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MARCH MULTICULTURAL CELEBRATIONS CALENDAR
March is both Irish American Heritage Month and National Women's History Month. Other notable celebrations include the New Year in the countries of Afghanistan and Iran and the Baha'i and Zoroastrian religions, the Christian observance of Palm Sunday, and the beginning of Passover in the Jewish faith. Read below for more holidays and observances!
March
1
Ralph Ellison (1914-1994) - African American Writer - Introduced to literature by his mother, who worked as a domestic, Ellison attended Tuskegee Institute on a music scholarship. However, in 1936 he moved to New York City, where he published "Invisible Man" in 1952, which won the National Book Award. The book has become a classic of African American literature and has been translated into seventeen languages. He taught and lectured widely, was appointed to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, served on the National Council on the Arts and Humanities and the Carnegie Commission on public television, and was a trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This is the day of his death. March
2
Granting of citizenship to Puerto Ricans (1917) - United States - On this date the United States Congress passed the Jones Act, which conferred U.S. citizenship on Puerto Ricans and gave them the right to elect representatives to both houses of the territorial legislature. The act was opposed by some of the most prominent Puerto Rican leaders because they felt it was a poor substitute for full independence. March
3
Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri) - Japan - This is one of the major social festivals in traditional Japan. There is much visiting among family members and friends, and visitors bring gifts of dolls. The traditional holiday foods are red-bean-flavored rice, rice dumplings wrapped in cherry leaves, and a special sweet cake. March
8
International Women's Day - International - The movement to create an International Women's Day began as part of the socialist movement for greater women's rights, particularly the right to vote. First designated as the last Sunday in February by the Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1910, it was later changed to be uniformly celebrated on March 8 to honor women's role in the Russian Revolution. With the resurgence of feminism in the late 1960s, International Women's Day gained renewed interest as a day to celebrate women's lives and work. March
10
Gerald Tsai Jr. (1929-2008) - Chinese American Financier - Born in Shanghai, Tsai was a pioneer in the creation of performance mutual funds and the first Chinese American to head a Dow Jones industrials company. He joined Fidelity Investments as a stock analyst and in 1958 started Fidelity's first aggressive growth fund. In 1965, Tsai left Fidelity to establish the Manhattan Fund, a mutual fund that grew to have the biggest share offering in investment company history at the time. Tsai's investment acumen led him to sell the Manhattan Fund to CNA Financial Corporation in 1968 just as the market was starting to wane. Tsai transformed the American Can Company into the financial services giant, Primerica Corporation, and became chief executive of Primerica in 1987, making Tsai the first Chinese American to head a Dow Jones industrials company. Following the stock market crash in October of 1987, Tsai sold Primerica to Commercial Credit Group, a company headed by Sanford I. Weill, in a $1.65 billion deal in which Tsai remained the largest shareholder. Commercial Credit Group, which included brokerage firm Smith Barney, was one of the groups that eventually became the New York City-based financial services company, Citigroup, Inc. March
10
Harriet Tubman (1820?-1913) - African American Abolitionist - Tubman became the "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, a clandestine system for helping slaves escape to freedom in the North. An escaped slave, she earned the name "Moses" for her heroic work in leading some 400 slaves to freedom. She died on this date. March
12
Maha Ghosananda (full title Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda) (1929-2007) - Cambodian Buddhist monk and peace activist - A highly revered Buddhist monk in the Theravada tradition and a devoted advocate for peace, Maha Ghosananda, whose monastic name means "great joyful proclaimer," helped restore Buddhism in his native Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Maha Ghosananda's philosophy of nonviolent direct action began to take root during his years in India, where he studied with a protégé of Mahatma Gandhi. Maha Ghosananda lived in exile from 1975 to 1979 during the Khmer Rouge's genocidal reign of terror under Communist dictator Pol Pot, who denounced Buddhism, executing Buddhist monks and destroying Buddhist temples. When Pol Pot's regime was toppled by the Vietnamese in 1979, Maha Ghosananda was one of the first monks to return to Cambodia and train new Buddhist leaders, and in 1988 the monks elected him Supreme Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism. In 1991 he lead a cross-country pilgrimage for peace, in the first of what would become known as the Dhammayietra Walks for Peace and Reconciliation. Called "the Cambodian Gandhi," Maha Ghosananda had a profound influence upon peace movements around the world, and was nominated six times for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the day of his death. March
14
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) - Jewish German American Physicist - The leading theoretical physicist of the twentieth century, Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. When the Nazi government confiscated his property and deprived him of German citizenship in 1933, Einstein immigrated to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen and took a post at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. March
14
New Year - Sikh - This begins the new year 542 of the Nanakshahi Era for the Sikhs, one of the largest religious groups in India. The first year of the Nanakshahi Era is 1469, the year of birth of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. March
17
St. Patrick's Day - Ireland - Tradition holds that Ireland's patron saint died on this date in A.D. 493 at the age of 106. The anniversary of his death is celebrated in Ireland as a national holiday, with green, the color of the day, signifying undying gratitude to the memory of St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland. The shamrock is worn to commemorate its use by the saint as a symbol of the Trinity. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of Irish descent all over the world as an expression of pride in their heritage. March
20
Now Rouz (now-rooz) (New Year) - Afghanistan and Iran - This is the traditional new year, coming at the time of the spring equinox and marking year 1389. The two days before Now Rouz are celebrated as holidays, as are the thirteen days following Now Rouz. Fireworks are set off on New Year's Eve, symbolizing the victory of fire over darkness, a reenactment of the moment of Creation. On New Year's morning, children are given gold coins, cakes, and decorated hard-boiled eggs, symbolizing fruitfulness and the renewal of the world. The number seven is considered a sacred number, linked to the idea of Creation. Afghans celebrate with special dishes, including miwa naurozee, a compote made of seven fruits. In Iran, families gather around a table set with seven symbolic foods -- sprouted seeds, hyacinth, sweet wheat pudding, vinegar, sumac, apples, and olives, the names for all of these beginning with sen, the Iranian letter s. March
21
Naw Ruz (New Year) - Baha'i - The Baha'i year consists of 19 months with 19 days in each month. The new year is preceded by a 19-day period of fasting beginning on March 2 and ending on March 20, during which Baha'is set time aside for prayer and meditation. Children under 15, the ill, and pregnant women and nursing mothers are exempt from the fast. Baha'i days begin at sunset, so the new year starts at sundown on March 20. March
21
Naw Ruz (New Year) - Zoroastrian - Celebrated at the time of the vernal equinox, this is the beginning of the Zoroastrian new year according to the Fasli seasonal calendar. The most elaborate of the Gahambars, or feasts of obligation, observed during the Zoroastrian year, Naw Ruz celebrates Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom, and the holy fire symbolic of His divine light. The sixth day of Naw Ruz, called the Great Naw Ruz, is the most important day of celebration, since it is believed to be the birthday of the Zoroastrian prophet Zarathushtra. Patterned after the Gregorian calendar, the Fasli calendar keeps in harmony with the seasons by intercalculating one day every four years, with the date of Naw Ruz being fixed on March 21. According to the Shenshai, or Shahanshahi, calendar followed by Parsi Zoroastrians, Naw Ruz is observed on a different date. March
21
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - United Nations - The UN General Assembly proclaimed this international day in 1966 in commemoration of the Sharpeville Massacre. On this day in 1960, at least sixty-nine people were killed by police in a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid "pass laws" in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa. This day is commemorated in South Africa as Human Rights Day. March
22
Vernal Equinox Day (Shumbun No Hi) (Observed) - Japan - This celebrates the beginning of spring and is a public holiday in Japan. This day is also known as Higan No Chu-Nichi, or the "middle day of Higan," a week-long Japanese Buddhist celebration at the vernal and autumnal equinoxes symbolizing peace, equality, and harmony. Higan, which means "the other shore," is an abbreviation for tohigan meaning "reaching the other shore (of Nirvana)" in accordance with the Buddhist belief that when days and nights are equally divided, Buddha appears on earth for a week to lead stray souls to Nirvana. It is a day to appreciate nature and pay respects to one's ancestors by visiting their graves. The Japanese celebrate the start of spring with "nightingale cake," made from sticky rice filled with a sweet white bean paste. Other springtime foods include raw squid and a special freshwater fish, ayu, grilled and eaten with green vegetables. Seaweed is especially popular in spring because it is tender and sweet. March
24
Ramanavami (Birthday of Rama) - Hindu - The story of Rama, one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu, is told in the Ramayana, which along with the Mahabharata is one of the great epic poems of Hinduism. Rama is celebrated in literature, music, and art throughout India and Southeast Asia. This holiday is observed with sanctity and fasting. Temples are decorated and parts of the Ramayana are recited at home. March
26
Birthday of Prophet Zarathushtra (Khordad Sal) - Zoroastrian - This holiday, known as the Great Naw Ruz, celebrates the birth of the Persian prophet Zarathushtra, who founded Zoroastrianism. March
28
Mahavir Jayanti - Jain - Jainism is a religious system practiced by over 5 million people worldwide, primarily in India. It arose in the 6th century B.C.E. as a protest against some aspects of Hinduism. This festival, also known as Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, celebrates the birth of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth and last of the Tirthankaras, or enlightened ones. It is the most important holiday in Jainism and is celebrated with prayer and visits to shrines. March
28
Palm Sunday - Christian - On the Sunday before Easter, Christians remember Jesus' last entry into Jerusalem, when his way was strewn with palms by those gathered to see him. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week in Western Christian Churches. Such processions are common in Spain. Seville is especially famous for its Easter Week solemnities. March
30
Passover (First day of 8-day observance) - Jewish - This holiday, which is observed for eight days, celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Moses, an Israelite born into slavery, raised in the Pharaoh's household, and later banished as a young man for defending his people, returned to Egypt and confronted the Pharaoh in the name of God, demanding freedom for his people. The Pharaoh capitulated only after God sent ten plagues, the last of which killed the first son of every Egyptian family, including that of the Pharaoh. The Israelites marked their doors to identify their homes for the angel of death, who passed over and spared them. Moses then led the Israelites through the desert for 40 years until they reached Canaan, the land they believed to have been promised to them by God. The celebration of Passover, a spring festival commemorating freedom and new life, begins the previous evening with a Seder, a meal during which the story of Passover is read from the Haggadah. The menu includes a number of traditional foods such as matzoh, or unleavened bread, which recalls the unleavened bread eaten by the Israelites in the desert. SOURCES:
- Multicultural Resources Calendar, Diversity Resources, Inc. 2010
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