Today@Dal

March 21
Naw Ruz (New Year) (BA ZO)
Naw Ruz or Nowruz is the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar year. It is the traditional Iranian new year holiday celebrated by Iranian, Turkish, and many other peoples in West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Caucasus, the Crimea, and the Balkans. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Iranian year. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox (start of spring in northern hemisphere), which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. This is a non-work day for Baha’is. As well as being a Zoroastrian holiday, it is also a holy day for adherents the Baha’i Faith. This is a non-work day for Baha’is. In Iran it is also referred to as an Eid festival, although it is not an Islamic feast. Alawites and Nizari Ismaili Muslims also celebrate Nowruz.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN)
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21 with activities led by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, New York, and at field-presences. This year's theme is: "Racism and Discrimination: Obstacles to Development." On March 21, 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws." In 1966, the General Assembly proclaimed 21 March 21 as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to commemorate the Sharpeville tragedy (resolution 2142 (XXI) of October 26, 1966). March 21 has since then served not only to remind the international community of the dire consequences of racism, but also to recall our obligation and determination to combat racial discrimination.

March 23
Ta’anit Ester
Also known as the Fast of Esther, this is a Jewish fast from dawn-to-dusk on the eve of Purim, which commemorates the three-day fast observed by the Jewish people in the story of Purim. Since the Fast of Esther is not one of the four public fasts ordained by the Prophets, the laws are more lenient; pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those who are weak are not required to observe it.

Purim (JU)
A Jewish Holiday, where work should be avoided. The holiday commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther.

Magha Puja Day (BU)
Magha Puja day is an important Buddhist festival celebrated in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos on the full moon day of the third lunar month (this usually falls in February). The third lunar month is known in the Thai language as Makha (in Pali as Māgha); Bucha is also a Thai word (in Pali, Pūjā), meaning "to venerate" or "to honor." As such, Makha Bucha Day is for the veneration of Buddha and his teachings on the full moon day of the third lunar month. The spiritual aims of the day are not to commit any kind of sins to do only good, and to purify one's mind.

Holi (HI)
In India the Spring Festival is called Holi, the festival of colours. It is a festival of fun and frolic and has been associated with the immortal love of Lord Krishna and Radha. The festival mainly started to welcome the spring season and win the blessings of Gods for good harvests and fertility of the land. It is the second most important festival of India after Diwali. Holi closes the wide gaps between social classes and brings Hindus together. Together, the rich and poor, women and men, enjoy each other’s presence on this joyous day.

March 24
Hola Mohalla (SI)
Hola Mohalla or simply Hola is a Sikh festival that takes place on the first of the lunar month of Chet which usually falls in March. This follows the Hindu festival of Holi; and the Guru made Hola Mohalla an occasion for the Sikhs to demonstrate their martial skills in simulated battles. Together the words "Hola Mohalla" stands for "mock fight." During these festivals, processions are organized in the form of army type columns accompanied by war-drums and standard-bearers and proceeding to a given spot or moving in state from one gurdwara to another. The custom originated in the time of Guru Gobind Singh who held first such mock fight event at Anandpur in February 1701.

March 25
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (UN)
On December 17, 2007, the UN General Assembly designated March 25 as an annual International Day for the Commemoration of the Two-Hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The purpose of this day is to honour the memory of those who died as a result of slavery as well as those who have been exposed to the horrors of the middle passage and have fought for freedom from enslavement. In addition, it is a day to discuss the causes, consequences, and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade in order to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice.

Good Friday
This day commemorates the death by crucifixion of Jesus. Good Friday occurs two days before Easter Sunday. It is the day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which plays an important part in the Christian faith. It is also a statutory holiday in all Canadian provinces and territories except Quebec, where it is partially observed.

March 27
Easter Sunday
Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is typically the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches. Christians believe according to Scripture that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross.

Kuan Yin Day (BU)
Kuan Yin is the bodhisattva of compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female. She is also known as the Chinese Bodhisattva of Compassion. The name Kwan Yin means “Observing the Sounds (or Cries) of the World.”

[The full calendar is available on the website, http://www.dal.ca/dept/dalrespect/about/calendar.dayOf.html/2016-03-20.html]