Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month, which is an annual celebration of achievements by Black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of Black people in U.S. history. Black History Month grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent Black people. 

Each year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) determines the theme for Black History Month. They explain, "African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms, and police killings since our arrival upon these shores. These efforts have been to advocate for a dignified self-determined life in a just democratic society in the United States and beyond the United States political jurisdiction."

In 2024, the month-long festival will celebrate the theme of African Amercians and the Arts in the past, present and future. 

In schools and classrooms, Black History Month is an excellent time to explore the Black experience—including the history, culture and achievements of Black people, the injustice faced by them and how that injustice has been and continues to be confronted and overcome. As with other similarly themed months, it is important not to isolate Black history and culture into one month during the year. Black history is U.S. history and should be integrated into the curriculum throughout the school year.

Additional Resources

• 10 Ideas for Teaching Black History Month

• Black History Month
  
  

Local Celebrations

• Boston hosts many way to celebrate throughout the month. Visit this page frequently for updates.

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine and through later folk traditions, it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

This may have followed on from the Pagan fertility festivals that were held all over Europe as the winter came to an end. Traditionally, lovers exchanged hand written notes. Commercial cards became available in the mid nineteenth century.

In modern culture,  people celebrate this day by showing love for their partner by sending cards or letters, giving gifts or flowers and arranging meals in restaurants or romantic nights in hotels. People who would like to have a romantic relationship with somebody may use the occasion to make this known, often anonymously. Valentine's cards are often decorated with images of hearts, red roses or Cupid. Common Valentine's Day gifts are flowers chocolates, candy, lingerie and champagne or sparkling wine. However, some people use the occasion to present lavish gifts, such as jewelry. Many restaurants and hotels have special offers at this time. These can include romantic meals or weekend breaks.

The most common Valentine's Day symbols are the heart, particularly in reds and pinks, and pictures or models of Cupid. Cupid is usually portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who have fallen in love are sometimes said to be 'struck by Cupid's arrow. Other symbols of Valentine's Day are couples in loving embraces and the gifts of flowers, chocolate, red roses and lingerie that couples often give each other.

Suggestions for Supporting those who Celebrate

• Many people think of Valentine's day as a commercial holiday manufactured and encouraged in order to sell items. It does not have to be a holiday about purchasing items, but there may be a social expectation to do so. Persons may want to show sensitivity to loved ones' expectations or risk coming across as cheap or insensitve.

Local Celebrations

• February 14 is a very popular holiday and people should plan well ahead for gifts, restaurant, activity, or hotel reservations. Be prepared to pay a premium as rates for everything related to the event increase during this time. 

Maha Shivaratri is particularly important in the Shaivism tradition of Hinduism. Unlike most Hindu festivals which are celebrated during the day, Maha Shivaratri is celebrated at night. Furthermore, unlike most Hindu festivals which include expression of cultural revelry, the Maha Shivaratri is a solemn event notable for its introspective focus, fasting, meditation on Shiva, self study, social harmony and an all-night vigil at Shiva temples.

The celebration includes maintaining a jagaran, an all-night vigil and prayers, because Shaiva Hindus mark this night as "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in one's life and the world through Shiva. Offerings of fruits, leaves, sweets and milk are made to Shiva, some perform all-day fasting with Vedic or tantric worship of Shiva, and some perform meditative yoga. In Shiva temples, the sacred Panchakshari mantra of Shiva, "Om Namah Shivaya" is chanted throughout the day. Devotees praise Shiva through the recitation of the hymn called the Shiv Chalisa.

Why is Shivratri celebrated? There is more than one Mahashivaratri story surrounding this occasion. Here are a few:

• One is that Lord Shiva married Parvati on this day. So, it is a celebration of this sacred union.

• Another is that when the Gods and demons churned the ocean together to obtain ambrosia that lay in its depths, a pot of poison emerged. Lord Shiva consumed this poison, saving both the Gods and mankind. The poison lodged in the Lord’s throat, turning him blue. To honor the savior of the world, Shivratri is celebrated.

• One more legend is that as Goddess Ganga descended from heaven in full force, Lord Shiva caught her in his matted locks, and released her on to Earth as several streams. This prevented destruction on Earth. As a tribute to Him, the Shivalinga is bathed on this auspicious night.

• Also, it is believed that the formless God Sadashiv appeared in the form of a Shivalinga at midnight. Hence, people stay awake all night, offering prayers to the God.

Additional Resources

• Mahashivaratri (Britannica)

• The Night of the Dark One

Nirvana Day, also known as Parinirvana Day, is a Buddhist holiday celebrated in commemoration of Buddha's death. It celebrates because it believed that Buddha's death should be marked as he reached enlightenment and had finally reached the stage of Nirvana. Many festivals celebrate on this day, symbolize the end of the cycle of death and rebirth.

While most Buddhists celebrate this holiday on the 15th of February, some people start feasting on the 8th of February.

The Buddha achieved Nirvana when he came to know the Four Noble Truths. These are:

• Life involves suffering

• Suffering is due to having wishes

• Overcoming Desire Can End Pain

• Follow Eightfold path, is the way to end suffering. The Eightfold Path, often represented as a wheel, known as the Wheel of Dharma. 'Dharma' is an old Sanskrit word used to refer to the teachings of the Buddha.

Additional Resources

• Different people celebrate Nirvana Divas in different ways. Some people reserve their day in deep meditation and reading quotations from the Parinibanna Sutta. It is a particularly important time for Buddhists to reflect on the incompleteness of life and their inevitable death. Others use the day to go on pilgrimage. These people head to various Buddhist temples, also known as stupas. These include The Rambhar Stupa, Wat Thai Temple, or Nirvana Stupa. This festival celebrates all over the world to honor the life and death of Buddha.

• In the monasteries, Nirvana Day considered a social occasion. They prepare food, and some people bring gifts such as money, household items, or clothes.

It all started with first president of the U.S. George Washington’s Birthday. In 1885, the U.S. Government decided to honor George Washington with his own federal holiday: Washington’s Birthday. It was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, February 22.

Almost one hundred years later, in 1971, the U.S. Congress changed the federal observance date for Washington’s birthday celebration to the third Monday in February to create a three-day weekend. Some states celebrate the day as Presidents' Day since Abraham Lincoln's actual birthday was February 12. 

Because it is a federal holiday, federal services, such as US Postal Service post offices, are closed on Presidents’ Day. Some schools close as well, especially in the DC area. Private businesses are usually open, as well as private mail and delivery companies. Public transport often operates on a Saturday schedule.

Holiday Observances

• Nine states don't observe the holiday at all. You won't find the February long weekend in Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Rhode Island or Wisconsin.

• Federal offices will be closed, and virtually all city, county and state divisions take a day off as well. That means everything from DMV offices to courts and city halls will not be accessible. It is also a U.S. Stock Market Holiday.

• Presidents' Day is usually marked by public ceremonies in Washington, D.C., and other places throughout the country. There is no greeting for the day. 

Shrove Tuesday  (also know as Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, or Pancake Day) is the last day before the fasting period of Lent in Western Christian churches. On Shrove Monday and Shrove Tuesday, people in many countries celebrate Carnival, bake pancakes, and prepare themselves for 40 days of fasting before the most important festival in the Christian Church: Easter.

Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French. It was the last day to use fat and fatty foods before the time of Lent when Christians would fast. Today, the word Mardi Gras mainly refers to Mardi Gras parades or Carnival parades in former French-speaking territories like Alabama and Louisiana. For many people, Mardi Gras means colorful parades, dancing, glittering costumes, and extravagant balls.

Suggestions for Supporting those who Celebrate

• To celebrate Mardi Gras, mainly in the southern states like Louisiana, Alabama and Texas, people dress up in eye-catching costumes – featuring the colors purple, green, and gold – and dance in the streets or as part of a spectacular ball. Mardi Gras parades feature feathered masques, colorful costumes, and marching bands, as well as many local customs. Debutantes are introduced at the Ball Tableau as a formal introduction to society.

• People throw trinkets like plastic jewelry and sweets to crowds as part of the customary “parade throw” at New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebration. During the Bacchus parade, the king's float throws doubloons with the image of the “Celebrity King” to parade watchers.

Local Celebrations

• Look for balls and festivals in your local area featuring Cajun and Zydeco music and festivies.

Ash is an important symbol of Ash Wednesday in many Christian churches. On this day, many  Christians in the U.S. attend special Ash Wednesday church services where priests place blessed ashes in form of the cross on individuals’ foreheads to remind them of mortality, sorrow for sins, change, and forgiveness. When priests mark Christian's forehead the ashes they often say, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lenten discipline for observant Christians. It is traditionally a time of fasting and prayer in preparation for receiving or reaffirming baptism at Easter. 

Suggestions for Supporting those who Celebrate

• On the occasion of Ash Wednesday¸ let us turn over all the fears and anxieties to God. Warm wishes on Ash Wednesday! Let us live our lives to the fullest, wishing a very Happy Ash Wednesday to you!

• Ashes are not a sacrament and do not signify communion of faith beyond a need for repentance and a remembrance of mortality. Therefore, it is indeed acceptable for someone who is not Catholic to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday if they so choose.

• Wearing one's ashes throughout the day on Ash Wednesday helps Catholics remember why they received them in the first place; a way to humble themselves at the very beginning of Lent and as a public expression of their faith. Still, those who feel uncomfortable wearing their ashes outside of the church, or those who, because of jobs or other duties, cannot keep them on all day should not worry about removing them. Respectful removal is done by rubbing them off with a towel (not moistened with water) followed by, as the text from Matthew's Gospel suggests, some olive oil or other vegetable oil to help remove the residue.

Lent, in the Christian church, is a period of penitential preparation for Easter. In Western churches it begins on Ash Wednesday, six and a half weeks before Easter, and provides a 40-day period for fasting and abstinence (Sundays are excluded), in imitation of Jesus Christ’s fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry. Almsgiving, the practice of giving money or food to the poor and performing other acts of charity, is also encouraged. In Orthodox churches Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter and ends on the Friday that is nine days before Easter. This 40-day “Great Lent” includes Saturdays and Sundays as relaxed fast days.

Additional Resources

• All About (Catholic) Lent

• Guide to (Orthodox) Great Lent, Holy Week, & Pascha

Ayyám-i-Há is a joyful time of togetherness. People visit each other, make others happy. We open our homes to neighbours, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. In many communities or even families, small, simple gifts are prepared, such as small bags of homemade cookies or cards with a quote that inspires – there are no limits to creativity. It is not uncommon to prepare them with others, not only to give them to friends, but also to bring joy to everyone who crosses our paths.

 I remember well that a few years ago we had baked cookies for the neighbourhood with a youth group in my neighbourhood and distributed them. It was a beautiful experience for everyone to see that even if you don’t know the person yet, this gesture of selfless giving brings joy to the person and makes reaching out to each other very easy.

Additional Resources

• Baha’'i Faith information.
  
  

Suggestions for Supporting those who Celebrate

• Bake cookies with youth in your neighborhood and distribute with good cheer. This gesture of selfless giving brings joy to the person and makes reaching out to each other very easy.

Ramadan [ra.ma.dˤaːn] also spelled Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan or Ramathan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. The annual observance of Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next. It is common practice to follow the timetable of the closest country in which night can be distinguished from day.

Fasting from dawn to sunset is mandatory for all adult Muslims who are not acutely or chronically ill, travelling, elderly, pregnant/breastfeeding, diabetic, or menstruating. The predawn meal is referred to as suhur, and the nightly feast that breaks the fast is called iftar. The spiritual rewards of fasting are believed to be multiplied during Ramadan. Accordingly, during the hours of fasting Muslims refrain not only from food and drink, but also from tobacco products, sexual relations, and sinful behavior, devoting themselves instead to prayer and study of the Quran the holy book of Muslims.

So far, Ramadan 2025 is predicted to begin on 17 February 2026, corresponding to Ramadan 1446 in the Islamic calendar. Ramadan 2026 is expected to last 30 days, which means that the Eid ul Fitr would most likely fall on Thursday, 19 March

These dates will naturally be confirmed as we move closer to Ramadan 2026.

Suggestions

• Remember that when someone is fasting, breakfast begins before sunrise so people will be up very early in the day and may be quite tired by the end of the day.

• Prayer: Mid-day prayer (Zuhr prayers) typically falls during day time and they may need private time for their prayers in a private space.

• A warm greeting is always welcome. You can extend greetings by saying: “Happy Ramadan,” “Ramadan Mubarak” (blessed Ramadan), or “Ramadan Karim” (generous Ramadan).  Similarly, for Eid-ul-Fitr we say “Happy Eid” or “Eid Mubarak.”

Additional Resources

• Ramadan (Britannica)

• About Ramadan (History.Com)

• Ramadan: A Month of Fasting (NMAAHC)