i
24 –   Pentecost, Catholic Christian
25 –   Hajj begins, Islam
26 –   Day of Arafah, Islam
27 –   Eid Al-Adha begins, Islam
29 –   Ascension of Baha‘U’llah, Baha’i
30 –   Saturday of Souls, Orthodox Christian
31 –   Vesak, Buddhist
31 –   Pentecost, Catholic Christian
31 –   Trinity Sunday, Catholic Christian
31 –   Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Catholic Christian
31 –   Saga Dawa Düchen, Buddhist

Awareness and Events

3 –         International Family Equality Day
4-10 –   Deaf Awareness Week
8 –        World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
11-17 – Mental Health Awareness Week
13 –      National Day for Staff Networks
15 –      International Day of Families
17 –      International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and
Biphobia
21 –      Global Accessibility Awareness Day
21 –      World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
22 –      International Day for Biological Diversity
24 –      Pansexual Visibility Day