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April Diversity Holidays

April is Celebrate Diversity Month, a celebration that was initiated in 2004 to recognize and honor the diversity surrounding us all. By celebrating differences and similarities during this month, organizers hope that people will gain a deeper understanding of each other. 

April is Autism Awareness Month, established to raise awareness about the developmental disorder that affects children’s development of social and communication skills.  

April is National Arab American Heritage Month - which celebrates the Arab American heritage and culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans.

APRIL 1

  • Lazarus Saturday, a day celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy to commemorate the raising from the dead of Lazarus of Bethany 

APRIL 2

  • World Autism Awareness Day, created to raise awareness around the globe  
  • Palm Sunday, a Christian holiday commemorating the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It takes place on the last Sunday of Lent, at the beginning of the Holy Week

APRIL 4

  • Mahavir Jayanti, a holiday celebrated by the Jains commemorating the birth of Lord Mahavira. It is one of the most important religious festivals for Jains.  
  • Lord’s Evening Meal, celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses in commemoration of an event believed to have occurred on the first night of Passover in approximately 33 CE, i.e., the Last Supper 

APRIL 6

  • Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), the Christian holiday commemorating the Last Supper, at which Jesus and the Apostles were together for the last time before the crucifixion. It is celebrated on the Thursday before Easter. 

APRIL 6 - 13

  • Passover, an eight-day Jewish holiday in commemoration of the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt

APRIL 7

  • Good Friday, a day celebrated by Christians to commemorate the execution of Jesus by crucifixion. It is recognized on the Friday before Easter. 

APRIL 9

  • Easter, a holiday celebrated by Christians to recognize Jesus’ return from death after the crucifixion 

APRIL 14

  • Vaisakhi (also known as Baisakhi), the celebration of the founding of the Sikh community as the Khalsa (community of the initiated) and the birth of the Khalsa  
  • The Day of Silence, during which students take a daylong vow of silence to protest the actual silencing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students and their straight allies due to bias and harassment 

APRIL 16

  • Orthodox Easter (also called Pascha), a later Easter date than what is observed by many Western churches

APRIL 15 - APRIL 23

  • Passover, an eight-day Jewish holiday in commemoration of the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.

APRIL 16

  • Lazarus Saturday, a day celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy to commemorate the raising from the dead of Lazarus of Bethany.

APRIL 18

  • Laylat al-Qadr, the holiest night of the year for Muslims, is traditionally celebrated on the twenty-seventh day of Ramadan. It is known as the Night of Power and commemorates the night that the Quran was first revealed to the prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H).  

APRIL 17 - 18

  • Yom HaShoah, Israel’s day of remembrance for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust 

APRIL 21 - MAY 2

  • The Festival of Ridvan, a holiday celebrated by those of the Bahá’í faith, commemorating the twelve days when Bahá’u’lláh, the prophet-founder, resided in a garden called Ridvan (paradise) and publicly proclaimed his mission as God’s messenger for this age 

APRIL 21 - 22

  • Eid al-Fitr, the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal, marking the end of Ramadan. Many Muslims attend communal prayers, listen to a khutuba (sermon), and give Zakat al-Fitr (charity in the form of food) during Eid al-Fitr.  

APRIL 22

  • Earth Day promotes world peace and sustainability of the planet. Events are held globally in support of environmental protection of the Earth. 

APRIL 23

  • St. George’s Day, the feast day of St. George celebrated by various Christian churches.

APRIL 24

  • Armenian Martyrs’ Day recognizes the genocide of approximately 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 in Turkey.

APRIL 25 - 26 (sundown to sundown)

  • Yom HaShoah, Israel’s day of remembrance for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. 

APRIL 28 - 29

  • Ninth Day of Ridvan, a festival of joy and unity in the Bahá’í faith to commemorate the reunification of Bahá’u’lláh’s family and by extension the unity of the entire human family the Bahá’í faith calls for. It permeates the symbolic meaning of the Ninth Day of Ridvan.

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