Appendix H: Cultural Days of Observance 2021 and 2022

January 2024

1 - New Year’s Day

4 - World Braille Day

6 - Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church)

7 - Christmas (Christian-Coptic and Eastern Orthodox)

14 - Orthodox New Year (Orthodox Christian)

17 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day* / Tu B’Shevat (Arbor Day)

18 - Bodhi Day (Buddhism)

24 - World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture / International Day of Education

24-25: Tu B’Shevat (Jewish)*

27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day

29 - National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia

February 2024

Black History Month

10 Chinese/Lunar New Year*

2 Groundhog Day

4 World Cancer Day

14 Vasant Panchami (Hindu)*

6 International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

11 International Day of Women and Girls in Science

14 Valentine’s Day

15 National Flag of Canada Day

24 Magha Puja (Buddhism)*

17 Louis Riel Day (MB)*

20 World Day of Social Justice (United Nations)

21 Family Day* / International Mother Language Day / Mi’Kmaq and Nova Scotia Heritage Day*

28 Pink Shirt Day*

March 2024

Women’s History Month (US)

Irish History Month

1: St. David’s Day / Zero Discrimination Day

3: Losar (Tibet)* / Chotrul Duchen (Tibetan Buddhists)*

8: International Women’s Day

8: Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)*

11: Eid ul Fitr (Islam)* to sundown April 8

14: Ash Wednesday, Start of Lent (Christianity)*

14: Commonwealth Day

17: St. Patrick's Day

19-20: Nowruz/New Year (Bahá’í)* / Persian New Year*

21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

23-24: Purim (Jewish)*

24: Right to Truth Day

24: Palm Sunday (Christianity)

25: Holi (Hindu)*

25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

26: Birth Anniversary of Prophet Zarathustra (Zoroastrian)*

29: Good/Holy Friday (Christianity, Easter Orthodox)*/ Easter (Christian)* / Easter Monday (Christianity)*

31: International Trans Day of Visibility

April 2024

Sikh Heritage Month

Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month

2: World Autism Awareness Day

5: Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power)*

7: World Health Day

9: First day of Chaitra/New Year/Gudi Padwa/Puthandu/Ugadi (Hinduism)*

10-12: Eid-al-Fitr (Islam)* | Begins at sunset on April 9, 2024 and ends on Friday, April 12, 2024

13-15: Songkran (Thailand)*

13: Sinhala and Tamil New Year ((Buddhism; Hinduism)* / Vaisakhi (Sikh)*

13-15: Khmer New Year (Cambodia)*

14 International Day of Pink /

15-23 Passover/Pesach (Jewish)*

17: Ram Navami (Hindu)*

21-May 3: Feast of Ridvan (Bahá’i)*

22: Earth Day / Orthodox Good Friday*

24-26: Theravada New Year (Buddhism)*

27: Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah)

May 2024

Asian Heritage Month

Canadian Jewish Heritage Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

4 - Holy Saturday (Coptic-Christian and Eastern Orthodox)*

5 -Easter/ Pasha (Coptic-Christian and Eastern Orthodox)*

5 - Yom Ha’atzmaut / Dutch Heritage Day

6 -Easter Monday (Coptic-Christian and Eastern Orthodox)*

12 - Mother’s Day*

17 - International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

21 - International Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

20 Victoria Day* (Canadian)

22 to 23 - Declaration of the Bab (Bahá’í)*

23 - Wesak/ Vesak (Buddhist)*

29 - Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í)

June 2024

Indigenous History Month

Pride Month

Italian Heritage Month

Filipino Heritage Month

11 to 13 - Shavuot (Judaism)*

5 - World Environment Day

16 - Father’s Day*

16 to 19 - Eid ul Adha*

20 - World Refugee Day

21 - National Indigenous People’s Day

24 - Saint Jean Baptiste Day

27 - Canadian Multicultural Day

July 2024

1 - Canada Day (Canadian)

7 - Muharram (Islam)*

9 - Nunavut Day

10 - Huron Tract Treaty of 1827 Anniversary / Martyrdom of the Bab (Bahá’í)*

11 - Imamat Day (Isma’ili Islam)*

18 - Nelson Mandela Day

21 – Asalha Puja/Dharma Day (Theravada Buddhism)*

28 - Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval

August 2024

1 - Civic Holiday* (Canadian)/ Emancipation Day

9 -International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

13 to 15 - Obon (Japanese Buddhist)*

15 - National Acadian Day

17 - Marcus Garvey Day (Jamaica)

19- Raksha Bandhan (Hindu)*

19 - World Humanitarian Day

19 to 23 -Public Service Pride Week*

23 - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition / Paryushan-Parvarambha (Jain)*

26 - Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)*

September 2024

5 - Labour Day* (Canadian)

9 to 13 - Mennonite Heritage Week*

19 – Ganesh Chaturthi (Hinduism)*

10 - World Suicide Prevention Day

15 - International Day of Democracy

15 to 16 - Mawlid al Nabi (Islam)*

19 - Powley Day (Ontario (Métis Nation of Ontario; Métis communities across Canada)

20 to 26 - International Week of the Deaf

23 - Bisexual Awareness Day*

30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Canadian) / Orange Shirt Day


 

November 2024

Financial Literacy Month

1 All Saints’ Day

1 - Diwali (Sikh, Hindu, Jain)*

2 - Birth of the Bab (Bahá’í)*

2 - Aga Khan’s Birthday (Islam Ismaili)*

5 to 11 -Treaties Recognition Week (Ontario)*

7 Inuit Day (International) /

3 - Birth of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í)*

8 National Indigenous Veterans Day

10 International Accounting Day

11 Remembrance Day (Canadian)

15 - Guru Nanak’s Birthday – Bikrami (Sikh)*

15 to 24 - Nativity Fast (Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic) *

19  Louis Riel Day (Ontario)*

20 Trans Day of Remembrance

22-28 Canada History Week*

24 -  Holodomor Memorial Day*

25 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women [start of 16 days]

26 to 27 - Ascension of Abdu’l-Bahá (Bahá’í)*

December 2024

3 International Day of Persons With Disabilities

2 - Last day of Hanukkah*

6 - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

10 - Human Rights Day [end of 16 days]

18 International Migrants Day

24 Christmas Eve (Christian)

25 Christmas Day (Christian)

25 to Jan. 2 First day of Hanukkah* [starts in the evening] (Judaism)

26 Boxing Day / Death of Prophet Zarathustra (Zoroastrian)

26 - Kwanzaa (Pan-African cultural observance)

Legend

Statutory holidays (Canadian)
*date changes each year