JANUARY 2024 MORE INFORMATION
Poverty in America Awareness Month is spotlighting one of the most pervasive and persistent problems in society. This year’s observance is more vital given the devastation in families and communities throughout the country due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic upheaval. Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month to acknowledge those experiencing enslavement and those who have escaped. Although slavery is commonly thought to be a thing of the past, human traffickers generate hundreds of billions of dollars in profits by trapping millions of people in horrific situations around the world, including here in the U.S. Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to force people to engage in commercial sex or to provide labor or services against their will. New Year’s Day celebrated in most Western countries, is the first day of the year according to the modern Gregorian calendar. Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church and commemorates the naming of the child Jesus. World Braille Day is observed to raise awareness around the importance of Braille as a means of communication for blind and partially sighted people. It’s celebrated on the birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille. Twelfth Night is a festival celebrated by some branches of Christianity that marks the coming of the Epiphany. Epiphany, or Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day), is a holiday observed by Eastern and Western Christians that recognizes the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus 12 days after his birth. Lori-Maghi is an annual festival celebrated by Sikhs commemorating the memory of 40 Sikh martyrs. Orthodox New Year recognize Christmas on this day, 13 days later than other Christian churches, because they follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian version of the Western calendar.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorates the birth of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and an activist for nonviolent social change until his assassination in 1968. Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. The Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji celebrates the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs who initiated the Sikhs as the Khalsa (the pure ones) and who is known as the Father of the Khalsa. Timkat is a holiday observed by Ethiopian Orthodox Christians who celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River on Epiphany. World Religion Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in January every year, and is a reminder of the need for harmony and understanding between religions and faith systems. On this day, communities of different faiths have the opportunity to get together and listen to each other, as well as celebrate the differences and commonalities that the delicate intermingling of culture and religion brings. There are approximately 4,200 religions around the world. While many people live their lives without religion, faith in a higher being or power works for the majority of people. Whatever the reasons, we are all for the idea of people being unified despite differences, and celebrating them. Mahayana New Year is the day that Mahayana Buddhists celebrate the new year. Republic Day of India recognizes the date when the Constitution of India came into law in 1950, replacing the Government of India Act of 1935. This day also coincides with India’s 1930 declaration of independence. The International Day of Commemoration remembers the victims of the Holocaust. It’s the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in 1945 and UN Holocaust Memorial Day.
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