Secular and religious events:

During April, May and June, 2009

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Events during APRIL:

Month and week long events:

	National Autism Awareness Month:  See: http://www.autism-society.org/
	National Child Abuse Prevention Month: Prevent Child Abuse America has a packet of information to promote community awareness. See: http://www.childwelfare.gov/
	Sexual Assault Awareness Month. See: http://www.nsvrc.org/saam
	Days of Interfaith Youth Service, by the Interfaith Youth Core. See: http://www.ifyc.org/events/DIYS
	Also: National Humor Month, Keep America Beautiful Month, Stress Awareness Month.
	Week of April 20: Global campaign for Education's "The Big Read." See: http://www.campaignforeducation.org/

April-01:

	April Fools Day.
	International Tatting Day. Tatting involves needlepointing to create delicate elegant lace.

April-02:

	National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
	Reconciliation Day when people try to mend broken relationships with friends and families.

April-03: National walk to work day: celebrated on the first Friday of April.

April-04: International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action

April-05: Palm Sunday (Christian) in commemoration of Jesus entry into Jerusalem

April-07: World Health Day

April-15: Income Tax Day for Americans.

April-10: Good Friday (Christian) in commemoration of Jesus' execution by the Roman Army

April-12: Easter Sunday (Christian) in recognition of their belief in Jesus' resurrection circa 30 CE.

April-14: Ex spouse day: A day, of unknown origin, for recognizing ex-wives and husbands, and perhaps even ex-girlfriends and boyfriends.

April-16: National Librarian Day.

April-17: The thirteenth annual Day of Silence is being observed in many public schools and colleges. Its purpose is to focus on the level of harmful bullying against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals/transgendered persons including name-calling, bullying, harassment, physical violence, etc. The 2008 event was held in memory of Lawrence King, an openly gay eighth grade boy who was shot and killed by a classmate during the previous month.

April-19: Passover (Jewish) begins at sundown and lasts for 8 days.

April-21: Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom Ha-Shoa):This is observed on the 27th day of the month of Nisan, one week after the seventh day of Passover. It recalls the Shoa -- the attempt by Nazi Germany to exterminate every Jew in Europe. It is held on the anniversary of the start of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943. Memorial candles are often lit on this day in synagogues and homes. It is observed by Jewish communities worldwide and particularly in Israel. Most of the rest of the world observes Holocaust Memorial Day on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp, each JAN-27.

April-22:

	Earth Day. Events will be held in thousands of locations from Buenos Aires to Togo to focus concern on the state of the Earth. See: http://www.earthday.net/
	Administrative Professionals Day.

April-23: Lover's Day: a day of unknown origin in which to set aside time to express love towards others.

April 24: Global Youth Service Day during the weekend of April 24-26. See: http://www.gysd.org/

April-26: Internet Evangelism Day: Its purpose is to communicate the outreach potential of the Internet to the Christian church worldwide.
 

April-30:

	Income Tax Day for Canadians.
	SpankOut Day is an annual observance sponsored by EPOCH-USA (End Physical Punishment of Children). It focuses on ending corporal punishment of children and promoting non-violent ways of teaching children appropriate behavior. 6

Events during MAY:

Month and week-long events:

	National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. You can get a free screening for asthma at 250 locations in the United States.
	May-25: Start of the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self Governing Territories

May-01:

	May Day: a celebration of Pagan origin. It is a celebration of Spring and the approach of Summer. In communist and socialist countries, it is a day to honor workers.
	Lei Day in Paradise (Hawaii). A uniquely Hawaiian celebration that became an official holiday in 1929.
	Global Love Day: This is the sixth anniversary of the first Global Love Day, whose theme is "Love begins with me." The organizers invite everyone "...to celebrate with us by consciously focusing on love and what it means to you throughout this day. We hope that by practicing love in all areas of your life, you will find it easy to love unconditionally all year long."  See: http://www.thelovefoundation.com/
	Law Day: a day to reflect on the role of law in the U.S.

May-02: Brothers and Sisters Day:  This is a day to cherish your siblings. You might also consider becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister.

	World Press Freedom Day: This was created by the United Nations to recognize the sacrifices that journalists have made to attain freedom of expression.
	Pluralism Sunday: The Center for Progressive Christianity is promoting Pluralism Sunday to celebrate religious diversity. It is co-sponsored by The Institute for Progressive Christianity, The Network of Spiritual Progressives, and CrossWalkAmerica.

May-04: Renewal day -- a time to renew friendships with people that we have lost track of.

May-05: Cinco de Mayo: A remembrance of the day in which the Mexican army defeated the French Army at the Battle of Pueblo. It is a day to celebrate Hispanic and Mexican pride.

May-06: National Nurses Day celebrates the contributions that nurses make to health care. It is also the anniversary of the birthday of Florence Nightingale.

May-07:

	National Day of Prayer: This is the 58th annual National Day of Prayer. The first Thursday in May is recognized by the U.S. Federal Government as a time when Americans who are affiliated with all organized religions -- and none -- are urged to pray. It is fixed on the first Thursday in May.
	National Day of Reason: This is a secular celebration founded by nontheistic Americans, including Humanists, Atheists, Agnostics, Deists, and other secularists as an alternative to the National Day of Prayer. It celebrates reason and attempts to raise public awareness about the persistent threats to religious liberty. See: http://www.nationaldayofreason.org/
	The National Day of Prayer Task Force, schedules its exclusively evangelical Christian observance on the same day as the more inclusive federal National Day of Prayer. The 2008 theme is "Prayer... America's Hope," and is based on Psalm 13:22 Their 2008 application requires that groups organizing events affirm biblical inerrancy and requires that activities be conducted solely by Christians. We assume that they mean only by evangelical Christians.

May-08:

	V-E (Victory in Europe) Day
	World Red Cross and World Red Crescent Day: This remembers and recognizes the contribution of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide. It is held of the birthday of Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross.

May-09: Lost Sock Memorial Day. This is a time to cherish your drawer full of orphaned socks, and to attempt to match them up with their mates. Some have suggested that socks are actually the larval stage of coat hangers. Socks don't simply get lost; they metamorphose into coat hangers. This is proven by the fact that socks gradually disappear and coat hangers tend to proliferate.

May-10:

	National Receptionist Day
	Mother's Day: Everyone has a mother who sacrificed to give them life. This day observes the importance of mothers in raising healthy happy kids in those families headed by an opposite sex couple, a same-sex lesbian couple or a single mother.

May-15: Peace Officer Memorial Day pays tribute to the local, state and federal law enforcement officers.
 
May-17: Armed Forces Day

May-21: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Itis dedicated to helping peoples of differing cultures to live together in harmony. See: http://portal.unesco.org/

May-21: National Waiter/Waitress Day celebrates the importance of good service in restaurants. You might consider giving a larger than normal tip.

May-22:

	National Maritime Day recognizes the maritime industry.
	International Day for Biological Diversity. The theme for 2009 is the invasion of alien species.

May-25: National Missing Children's Day

May-25: Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May. It is dedicated to persons in the armed services who have died in action.

May-29: International Day of United Nations Peacekeeper observes the importance and sacrifices of UN peacekeepers.

May-31: World No Tobacco Day notes that tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death. It kills more than 5 million people each year, more thanfrom HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. The 2009 theme is tobacco health warnings. See: http://www.who.int/

Events during June:

Month and week-long events:

	President Obama has proclaimed June to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. 11
	June 14 (approx): Refugee Week starts. The 2009 theme is freedom from fear.

June-01: International Day for Child Protection -- a day to remember the importance of protecting children and respecting their rights as individuals.

June-04: International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression recognizes the children who suffer from various forms of abuse worldwide.

June-05: World Environment Day is celebrated in more than 100 countries. Individuals, NGOs, community groups, businesses, the media etc. promote activities to protect and develop the environment.

June-07: This is observed as Trinity Sunday by many Christians, and as Pentecost by Orthodox Christians.

June-08:

	Best Friend's Day is a time set aside to celebrate one's best friends.
	World Oceans Day celebrates the importance of the oceans. They generate most of the oxygen we breath, they feed us; they regulate our climate, etc. It was first proposed by the Government of Canada in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

June-11:

	Roman Catholic and some Anglican Christians observe Corpus Christi (Latin for the Body of Christ). It honors the Sacrament of the Eucharist - in which Roman Catholics believe a wafer and wine offered by the priest become the actual body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. It is a national holiday in some Catholic countries. 1
	Canadians observe the National Day of Reconciliation. This marks one year since Prime Minister Harper apologized for the Federal Government's role in helping create the horrendous level of physical, sexual, and cultural abuse suffered by Canadian Natives in church-run residential schools.

June-12: World Day Against Child Labor promotes the concept that quality education is the right response to child labor.

June-14:

	Flag Day is set aside for Americans to celebrate and show respect for the flag.
	Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate All Saints Day. It is the day to celebrate the lives of all saints of the Church: both known and unknown. Saints are Christians who have lived lives of great holiness and devoutness.
	World Blood Donor Day: Give a pint; you may well save one or more lives.

June-16:

	Sikhs observe the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev and recall all who have suffered for their faith.
	World Sea Turtle Day promotes the welfare of sea turtles. It is also the anniversary of the birth of Archie Car, a turtle specialist.

June-19: Juneteenth Day commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln on 1862-SEP-22. However, it did not free any slaves at that time. Slavery had already been abolished in the Northern states and the Confederacy ignored the proclamation. All slaves were eventually freed on 1865-JUN-19 when Genera Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, TX and issued Order Number 3 which finally freed the last of the slaves in the U.S.

June-21:

	At 5:45 AM Universal Time: The Summer Solstice is the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is the one day in the year when the daytime is longest and the nighttime is shortest. It is the first day of winter in the Southern Hemisphere and is the one day in the year when daytime is shortest and the nighttime is longest. This day is celebrated by many aboriginal, Neopagan and other religions, past and present. The observance is also known as Alban Heflin, Alben Heruin, All-couples day, Feast of Epona, Feast of St. John the Baptist, Feill-Sheathain, Gathering Day, Johannistag, Litha, Midsummer, Sonnwend, Thing-Tide, Vestalia, etc.
	World Refugee Day focuses on the need for economic security, freedom from violence and persecution, and other needs of refugees.
	Father's Day recognizes the role that fathers have in raising healthy happy kids in those families headed by an opposite sex couple,  a same-sex male couple, or a single father. It is celebrated on SEP-06 in Australia and New Zealand.

June-21: Native Canadians, Indians, Metis and Inuit, celebrate First Nations Day. Native communities hold feasts and celebrate.

June-26:

	International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking attempts to raise awareness of the creation and use of certain drugs. The big killer -- alcohol -- is not their prime focus.
	International Day in support of Victims of Torture reminds people that human torture is not only unacceptable, it is also a crime. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaims that "...no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

June-28: This is the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in Greenwich Village, New York City on 1969-JUN-28. It is generally regarded as triggering the drive for equal rights for gays, lesbians and bisexuals.

June-30: The followers of the Zorastrian religion, celebrate Ghambar Maidyoshem. It commemorates the creation of water, the sowing of the summer crop, and the harvesting of grain.
 

Note:

These dates are approximate. If you need to know the precise date for planning purposes, we suggest that you confirm the date with other information sources. In particular, Jewish and Muslim observances begin at sundown on the evening prior to the date cited. The Islamic calendar is often based on unaided human observation of the crescent moon following the new moon. Thus, the above dates may vary by one or two days.

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. "Corpus Christi (feast), Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi
2. "When-is" at: http://www.when-is.com/
3. "Long list of holidays and special days,"  About.com, at: http://familycrafts.about.com/
4. "Events Calendar," Global Education, at: http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/
5. "Holocaust Memorial Day, Israel," World Events Guide, at: http://www.worldeventsguide.com/
6. "What is SpankOut Day, USA?," StopHitting.com, at: http://www.stophitting.com/ See also EPOCH-USA at: http://www.naturalchild.org/      
7. "Major 2009 Holidays and Events," Holiday Insights, at: http://www.holidayinsights.com/
8. "Bizarre and unique holidays," Holiday Insights, at: http://holidayinsights.com/
9. Interfaith Calendar, at: http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/
10. "Green Dates Listing," New Resources Group, 2009, at: http://www.nrgideas.com/
11. "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month, 2009," The White House, 2009-JUN-01, at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Originally written: 2007-JUN-01
Latest update: 2009-APR-08
Author: B.A. Robinson

Web ReligiousTolerance.org

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