Events of the Month

2003-APR

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• APR-6: Mormons celebrate the founding of their church by Joseph Smith on this day in 1830.
• APR-7: This is considered the probable anniversary of Jesus' execution, in the year 30 CE. Another likely date was 33-APR-3.
• APR-8: Buddhists celebrate Buddha Day, (a.k.a. Flower Festival and Children's Festival). the anniversary of the birth of Siddhartha Gautama on 563-APR-8, BCE. He was born in Lumbini Garden in present-day Nepal, and founded the Buddhist religion as an adult.
• APR-9: "Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence Project has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression." Students who support equal rights for persons of all sexual orientations in over 1,900 middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities across the U.S.  Students do not speak during this day. Some hand out "speaking cards" stating: "I am participating in the 'Day of Silence,' a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice and discrimination." ₁
• APR-11: Hindus celebrate Rama Navmi -- the anniversary of the birth of Lord Rama.
• APR-13: Western Christians observe Palm Sunday on this date. It is also the start of Holy Week which leads up to Easter Sunday which celebrates Jesus' resurrection on the following Sunday, APR-20.
• APR-14: Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi, the anniversary of the date in 1699 CE when Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa brotherhood. It is a time of both celebration and worship. Their calendar year begins on this date; the date is often followed by the letters KE. It is considered the start of the farming season.
• APR-17: Jews begin the observance of Pesach (Passover) on this day, the 22nd of Nissan. The 8 day festival recalls the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt circa 1300 BCE. Pesach recalls the night when God ordered the murder of the first born of every human and animal in ancient Egypt. The angels passed over those Jewish homes in which a lamb had been slaughtered, and its blood spread over their doorways.
• APR-18: Western Christian observe Good Friday -- the nominal date of Jesus' execution by the Roman Army circa 30 CE on this day:
• APR-20: Western Christians celebrate Easter Sunday -- the nominal date of Jesus' resurrection -- on this day.
• APR-21: Members of the Bahá'í Faith celebrate Ridvan (a.k.a. the Most Great Festival and King of Festivals). It is a twelve day celebration which recalls the day on 1863-APR-21 CE when Baha'u'llah declared that he was the prophet predicted by the Bab. It is day on which Bahá'í communities elect their Local Spiritual Assembly.
• APR-14: Jains observe is the Birthday of Mahavira Vardhamana Jnatrputra in 599 BCE. He was the religious seer of the 6th century BCE, whose teachings formed the foundation of the Jain religion. Members refrain from violence of any kind on this day. They donate money, clothes and food to the poor.
• APR-27: Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter Sunday on this day.
• APR-30: Orthodox Christians celebrate St. James the Great day. Tradition records that he was the first of the Apostles to be martyred.
• APR-29: Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Ha'Shoah) honors the memory of Jews, Roma (Gypsies), Jehovah's Witnesses, and others exterminated in the Nazi holocaust of World War II. It is observed each year on the 27th of Nissan.
• APR-30: EPOCH-USA (End Physical Punishment of Children) sponsors SpankOut Day USA on the last day of April, each year. They ask "all parents, guardians, caregivers and teachers who still use corporal punishment to refrain from hitting children on this day and to seek alternative methods of discipline through programs available in community agencies, churches and schools." ₂

Events in early MAY:

• MAY-1: Wiccans and other Neopagans celebrate Beltane, one of their four major Sabbats.

Reference:

1. "Day of Silence 2003," GLSEN, at: http://www.dayofsilence.org/
2. SpankOut Day, USA, at: http://www.stophitting.com/spankOut/spankOutInfo.php

Copyright © 2003 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Essay prepared on 2003-MAR-3
Latest update: 2003-MAR-3
Compiled by B.A. Robinson

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