May dates for your diary
Calendar snapshots
5th – Vesak, Buddhism
Sometimes called Buddha Day, Vesak celebrates the Buddha’s birthday. Celebrations vary from country to country but are colourful and joyful. People clean and decorate their homes. Some hold ceremonies where water is poured over statues of the Buddha, to signify purification of thoughts and deeds.
8th – 14th – Mental Health Awareness Week
The Mental Health Foundation has held this awareness raising week every year since 2001, with the aim of helping to remove the stigma around mental health problems. Each year has its own theme; this year it is anxiety. Go to www.mentalhealth.org.uk to find out more.
28th – Pentecost, Christian
Celebrated by Western and Orthodox Christian churches, Pentecost commemorates the Holy Spirit appearing to Christ’s Apostles and other followers while they were celebrating the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot. It is considered by some to be the birthday of the Christian faith.
This month’s dates at a glance
Religious/cultural
1 – Beltane, Wicca and Pagan
2 – Twelfth day of Ridvan, Baha’i
Birthday of Guru Arjan Dev Sikh
3 – Feast of Saints Philip and James, Catholic Christian
5 – Vesak, Buddhist
9 – Lag BaOmer, Judaism
14 – Feast of Saint Matthias, Catholic Christian
18 – Feast of the Ascension, Christian
19 – Yom Yerushalayim, Judaism
23 – Birthday of Guru Amar Das, Sikh
24 – Declaration of the Báb, Baha’i
25 – Feast of the Ascension, Orthodox Christian
26-27 – Shavuot, Judaism
28 – Pentecost, Christian
29 – Ascension of Baha‘u’llah, Baha’i
31 – Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Catholic Christian
Awareness and events
1 - Bank Holiday UK (May Day)
1-7 – Deaf Awareness Week
7 – International Family Equality Day
8 – Bank Holiday UK (King’s Coronation)
World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
8-14 – Coeliac UK Awareness Week
8-14 – Mental Health Awareness Week
15 – International Day of Families
17 – International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
18 – Global Accessibility Awareness Day
21 – World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
22 – International Day for Biological Diversity
24 – Pansexual Visibility Day
29 - Bank Holiday UK (Spring Bank Holiday)
April dates for your diary
Calendar snapshots
4th – Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, Jain
This is one of the most important Jain festivals, celebrating the birth of Mahavir, the 24th and last spiritual teacher of the dharma in our current time cycle. Across India, statues of Mahavir are anointed and special prayers are said, with many Jains giving extra to charity on and around this day.
6-13th – Passover, Judaism
Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is the Jewish festival celebrating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt where they were held as slaves under Pharoah Ramses II. In a battle with the Egyptians to secure the slaves’ freedom, God had sent the Angel of Death to kill all the firstborn children. The Israelites were told to mark their doors so that their children were spared by the passing Angel; hence ‘passover’.
22nd – Eid al-Fitr, Islam
The festival that marks the end of Ramadan, Muslims believe that Eid al-Fitr was created by the Prophet Muhammed himself. It is a very lively and joyous celebration, where people dress up in new clothes, give extra to charity and share their first daytime meal for a month.
This month’s dates at a glance
Religious/cultural
2 – Palm Sunday, Christian
4 – Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, Jain
6 – Maundy Thursday, Christian
6 – Hanuman Jayanti, Hindu
6-8 – Theravada new year, Buddhist
6-13 – Passover, Judaism
7 – Good Friday, Christian
8 – Lazarus Saturday, Orthodox Christian
9 – Palm Sunday, Orthodox Christian
Easter Sunday, Christian
10 – Easter Monday, Christian
13 – Songkran, Thai new year, Buddhist
14 – Vaisakhi, Hindu and Sikh
14 – Puthandu, Hindu
Holy Friday, Orthodox Christian
16 – Pascha (Easter), Orthodox Christian
18 – Birthday of Guru Angad Dev, Sikh
Laylat al-Qadr, Islam
Yom HaShoah,Judaism
21 – First day of Ridvan, Baha’i
22 – Akshaya Tritiya, Hindu and Jain
Eid al-Fitr, Islam
23 – Saint George’s Day, Christian
25 – Yom HaZikaron, Judaism
25 – Feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist, Catholic Christian
26 – Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Judaism
29 – Ninth day of Ridvan, Baha’i
30 – Saint James the Great’s Day, Orthodox Christian
Awareness and events
1 – April Fool’s Day
2 – World Autism Awareness Day
6 – International Asexuality Day
7 – World Health Day
8 – International Romani Day
22 – Earth Day
24-30 – Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week
25 – World Malaria Day
26 – Lesbian Visibility Day
28 – World Day for Health and Safety At Work