Multicultural Calendar

February

2nd - Candlemas (Christian). This is often called The Presentation of Christ in the Temple and commemorates the day Mary took Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem to present him to God.

2nd - Imbolc (Pagan). Also called Oimelc and Candlemas, Imbolc celebrates the awakening of the land and the growing power of the Sun.

3rd - Rissun (Setsubum) (Shinto). A Spring festival that marks the division between Winter and Spring and is celebrated with beans.

4th - Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad) (Muslim). Shia Muslims celebrate this 5 days later. Some Muslims do not approve of celebrating the birthday, and regard doing so as a religious innovation.

6th - Teng Chieh (Yuen Sui) (Chinese). This is the lantern festival which marks the first full moon of the year and the lengthening of days. It also marks the end of the celebration of Chinese New Year.

7th - Magha Puja (Buddhist). Fourfold Assembly or Sangha Day. Marks the day Buddha addressed a meeting of 1250 arahants.

8th - Parinirvana - Nirvana day (Buddhist). Mahayana Buddhist festival marking the anniversary of Buddha's death. Pure Land Buddhists call the festival "Nirvana Day". Parinirvana is celebrated by some Buddhists on February 8th.

8th - Tu B'Shevat (Jewish) - The Jewish New Year for trees - For religious accounting purposes all trees have their anniversaries on this festival, regardless of when they were planted.

9th - Milad un Nabi (Shia) (Muslim). Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims celebrate this 5 days earlier. Some Muslims do not approve of celebrating the birthday, and regard doing so as a religious innovation.

11th - Our Lady of Lourdes (Christian) - Marks the day in 1858 when St Bernadette had her first vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

14th - St Valentine's Day (Christian) - Now more a secular festival than a religious one. There are at least three different saints named Valentine.

15th - Nirvana Day (alternative date) (Buddhist). Nirvana Day is also known as Parinirvana and is celebrated by some Buddhists on February 8th. Nirvana Day is the celebration of Buddha's death when he reached total Nirvana, at the age of 80.

20th - Mahashivratri (Hindu) - Mahashivratri is a Hindu festival dedicated to Shiva, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity.

21st - Shrove Tuesday (Christian) - Also called Pancake Day and Mardi Gras. The British name of "Pancake Day" comes from the tradition of making pancakes to use up all the food that could not be eaten during Lent.

22nd - Ash Wednesday (Christian). The first day of Lent for Western Christian churches. Lent is the season marking the time Jesus spent in the wilderness.

27th - Clean Monday - beginning of Lent (Orthodox) - The start of the "Great Lent" for Orthodox Christians. This day is called Clean Monday, and occurs seven weeks before the Orthodox Easter.