World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

In December 2002, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/249, declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, and in 2015, the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution on Culture and Sustainable Development A/C.2/70/L.59, affirming culture’s contribution to the three dimensions of sustainable […]

Day of Vesak

(also known as Visakha Puja, Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Buddha Day) "Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world. It was on the Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 B.C., that the […]

Memorial Day (US)

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2023 will occur on Monday, May 29. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday […]

Caribbean American Heritage Month

In June 2005, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted H. Con. Res. 71, sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. On February 14, 2006, the resolution similarly passed the Senate, culminating a two-year, bipartisan and bicameral effort. The Proclamation […]

Native American Citizenship Day (US)

On June 2, 1924, the U.S. government unilaterally extended U.S. citizenship to Native Americans by passing the Indian Citizenship Act over the objection of some Native Nations. As dual citizens of their tribes and the United States, members of federally-recognized tribes should have been able to register and participate in both nontribal (U.S.) elections and […]

Flag Day (US)

When the American Revolution broke out in 1775, the colonists weren’t fighting united under a single flag. Instead, most regiments participating in the war for independence against the British fought under their own flags. In June of 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to create the Continental Army—a unified colonial fighting force—with the hopes of a more […]

Canada Day

Canada Day, formerly (until 1982) Dominion Day, the national holiday of Canada. The possibility of a confederation between the colonies of British North America was discussed throughout the mid-1800s. On July 1, 1867, a dominion was formed through the British North America Act as approved by the British Parliament. It consisted of territories then called Upper and Lower Canada and of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The act divided […]

The Martyrdom of the Bab

Baha’is around the world will observe the Martyrdom of the Báb. This holiday commemorates the 1850 execution of the co-founder of the Baha’i faith, the Báb, in Persia. It is one of nine holy days during which work and school is suspended. On July 9, 1850 the Báb, who was thirty years old at the time, […]

World Population Day

World Population Day, which seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, was established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987. By resolution 45/216 of December 1990, the United […]

International Non-Binary People’s Day

July 14 is recognized around the world as International Non-Binary People’s Day. This occasion shines a light on those who identify as non-binary and celebrates the rich diversity of the community.   The term “non-binary” describes someone who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary folks may identify as being both […]