January 2025: Multi-Faith Dates

At intec, we love to celebrate our differences and promote equality & diversity. Every month we compile a list of all the special dates & events from all different religions and faiths around the world, so you can learn more about other cultures and what's improtant to them.

1st January

NEW YEAR’S DAY / HOGMANAY

A day widely observed throughout the UK, as is New Year’s Eve on the preceding night, and especially in Scotland, where bagpipes, haggis, and first-footing are widespread. It is customary to make New Year’s resolutions at this time.

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD (Catholic Christian)

The Church presents Mary as an example of a Christian who must listen to the Word of God and remain attentive to the needs of others.

GANJITSU (Japanese)

New Year’s Day celebrations in Japan sometimes extend for up to three days, during which businesses are closed, families spend time together, decorations are put up, and the first visit of the year is paid to local Shinto shrines.

TWELFTH NIGHT (Christian)

Twelfth Night, also known as Epiphany Eve, is a festival in some branches of Christianity that takes place on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas, marking the approach of the Epiphany.

5th January

BIRTHDAY OF GURU GOBIND SINGH (1666 CE) (Sikh)

This marks the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru, who instituted the Five Ks and established the Order of the Khalsa on Vaisakhi (Baisakhi).

6th January

EPIPHANY (Christian – Anglican and Roman Catholic)

This is the twelfth day of Christmas. It celebrates the visit of the magi, or wise men, to the infant Jesus, bearing symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

7th January

CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY (Orthodox and Rastafarian)

Many Orthodox and Armenian churches, and certain other related communities (including the Ethiopian and Rastafarian communities), still use the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar used by most Western Christians. Accordingly, they celebrate Christmas and certain other festivals 13 days later than Western churches, meaning that 6th and 7th January on the Orthodox calendar correspond to 24th and 25th December on the Western calendar.

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY (Orthodox Christian)

The Feast of the Nativity of Jesus is one of the most joyful days of the Orthodox Church, second only to Easter, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus. The Feast of the Birth of Jesus is also known as the "Incarnation of Christ," signifying that Jesus became man and entered the world to bring salvation.

12th January

BAPTISM OF CHRIST (Christian)

Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, recalling how the heavens opened and a voice proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God, while God’s spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. This event reveals God as three persons in one – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ‘Theophany’ means ‘Manifestation of God’. The first miracle of Jesus, performed at the wedding at Cana in Galilee, is also remembered at this time.

BIRTHDAY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA (Hindu)

Born as Narendra Nath Datta in 1902 in Calcutta, he was an Indian Hindu monk and the chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a key figure in introducing the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world.

13th January

SEIJIN NO HI (Shinto)

Seijin no Hi, or Adult's Day, is a Japanese holiday established to celebrate young people coming of age. A special ceremony, Seijin Shiki, is held each year on the second Monday of January to officially welcome individuals into full legal majority, which is still set at 20 years of age in Japan.

14th January

MAKAR SANKRANTI / LOHRI / PONGAL (Hindu)

Sankranti (known as Sangrand in Punjabi) marks the start of a new zodiac sign and is determined using the solar calendar rather than the lunar calendar. Tamils celebrate Pongal by preparing a rice dish that gives the festival its name. For many Hindus, it is a day for giving alms and mending quarrels. Punjabis (including some Sikhs) celebrate the day as Lohri, lighting fires outside and eating peanuts and sesame sweets around them. A traditional Punjabi meal of cornmeal chapatis and a mustard leaf dish is shared. If a baby boy was born in the past year, he is carried around the fire as part of the celebration.

MAHAYANA NEW YEAR (Buddhist)

Mahayana New Year is celebrated on 7th January by Buddhists around the world. The term ‘Mahayana’ encompasses certain Buddhist ideologies and philosophies. Mahayana is one of the two main branches of Buddhism, practised mainly in Northeast Asia, including China, Japan, Tibet, Taiwan, Mongolia, and Korea. Each region has its own customs and traditions for practising Mahayana Buddhism.

OLD NEW YEAR (Orthodox Christian)

The Old New Year, also known as the Orthodox New Year, is an informal traditional holiday marking the start of the New Year according to the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, this date corresponds to 14th January in the Gregorian calendar.

This traditional dating of the New Year is often referred to as "Orthodox" because it reflects a time when Russia and certain Eastern European governments used the Julian calendar, which is still used by some branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The liturgical year of the Eastern Orthodox Church, however, begins in September.

15th January

PONGAL (Hindu)

Pongal, also referred to as Tai Pongal, is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka. It begins at the start of the Tamil month of Tai, which typically falls on 14th January. The festival is dedicated to the sun god, Surya, and aligns with Makar Sankranti, a harvest festival celebrated under various names across India.

18th – 25th January

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY (Christian)

This week was first observed in 1908. Special services are held, and dialogue on unity is encouraged. Some worshippers attend united services, while others visit each other’s churches or invite preachers from different denominations to speak.

19th January

WORLD RELIGION DAY (Bahá'í and other faiths)

This day promotes interfaith understanding by highlighting commonalities across all faiths. It was first introduced among Bahá'í communities in the 1950s and is now celebrated by a wider range of communities, including the Bahá'í, on the third Sunday of January.

TIMKAT (Ethiopian Orthodox Christian)

Timkat is the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church's celebration of Epiphany. It is observed on 19th January, corresponding to the 10th day of Terr in the Ethiopian calendar.

25th January

CONVERSION OF ST PAUL (Christian)

The Conversion of Paul the Apostle, also known as the Pauline conversion or Damascus event, is described in the New Testament as the moment when Paul stopped persecuting early Christians and became a follower of Jesus.

26th January

LAILAT-AL-MIRAJ (Islam)

Lailat al Miraj, also known as Isra and Miraj, commemorates the Prophet Muhammad's nighttime journey from Mecca to the 'Farthest Mosque' in Jerusalem. During this journey, he ascended to heaven, was purified, and received the instruction for Muslims to pray five times daily. This holiday is observed annually on the 27th of Rajab.

29th January

LUNAR NEW YEAR (Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist)

The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of a new year based on the lunar or lunisolar calendar. It is celebrated by numerous cultures and is often referred to as "Chinese New Year" due to its prominence in China. The celebration also takes place in East Asian countries, as well as among communities following Hindu-Buddhist calendars in South and Southeast Asia, Islamic calendars, and Jewish calendars in the Middle East. It is also celebrated by the indigenous Nisga'a people of Canada.