Diversity Events Calendar 2013 Strength lies in differences, not in similarities. MMU Diwali Event Stephen R. Covey (1932 2012) Author Copyright MMU 2013
Diversity Events Calendar 2013 The calendar is an important resource for MMU, particularly in terms of academic planning around religious festivals and holidays. It will also help raise awareness of equality and diversity and more generally well being issues. Please note some of the dates for events/religious days may be subject to change or regional and local variations. Sources including the Manchester Chaplaincy Group, SHAP and The Religious Education Council have been used for the dates. Academic dates have not yet been set for September December 2013, therefore the online calendar will be updated when these become available. Use the links on the following page to find out more about the religions listed in this calendar. Images supplied by MMU imagebank and Marketing Manchester (MM). Key: Festival Dates* Other Religious Dates, Holidays or Well Being Events Academic Dates * according to The Religious Education Council, SHAP, the BBC interfaith calendar and the Manchester Chaplaincy Group
Baha i: www.bahai.org.uk Buddhist: www.buddhanet.net Chinese: www.religionfacts.com/chinese_ religion/index.htm Christian: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ religions/christianity/ Hindu: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ religions/hinduism/ Jain: www.jaincentre.com Jewish: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ religions/judaism/ Muslim: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ religions/islam/ Pagan: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ religions/paganism/ Rastafarian: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ religions/rastafari/ Shinto: www.japan-guide.com/e/e2056. html Sikh www.sikhs.org/ Zoroastrian: www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ religions/zoroastrian/ For MMU s information giving factsheets on the featured religions go to www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/equalities/resources/
January 2013 Spring Term 7 January 22 March World Braille Day 4 January Raising public awareness of blindness issues www.cnib.ca/en/living/braille/louis-braille/ World Religion Day 20 January Working to emphasise that Religion must be the cause of unity www.worldreligionday.org/ Student Union Week 14 18 January 16 January Refreshers Fair www.mmunion.co.uk/ Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 18 25 January National Holocaust Memorial Day 27 January Remembering the victims and those whose lives have been changed beyond recognition because of genocide www.hmd.org.uk/about Equality is not in regarding different things similarly, equality is in regarding different things differently. Tom Robbins (1936 present) Author
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Week 1 Week 2 New Year s Day (Western Calendar) Fast of Tevet Oshogatsu/Shogatsu (Shinto) 1 2 3 World Braille Day 4 Birthday of Guru 5 Epiphany 6 Gobind Singh (Sikh) Spring Term Starts 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Christmas Day (Christian Orthodox, Old Calendar) Christmas Day Ethiopian (Rastafari) Makar Sankrant/Lohri (Hindu) 14 Sejjin Shiki 15 Refreshers Fair 16 17 18 19 World Religion Day 20 (Adult s Day) (Shinto) Student Union Week 3 21 22 23 Milad un Nabi 24 25 Tu B Shevat - 26 National Holocaust 27 (Birthday of the Prophet New Year for Trees Memorial Day Muhammad) (Muslim) Week 4 28 Milad un Nabi (Shia) 29 30 Birthday of Guru 31 (Muslim) Har Rai (Sikh) Week 5
February 2013 UK LGBT History Month Celebrating the lives and achievements of the LGBT community www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/ National Heart Month Raising awareness of heart and circulatory disease www.bhf.org.uk International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) 6 February An opportunity for people everywhere to end this harmful practice within a generation www.endfgm.eu/en/about-us/visionmission-and-guiding-principles/ Wear Red for National Heart Day 8 February Raising awareness of heart disease www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising/ red-for-heart.aspx Student Volunteering Week 11-16 February Celebrating volunteering by students in Further and Higher Education www.volunteering.org.uk/ UN International Mother Language Day 21 February Promoting the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world www.un.org/en/events/ motherlanguageday/ Being a gay isn t a choice, but being a bigot certainly is LZ Granderson (1972 present) Journalist World Thinking Day 22 February Raise awareness of the environment and the impacts our lifestyles and choices have on it (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) www.worldthinkingday.org/en/home
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 Imbolc (Pagan) 2 Rissun (Setsubun) 3 Bean Scattering (Shinto) Week 8 Week 7 Week 6 Week 5 Magha Puja (Buddhist) Shushan Purim 4 5 International Day 6 7 Parinirvana Nirvana 8 9 Chinese New Year 10 Against Female Genital Day (Buddhist) Year of the Snake Mutilation (FGM) Wear Red for National Heart Day 11 Shrove Tuesday 12 Lent 13th Feb 13 St Valentine s Day 14 Nirvana Day 15 16 17 30th March (Buddhist/Jain) Vasant Panchami (Hindu) 18 19 20 Fast of Esther 21 World Thinking Day 22 23 Tengh Chieh - 24 (Taanit Esther) (Girl Guides and Girl Chinese Lantern Festival Scouts) (Chinese) UN International Mother Language Day 25 26 27 28 Purim Week 9
March 2013 Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Raising the awareness of Ovarian Cancer in the UK www.ovarian.org.uk/ovarian-cancer/ Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Raising the awareness of Prostate Cancer in the UK www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/ Manchester Irish Festival 8 18 March Officially Europe s biggest Irish Festival www.manchesteririshfestival.co.uk International Women s Day 8 March Celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/ international-womens-day Brain Awareness Week 11-17 March Global campaign to increase public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research www.dana.org/brainweek/ I have a new dream... I must be a politician to save this country. There are so many crises in our country. I want to remove these crises. Malala Yousafzai (1997 present) Youth activist, women s rights activist, Taliban victim UN International Day for the Elimination of Racism 21 March Reminding people of racial discrimination s negative consequences www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/worldday-eliminate-racial-discrimination World Poetry Day 21 March A time to appreciate and support poets and poetry around the world www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/worldpoetry-day Holy Week - Christian 24 30 March
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday St David s Day/ Dewi Sant Patron Saint of Wales 1 Nineteen Day Fast 2 Hina-matsuri 3 start 20th March Festival of Dolls (Baha i) (Shinto) Week 13 Week 12 Week 11 Week 10 Week 9 4 5 6 7 International 8 9 Mothering Sunday 10 Women s Day Mahashivratri (Hindu) 11 12 13 14 15 16 St Patrick s Day 17 Patron Saint of Ireland Clean Monday 18 19 Spring Equinox 20 UN International Day 21 Spring Term Ends 22 23 Palm Sunday 24 Beginning of Lent Eoster for the Elimination of (Christian Orthodox) 20th 21st March Racism (Pagan) World Poetry Day Naw-Ruz (New Year) (Baha i) Shubun-sai Equinox Day (Shinto) Jamshedi Noruz (Fasli) (Zoroastrian) Annunciation 25 Pesach (Passover) 26 Holi 27 Maundy Thursday 28 Bank Holiday 29 30 British Summer 31 first day 26th March (Hindu) Good Friday Time Begins 2nd April Easter Sunday Khordad Sal (Fasli) (Zoroastrian) Hola Mohalla (Lunar calendar) (Sikh)
April 2013 Summer Term 15 April 21 June World Health Day 7 April Hypertension - also known as high blood pressure aiming to reduce heart attacks and strokes www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/worldhealth-day Parkinson s Awareness Week 16-22 April Raising awareness about this potentially devastating condition www.parkinsons.org.uk/ Orchid Male Cancer Awareness Week 22-29 April Orchid exists to save men s lives from testicular, prostate and penile cancers through pioneering research and promoting awareness www.orchid-cancer.org.uk I have not been handicapped by my condition. I am physically challenged and differently able. Janet Barnes Recognized as the longest living quadriplegic incomplete (Guinness World Records)
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Bank Holiday 1 Passover final day 2 3 Ching Ming Festival 4 5 6 Yom Hashoah 7 (Chinese) World Health Day Week 18 Week 17 Week 16 Week 15 Week 14 Summer Term starts Yom Ha atzmaut 8 9 10 Ugadi (Yugadi) 11 12 Vaisakhi New Year 13 Yom Hazikaron 14 (Hindu) (Sikh) Birthday of Guru Nanak (Sikh) Hola Mohalla (Sikh) 15 16 17 Birthday of Guru 18 Swaminarayan 19 Rama Navami 20 Ridvan (Holy day) 21 Angad Dev Jayanti (Hindu) first day (Baha i) (Sikh) (Hindu) 29 30 Birthday of Guru Tegh Bahadur (Sikh) Anniversary of Haile Selassie s visit to Jamaica (Rastafari) Revision Week 22 St George s Day 23 24 Theravada New Year 25 26 27 Lag B Omer 28 Patron Saint of England 3 days (Buddhist) Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu) Mahavir Jayanti (Jain) Examination Week 1 Ridvan (Holy day) ninth day (Baha i)
Sport has the power to change the world, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does Nelson Mandela (1918 present) Served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election May 2013 World Press Freedom Day 3 May Reminding people that many journalists brave death or face jail to bring daily news to the public www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/worldpress-freedom-day Deaf Awareness Week 6-12 May To improve understanding of the different types of deafness by highlighting the many different methods of communication such as sign language and lipreading. www.deafcouncil.org.uk/daw/index.htm World Red Cross Red Crescent Day 8 May Anniversary of the founder of the Red Cross www.icrc.org Christian Aid Week 12-18 May Christian Aid has a vision an end to poverty www.christianaid.org.uk/ International Day Against Homophobia 17 May Annual campaign to fight against homophobia www.homophobiaday.org Dementia Awareness Week 20 26 May Remember the person campaign alzheimers.org.uk/remembertheperson Bupa Manchester Great Run 26 May www.greatrun.org Mental Health Awareness Week 21 28 May Raise awareness of mental health issues across the country particularly sleep deprivation www.howdidyousleep.org/results/ National Family Week 27 May 3 June A celebratory national occasion to connect with families www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk Queer Up North International Festival Date tbc Europe s leading festival of lesbian, gay and queer arts, lists dance, music, exhibitions, cabaret, comedy and film from around the world www.queerupnorth.com
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Week 21 Week 20 Week 19 Week 18 May Day Bank Holiday Examination Week 2 Examination Week 3 Additional Examination Week 4 Spring Bank Holiday Beltane (Pagan) 1 Twelfth day of Ridvan 2 World Press 3 4 Easter 5 (Holy day) Freedom Day (Christian Orthodox) (Baha i) Birthday of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikh) 6 7 World Red Cross Red 8 9 10 11 Ascension Day 12 Crescent Day Yom Yerushalayim 13 14 Shavuot 15th 15 16 Latest date for 17 18 Pentecost 19 16th May submission of coursework International Day Against Homophobia 20 21 22 Declaration of 23 24 Wesak or Buddha 25 Bupa Manchester 26 the Bab day (Buddhist) Great Run (Baha i) Birthday of Guru Amar Das (Sikh) 27 28 Ascension of 29 30 31 Baha u llah (Baha i) Trinity Sunday Week 22
June 2013 National Family Week 27 May 3 June A celebratory national occasion to connect with families www.nationalfamilyweek.co.uk National Men s Health Week 10-16 June Raise awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys www.menshealthforum.org.uk Learning Disability Week Date tbc A campaign to end learning disability hate crime www.mencap.org.uk/campaigns/learningdisability-week Carers Week 10 16 June Supporting the UK s six million carers carersweek.org/ Deaf Blind Awareness Week 24 June 30 June A national charity offering specialist services and human support to deafblind people www.deafblind.org.uk/ The closest thing to being cared for is to care for someone else. Carson McCullers (1917 1967) Writer
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 Week 22 Unit Assessment Boards Week 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Week 23 Unit Assessment Boards Week 2 10 11 12 13 14 15 Martyrdom of 16 Guru Arjan Dev (Sikh) Week 24 Week 25 Week 26 Progression and Award Boards - Results issued to students (24 28 June) 17 18 19 Progression and 20 Summer Term 21 22 23 Award Boards Ends Progression and Award Boards Summer Solstice Litha (Pagan) 24 25 26 27 28 29 All Saint s Day 30 (Christian Orthodox)
July 2013 Manchester International Festival 4 21 July A festival of original, new work and special events www.mif.co.uk National Childhood Obesity Week 1-7 July UK awareness week to focus on child obesity issues www.mendcentral.org/aboutus/ mendin2011/ncow Sparkle 12 14 July Celebrating all things Transgender www.sparkle.org.uk/index.html Manchester Jazz Festival, Various Venues Date tbc (mid late July) Showcasing musicians living and working in the North West www.manchesterjazz.com Mind, Body and Spirit Week at MMU linked to adult learners week Date tbc Encourages staff to engage in learning a new skill, knowledge or experience something different I can imagine nothing more terrifying than an Eternity filled with men who were all the same. The only thing which has made life bearable has been the diversity of creatures on the surface of the globe. T.H. White (1906 1964) Author
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 Birthday of Guru 5 6 7 Hargobind (Sikh) Week 27 Week 28 Award Ceremonies 15th 19th 8 Martyrdom of the 9 10 11 12 13 14 Bab (Baha i) Ramadan (start 9th Jul 8th Aug) (Muslim) 15 Tisha B Av 16 17 18 Jamshedi Noruz 19 20 21 Tenth of Av (Qadimi) (Zoroastrian) Week 29 Week 30 Asala Dharma Day (Buddhist) 22 Birthday of Haile 23 Khordad Sal 24 25 26 27 28 Selassie I (Rastafari) (Qadimi) (Zoroastrian) Birthday of Guru Har Krishen (Sikh) 29 30 31 Week 31
August 2013 Start of Academic Year 2013/14 5 August World Breastfeeding Week 1 7 August Raising awareness of the role of breastfeeding for children s development and lifelong health and the health of mothers www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org/ United Nations International Youth Day 12 August Recognise efforts of the world s youth in enhancing global society www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/ international-youth-day 23rd Manchester Pride 2013 A Celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life Pride Fringe 16-22 August Big Weekend 23 26 August (Parade on 24th) www.manchesterpride.com Caribbean Carnival of Manchester Date tbc A two day event held annually with the sounds, sites and smells of the Caribbean in Alexandra Park, Moss Side www.manchestercarnival.co.uk/ It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. Maya Angelou (1928 present) American Author and Poet
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Lughnasadh Lammas (Pagan) 1 2 Lailat al Qadr 3 4 (Muslim) Week 31 Start of Academic Year 2013/14 5 6 7 Eid-Ul-Fitr (end of 8 9 10 11 Ramadan) (Muslim) Week 32 12 13 14 Assumption of the 15 16 Birthday of Marcus 17 Jamshedi Noruz 18 Blessed Virgin Mary Garvey (Rastafari) (Shenshai) (Zoroastrian) Week 33 Week 34 Week 35 Re-sit examinations Summer Bank Holiday Re-sit examinations 19 Ghost Festival 20 21 22 Khordad Sal 23 24 25 (Chinese) (Shenshai) Raksha Bandhan (Zoroastrian) (Hindu) 26 27 v 28 29 30 31
September 2013 Autumn Term 23 September 2013 Freshers Week 23-29 September (unconfirmed) World Suicide Prevention Day 10 September Promoting worldwide action to prevent suicides www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/worldsuicide-prevention-day UN International Day of Peace 21 September Provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date www.internationaldayofpeace.org/ World Alzheimer s Day 21 September Making people aware about the disease and how it can affect the nation, people and families www.alz.org I have a self-made quote: Celebrate diversity, practice acceptance and may we all choose peaceful options to conflict. Donzella Michele Malone Author
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 Week 39 Week 38 Week 37 Week 36 Week 35 2 3 4 Rosh Hashanah 5 6 Fast of Gedalliah 7 Birth of the Blessed 8 Jewish New Year Virgin Mary Combined Unit 9 World Suicide 10 Ethiopia New Year 11 12 13 Yom Kippur 14 15 and Progression re-sit Prevention Day (Rastafari) Boards Paryushana-Parva (Jain) Results issued to students 16 17 18 Autumn Moon 19 20 UN International 21 Autumn Equinox 22 Festival Day of Peace (Pagan) (Chinese) World Alzheimer s Day Autumn Term 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 starts Enrolment / Induction week Teaching starts 30 Week 40
October 2013 Black History Month Promoting knowledge of black history and experience www.blackhistorymonthuk.co.uk/ Breast Cancer Awareness Month Raising awareness of breast cancer www.breastcancercare.org.uk World Mental Health Day 10 October To promote mental health and prevent mental disorders www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/ wmhd/ United Nations Day 24 October Includes celebrating and reflecting on the work of the United Nations www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/ united-nations-day Interfaith Week of Prayer for World Peace Date tbc Bringing together people of all faiths to pray for peace www.weekofprayerforworldpeace.com/ events.html Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Barack Obama (1961 present) Current President of the United States
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 Navaratri 5 6 nine nights (Hindu) Week 40 7 8 Birthday of Guru 9 World Mental 10 11 12 Dusshera/Durga Puja 13 Ram Das Health Day (Hindu) (Sikh) Week 41 Dussera (Sikh) 14 Eid-Ul-Adha 15 16 17 18 Sukkot 19 Birth of the Bab 20 (Muslim) 19th 25th Oct (Baha i) Week 42 21 22 23 United Nations Day 24 25 26 British Summer 27 Time Ends Week 43 28 29 30 Samhain 31 (Hallowe en) (Pagan) Week 44
November 2013 Movember! Grow a Moustache for Prostate Cancer Awareness in Movember! uk.movember.com/ 15th National Stress Awareness Day 6 November Aiming to develop greater understanding of stress nationwide www.isma.org.uk International Men s Day 19 November Improving gender relations and promote unity www.timeanddate.com/holidays/world/ international-mens-day Transgender Day of Remembrance 20 November Remembering those killed as a result of transphobia and aiming to highlight the continuing violence endured by the trans community www.transgenderdor.org/ National Anti-Bullying Week Date tbc Anti-Bullying Week is aimed at sending a clear and positive message that bullying is neither acceptable or inevitable in our schools and communities. www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/ Nothing prepares the parent of a transgender child, and nothing prepares that child. For me, that s the good news: there s no rulebook Manchester Christmas Markets Date tbc Enjoy food, gifts, crafts, and festive fun from around Europe and beyond www.manchestermarkets.com/ Nancy Moore Mother of Transgender boy
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Week 44 Week 45 Vikram New Year 2070 (Hindu) Al-Hijira New Year (Muslim) All Saints Day 1 All Soul s Day 2 Diwali Festival 3 of Lights Coronation of Emperor (Hindu/Jain/Sikh) Haile Selassie I Jain New Year (Jain) (Rastafari) 4 5 National Stress 6 7 8 9 Remembrance 10 Awareness Day Sunday Armistice Day 11 Birth of Baha u lah 12 Ashura 13 14 Shichigosan 15 16 Birthday of Guru 17 marks the end of the (Baha i) (Muslim) (7-5-3 festival) Nanak Lunar Calendar First World War (Shinto) (Sikh) Week 46 18 International 19 20 21 22 Niinamesei 23 Martyrdom of 24 Men s Day (Shinto) Guru Tegh Bahadur (Sikh) Week 47 Week 48 25 Day of the Covenant 26 27 Ascension of 28 29 St Andrew s Day 30 (Baha i) Abdu l-baha (Baha i) Hanukkah Festival of Light Patron Saint of Scotland, Greece and Russia
December 2013 Manchester Christmas Markets Date tbc Enjoy food, gifts, crafts, and festive fun from around Europe and beyond www.manchestermarkets.com/ World AIDS Day 1 December Raising awareness to tackle HIV prejudice and help stop the spread of HIV www.worldaidsday.org International Day of Persons with Disabilities 3 December Aiming to increase the understanding of the issues around disabilities and give attention to the dignity, rights and well-being of disabled people www.un.org/disabilities/ International Human Rights Day 10 December Marks the anniversary of the presentation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/ human-rights-day It is never too late to give up your prejudices Henry David Thoreau (1817 1862) Author & Poet
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday World Aids Day 1 Week 52 Week 51 Week 50 Week 49 Week 48 2 International Day of 3 4 5 6 7 Bodhi Day 8 Persons with Disabilities (Buddhist) 9 International Human 10 11 12 13 14 15 Rights Day 16 17 18 19 20 Winter Solstice 21 22 Yule (Pagan) 23 Christmas Eve 24 Bank Holiday 25 Bank Holiday 26 27 28 29 Christmas Day Boxing Day (Christian, including Orthodox New Calendar) 30 New Years Eve 31 (Western Calendar) Week 53
Equality and Diversity Team Gavin Deadman Equality and Diversity Manager g.deadman@mmu.ac.uk 0161 247 3313 Mona Patel Equality and Diversity Officer mona.patel@mmu.ac.uk 0161 247 3301 Vicci Jarman Equality and Diversity Co-ordinator v.jarman@mmu.ac.uk 0161 247 6415 Mirriam Saeed Equality and Diversity Assistant m.saeed@mmu.ac.uk 0161 247 4622 Equality and Diversity contact details: equalities@mmu.ac.uk 0161 247 6494 For information on sacred places around Manchester go to www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/ equalities/pdf/sacred-spaces.pdf Many thanks to Marketing Manchester for letting us use their images www.marketingmanchester.com This calendar is available online at www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/equalities/index.php and can be made available in other formats. To request another format please contact us on +44 (0)161 247 6417.