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 is Deaf History Month. This observance celebrates key events in deaf history, including the founding of Gallaudet University and the American School for the Deaf. (Continued from March)
APRIL 2
- World Autism Awareness Day, created to raise awareness around the globe.
APRIL 9 - 10 (sundown to sundown)
- 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 khutba (sermon), and give Zakat al-Fitr (charity in the form of food) during Eid al-Fitr.
APRIL 12
- 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 13
- 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.
APRIL 17
- Ram Navami, a Hindu day of worship and celebration of the seventh avatar of Vishnu (Lord Rama). Devotees typically wear red and place extravagant flowers on the shrine of the god.
APRIL 21
- 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.
- 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 22
- Earth Day promotes world peace and sustainability of the planet. Events are held globally in support of environmental protection of the Earth.
APRIL 22 - 30
- Passover, an eight-day Jewish holiday in commemoration of the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.
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 27
- 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 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.