January dates for your diary
Calendar snapshots
9th Seijin no hi, Shinto
Seijin no hi is an ancient Japanese ceremony to mark young people’s coming of age at 20 years old. This is the age at which Japanese people are legally allowed to gamble, drive and drink alcohol. In most towns, young people will gather to hear a local dignitary speak, and then go with their families to a Shinto shrine to pray.
19th Timkat, Ethiopian Orthodox
This is the Ethiopian Orthodox feast of the Epiphany, the baptism of Christ. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate by praying over the entire holiday. Priests take models of the Ark of the Convenant and lead processions to the nearest bodies of water, where worshipers are blessed.
26th Vasant Panchami, Hindu/Jain/Sikh
Vasant Panchami ushers in the spring in India, and is celebrated by wearing bright colours (usually yellow, to represent the blossoming mustard fields) and decorating with flowers. There are variations on how the festival is celebrated; in some parts of India, people fly kites to celebrate Vasant Panchami, and for Hindus there is a link to the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati, so the festivities often feature idols or statues.
This month’s dates at a glance
Religious/cultural
1 Solemnity of Mary, mother of God, Catholic Christian
Gantan-sai (new year), Shinto
5 Twelfth night, Christian
Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh
6 Epiphany, Christian
7 Feast of the nativity Orthodox, Christian
7-9 Mahayana new year, Buddhist
8 Baptism of the Lord Jesus, Catholic Christian
9 Seijin no Hi, Shinto
13 Lohri/Maghi, Hindu and Sikh
14 Old new year, Orthodox Christian
Makar Sankranti, Hindu
15-18 Pongal, Hindu
18-25 Week of prayer for Christian unity, Christian
19 Timkat, Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
22 Lunar new year Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist
25 Conversion of Saint Paul, Christian
26 Vasant Panchami, Hindu, Sikh and Jain
29 Zacchaeus Sunday, Orthodox Christian
31 Birthday of Guru Har Rai, Sikh
Awareness and events
4 World Braille Day
8 Ethnicity Pay Gap Day
15 World Religion Day
16 Martin Luther King Jr Day
24 International Day of Education
25 Robert Burns Night
27 Holocaust Memorial Day
