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FEB: The Hopi Holy Cycle buffalo dances
which began in January conclude in February. These are
performed on Hopi reserves. Dates differ among the various communities. |
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FEB-1: February is Black History month. Although much progress has been made
in lessening racial segregation and racism in North America, Sunday morning remains the
most segregated time of the week, as many parishioners continue to attend racially
segregated Christian churches. February was chosen because two historic
figures, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, had birthdays in this month. |
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FEB-2: On Imbolc, Wiccans and other
Neopagans
celebrate the return of life and light. Also called Imbolg, the name is derived from a Gaelic expression "in the belly".
It
is seen as signaling the first stirrings of life within the womb of Mother Earth. This
Pagan day of celebration has been Christianized as St. Bridget's Day and
secularized as Groundhog Day. |
 | FEB-3: This is Super-Bowl Sunday. It is also called the
"day of dread" by some women, because of the rumor that spousal assaults reach
an annual peak on this weekend. This "Super Bowl statistic remains a
widely-cited and believed piece of misinformation." 1
There is no reliable data to support the belief.
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 | FEB-3: Setsubun-sai is a "bean-throwing night"
among the Shinto in Japan. |
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FEB-3: Four Chaplain's Sunday is a
Christian/Jewish Interfaith celebration. It recalls an event during World War
II when four Chaplains, both Jews and Christians gave away their life jackets
to soldiers when a troop ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean. |
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FEB-4: Hindus celebrate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda Jayanti
(1863 to 1902). He spread the message of Hinduism to the West, and
greatly influenced leaders of the Indian independence movement. |
 | FEB-8: Many Buddhists observe Nirvana Day. This commemorates the death of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. |
 | FEB-10: The second Sunday in February is Race Relations Sunday. |
 | FEB-12: This is the Chinese Spring Festival, known in
the West as the Chinese New Year. The date of the start of the festival is
established by a lunar/solar calendar and thus varies from late January to
mid February. It starts on a new moon, and lasts for three days. This is
the year of the water horse. It is also celebrated as the new year in
Korea and Tibet. |
 | FEB-13: This is Ash Wednesday among Christians. Lent begins. It
is a period of fasting and spiritual pursuit, leading up to Easter. |
 | FEB-14: This is St. Valentine's
day -- a day for love and lovers. |
 | FEB-23: Eid ul Adha is the three-day Islamic Feast of
Sacrifice. It concludes the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. It
commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael in
obedience to Allah. |
 | FEB-26: Jews celebrate Purim, in memory of the defeat of
a genocide of Jews in Persia, as described in the Hebrew Scripture book of
Esther. |
 | FEB-26: Ayyam-i Ha Baha'i marks the first of a series of
special "intercalary" days that synchronize their calendar to the 365.26
day year. |