Wales and the World Calendar

Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Christian churches. It marks the first day of the forty days of Lent, leading to Easter.

Valentine’s Day is a day people express their love for each other all around the world. It is feast day of a Christian martyr named Valentine.

Nirvana Day is a Mahayana Buddhist holiday celebrated in Asia. In Bhutan, it is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the Bhutanese calendar. It celebrates the day when the Buddha is said to have achieved  complete Nirvana, upon the death of his physical body.

Saint David is the patron saint of Wales. His feast is celebrated by wearing daffodils and leeks, recognized symbols of Wales and Saint David, eating traditional Welsh food including cawl and Welsh rarebit, and women wearing traditional Welsh dress. A parade is held on this day in a number of Welsh towns.

Laylat al-Qadr also known as the Night of Power, falls on one of the odd number days in the last days of Ramadan. It is considered the holiest of nights in Islam.

Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrating Lord Shiva who is one of the principal deities of Hinduism.

Eid al-Fitr is a feast celebrated by Muslims all over the world and marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. The Feast of Saint Patrick is a spiritual and cultural national holiday in Ireland which involves public parades and festivals, céilithe and the wearing of green outfit or shamrocks.

Nowruz is the Iranian or Persian New Year celebrated by numerous cultures worldwide. It is based on the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar. With its origin in Zoroastrianism, it is alleged to mark the coming back of a spirit that had been cast underground during the winter months.

Holi is the Hindu festival of colours, love and spring. It is celebrated every year with a massive chaotic colour fight. Holi celebrations serve as a reminder of the triumph of good over evil.