Inclusive leaders make their team feel like their whole self is seen and appreciated at work. Being cognizant of different holidays and celebrations can go a long way in doing that.
Perhaps your company chooses to highlight the diversity of your employees by collectively celebrating different festive days. Or maybe you're encouraging employees to use floating paid holidays to mark important days with their families and friends. Either way, a diversity awareness calendar can help you meet your goals. Avoid insensitive missteps by checking against these diversity holidays before scheduling all-hands meetings or company parties.
Start your planning with this 2024 diversity and inclusion calendar — and make sure it's truly inclusive by asking your team to add the holidays that are important to them.
*Please note that this calendar does NOT contain all holidays globally and is not a replacement for national holiday calendars. It is meant as a supplemental tool to help remind you of diversity celebrations throughout the year, as well as significant dates that may not always be top of mind for you.
If you notice any major holidays that should be added, please reach out to us at hi@powertofly.com and include the subject line "Diversity Calendar Feedback."*
Check out the DEIB Calendar feature on PowerUp for detailed descriptions of each holiday, suggestions on how to inclusively celebrate or commemorate them, and resources to share with your team or network.
JANUARY
The 2024 DEIB Calendar begins with two month-long observances in January:
- Poverty in America Awareness Month is dedicated to raising awareness to the growth of poverty in the United States. Organizations across the nation work to end poverty by creating equity and opportunity.
- Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month is a time to reflect on the resilience of trafficking survivors and recognize the efforts of those who work tirelessly to prevent and eliminate this inhumane and devastating form of abuse and exploitation.
Daily observances:
January 1: New Year’s Day
January 3: Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
January 4: World Braille Day
January 5: Twelfth Night
January 6: Epiphany, or Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day)
January 7: Eastern Orthodox Christmas
January 9: The Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji
January 13: Lohri-Maghi
January 15: Makar Sankranti
January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 16: Timkat
January 18: Bodhi Day
January 18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
January 22: Lunar New Year
January 24: International Day of Education
January 25: Mahayana New Year
January 26: Republic Day of India
January 27: The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Holocaust
FEBRUARY
February is Black History Month in the United States and Canada. Carter G. Woodson started the tradition with the creation of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. In 1926, Negro History Week was established. Since 1976, the month has been federally designated to remember the contributions of people of the African diaspora.
Daily observances:
February 1: National Freedom Day
February 1: St. Brigid of Kildare
February 1-7: International Interfaith Harmony Week
February 2: Candlemas
February 7: Lailat al Miraj
February 13: Mardi Gras
February 14: St. Valentine’s Day
February 14: Vasant Panchami
February 15: Parinirvana Day or Nirvana Day
February 20: Presidents Day in the United States
February 14: Ash Wednesday
February 24: Maghi-Purnima
February 24: Magha Puja Day
February 25: Lailat al Bara’a or Night of Forgiveness
February 26 to 29: Intercalary Days or Ayyám-i-Há
MARCH
March is Women’s History Month. Established in 1987, the month recognizes all women for their valuable contributions to history and society.
More monthly observances:
- National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month was established to increase awareness and understanding of issues affecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month was established to raise public awareness of the autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
Daily observances:
March 1: St. David’s Day
March 1-19: Nineteen-Day Fast
March 8: International Women’s Day
March 8: Maha Shivaratri
March 10: Meatfare Sunday or The Sunday of the Last Judgment
March 11 to April 9: Ramadan
March 13 to April 15: Deaf History Month
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
March 18: Clean Monday
March 19: St. Joseph’s Day
March 20: Ostara
March 20 to March 21: Nowruz/Norooz, or Persian New Year
March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
March 24: Palm Sunday
March 25: Holi
March 25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
March 28: Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday
March 29: Good Friday
March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility
March 31: Easter
APRIL
April is Celebrate Diversity Month, a celebration 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.
More monthly observances:
- Autism Acceptance Month was established to raise awareness about and acceptance of the developmental disability that impacts an individual’s experience of the world around them.
- National Arab American Heritage Month celebrates the Arab American heritage and culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans.
Daily observances:
April 2: World Autism Awareness Day
April 9: Eid al-Fitr
April 5-13: Passover is an eight-day Jewish holiday in commemoration of the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.
April 9-17: Chaitra Navratri
April 13: Vaisakhi or Baisakhi
April 17: Ram Navami
April 17 to April 18: Yom HaShoah is Israel’s day of remembrance for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
April 21: Mahavir Jayanti
April 22-30: Passover
April 27: Lazarus Saturday
April 21 to May 2: The Festival of Ridvan
April 22: Earth Day
April 23: St. George’s Day is the feast day of St. George celebrated by various Christian churches.
MAY
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, also known as Mental Health Month. Its aim is to raise awareness and educate the public about mental illnesses and reduce the stigma that surrounds mental illnesses.
More monthly observances:
- Older Americans Month was established in 1963 to honor the legacies and contributions of older Americans and support them as they enter their next stage of life.
- Jewish American Heritage Month recognizes the diverse contributions of the Jewish people to American culture.
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States commemorates the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7th, 1843 and marks the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10th, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks on the project were Chinese immigrants.
Daily observances:
May 1: Beltane
May 3: Feasts of Saints Philip and James
May 3: Asian-American Women's Equal Pay Day
May 4: National Day of Prayer
May 5: Orthodox Easter or Pascha
May 5: Cinco de Mayo
May 6: Yom HaShoah
May 9: Ascension of Jesus or Ascension Day
May 13: Yom Ha’Atzmaut
May 17: International Day Against Homophobia
May 19: Malcolm X Day
May 21: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
May 23: Vesak or Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima or Buddha Day
May 23: Declaration of the Báb
May 26: Lag BaOmer
May 27: Memorial Day in the United States
May 28: Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh
JUNE
Pride Month — Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month was established to recognize the impact that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals have had on the world. LGBTQIA+ groups note this time with Pride parades, picnics, parties, memorials for those lost to hate crimes and HIV/AIDS, and other group gatherings. The last Sunday in June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Day.
More monthly observances:
- Immigrant Heritage Month was established in June 2014 and gives people across the United States an opportunity to explore their heritages and celebrate the shared diversity that forms the unique story of the United States. The month celebrates immigrants across the United States and their contributions to their local communities and economy.
Daily observances:
June 2: Native American Citizenship Day
June 4: Trinity Sunday
June 7: Feast of the Most Sacred Heart
June 11 (sundown) to June 13 (sundown): Shavuot
June 14: Flag Day in the United States
June 16: The martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev
June 16: Waqf al Arafa
June 17: Eid al-Adha
June 19: Juneteenth or Freedom Day or Emancipation Day
June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day, or First Nations Day, in Canada
June 28: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Day in the United States
June 29: Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul
JULY
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. This observance raises awareness of the challenges that affect the mental health of historically underrepresented groups. Learn more about mental health and find ways to support mental health equity.
Daily observances:
July 1: Canada Day, or Fête du Canada
July 4: Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, in the United States
July 7: Hijri New Year
July 9: The Martyrdom of the Bab
July 14: International Nonbinary People’s Day
July 15: St. Vladimir Day
July 17: Ashura
July 18: Nelson Mandela International Day
July 21: Asalha Puja or Dharma Day
July 23: The birthday of Haile Selassie I
July 24: Pioneer Day
July 25: St. James the Greater Day
July 26: Disability Independence Day
July 27: Black American Women’s Equal Pay Day
July 30: The International Day of Friendship
AUGUST
Daily observances:
August 1: Lammas
August 6: Transfiguration of the Lord
August 13 to August 15: Obon, or Ullambana
August 15: Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary
August 17: Marcus Garvey Day
August 19: Raksha Bandhan
August 23: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
August 26: Women’s Equality Day in the United States
August 26: Krishna Janmashtami
SEPTEMBER
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15th to October 15th. This month corresponds with Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16th and recognizes the revolution in 1810 that ended the Spanish dictatorship.
Daily observances:
September 2: Labor Day in the United States
September 6: Ganesh Chaturthi
September 11: Ethiopian New Year
September 16: Mawlid or Mawlid an-Nabi ash-Sharif or Eid Milad un Nabi
September 18: International Equal Pay Day
September 21: International Day of Peace
September 22: Mabon
September 27: Elevation of the Life Giving Cross or Holy Cross
September 27: Native American Day in the United States
September 28: Teacher’s Day in Taiwan
September 29: Michaelmas or the Feast of Michael and All Angels
OCTOBER
October is Global Diversity Awareness Month, a month to celebrate and increase awareness about the diversity of cultures and ethnicities as well as the positive impact diversity can have on society.
More monthly observances:
- LGBTQ+ History Month is a US observance that started in 1994 to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history and the history of the gay rights movement.
- National Disability Employment Awareness Month was launched in 1945 when Congress declared the first week in October as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1998, the week was extended to a month and renamed. The annual event draws attention to employment barriers that still need to be addressed.
- Black History Month is celebrated in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and The Netherlands.
Daily observances:
October 1: International Day of Older Persons
October 2-4 (sundown to sundown): Rosh Hashanah
October 3-9: Navratri
October 4: St. Francis Day
October 5: Latina Equal Pay Day
October 10: World Mental Health Day
October 11: National Coming Out Day in the United States
October 12: Yom Kippur
October 14: Canadian Thanksgiving
October 16: Birth of Báb
October 16: International Pronouns Day
October 20: Sikh Holy Day or Birth of Guru Granth Sahib
October 23-25 (sundown to sundown): Shemini Atzeret or The Eighth (Day) of Assembly
October 25: Simchat Torah
October 31: All Hallows’ Eve or Halloween
October 31: Diwali
NOVEMBER
November is National Native American Heritage Month, which celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans.
More monthly observances:
- National Family Caregivers Month was proclaimed in 2012 by former President Barack Obama. It honors the more than forty million caregivers across the country who support aging parents, ill spouses, or other loved ones with disabilities who remain at home.
Daily observances:
November 1: All Saints’ Day
November 2: All Souls’ Day or Día de los Muertos
November 11: Veterans Day in the United States
November 13 to November 19: Transgender Awareness Week
November 15 to December 24: Nativity Fast
November 19: International Men’s Day
November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 24: Feast of Christ the King
November 28: Thanksgiving Day in the United States
November 29: Native American Heritage Day
November 30: Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day
DECEMBER
Daily observances:
December 1: World AIDS Day
December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 7 to December 15: Hanukkah
December 9: Immaculate Conception of Mary or the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 10: International Human Rights Day
December 12: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 16 to December 24: Las Posadas
December 21: Yule Winter Solstice
December 25: Christmas Day
December 26: Boxing Day
December 26 to January 1: Kwanzaa
December 27: St. John’s Apostle and Evangelist Day
December 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents
December 31: Watch Night
Thanks to the Anti-Defamation League, Diversity Best Practices, and other inclusivity-focused resources for background research!
15 inclusive holiday greetings to use this December
