Global Holidays, Celebrations, & Awareness Days for International Teams

Welcome! Use this list to familiarize yourself with the wide variety of celebrations that take place across the year. While not an exhaustive list, the following is a compilation of global holidays, awareness days, and celebrations that your global friends, family, or colleagues might be honoring. As you educate yourself and learn more about other cultures’ holidays and celebrations that may be new to you, be sure to do so respectfully.

Hanukkah

Religious Holiday (Judaism), Global Resources: What Is Hanukkah?  

Kwanzaa

(USA) Resources: History.com - Kwanzaa What is Kwanzaa? ASU professor explains tenets of annual celebration

New Years Day

Resources: 50 Ways to Celebrate New Year Traditions Around the World

World Religion Day

Resources: World Religion Day - Teaching Resources World Religion Day Poster

Martin Luther King Jr Day

(USA) Resources: 19 Resources and Ideas to Celebrate the MLK Day of Service To share with kids: BrainPOP - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lunar New Year

(USA) Resources: Smithsonian's Lunar New Year Celebration

Black History Month

(USA) Resources: Smithsonian's Celebrating Black History Month

Ramadan

Religious Holiday (Islam) *Ramadan is a holy month with Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting. Resources: 9 Tips on How to Support Employees and Colleagues During […]

Zhonghe Festival

Chinese communities of Southeast Asia, including Singapore and Malaysia. Equivalent and related official festivals include the Korean Dano, Japanese Tango no sekku, and Vietnamese Tết Đoan Ngọ Resources: How to […]

Hinamatsuri

(Japan) Resources: What is Hinamatsuri? How to Celebrate Girl’s Day in Japan 2023

Mardi Gras

Religious Holiday (Christianity) Resources: History.com Mardi Gras

Lent

Religious Holiday (Christianity) Resources: Brittanica - Lent The Many Customs of Lent

Equal Pay Day

(USA) Resources: Equal Pay Today Equal Pay Day Calendar

Holi

Religious Holiday (Hinduism), India, Nepal Resources: 9 Things to Know about Holi, India’s Most Colorful Festival

Nowruz (Novruz, Navruz, Nooruz, Nevruz, Nauryz)

Global, Cultural Celebration - spelling and pronunciation may vary by country Resources: The United Nations: What is Nowruz and why do we celebrate it? NPR: Nowruz: Persian New Year's Table […]