January DEI Observances
January, the gateway month of the year, opens the calendar by offering a blank canvas for new beginnings and the pursuit of resolutions.
Want us to send you a monthly list of DEI observances?
List of DEI Observances in January 2024
Below, we’ve included observances happening in January that you may want to keep track of and mark in your calendar.
January 1 New Year’s Day Many cultures and religions worldwide celebrate the beginning of the new year on January 1. New Year’s celebrations date back to ancient times, around 2000 BCE in Mesopotamia. New Year’s festivities often involve feasts with friends and families, acknowledgment of regrets and anticipations for the year to come, and public gatherings to count down the New Year.
January 4 World Braille Day is a day to bring awareness and attention to issues surrounding accessibility for those with visual impairments and to celebrate the invention of braille. Braille, a tactile writing system, was invented in the 1800s by Louis Braille.
January 13 Lohri-Maghi Lohri is a North Indian festival celebrated on January 13th to mark the end of winter, featuring communal bonfires and special attention to new brides and newborns. Maghi, celebrated the day after Lohri, is a Sikh festival that commemorates the martyrdom of 40 followers of Guru Gobind Singh, involving a significant religious fair and ritual bathing in Muktsar, Punjab.
January 15 Makar Sankrati is a Hindu festival that marks the sun's shift into the zodiac sign of Capricorn, celebrated across India with regional variations like Pongal and Maghi, and featuring activities such as kite flying, bonfires, feasting on seasonal foods, and taking holy river dips for spiritual cleansing
January 16 Martin Luther King Jr Day MLK Day is observed annually in the U.S. on the third Monday of January. This day celebrates the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr., leading the (non-violent) fight to end racial segregation and helping pass the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Martin Luther King Jr Day has been a national holiday in the U.S. since 1986, and is a reminder of his extraordinary work in social justice and civil rights.
📅Looking for a MLK Day communications template to share with your team?
📣Check out our Martin Luther King Day Training for your workplace!
January 21 World Religion Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in January. It was initiated by the Baháʼí community to promote interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding among different religious traditions through activities like discussions, prayers, and community service.
January 24-25 Tu Bishvat is a Jewish holiday occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is also called Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot, literally "New Year of the Trees". In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awareness day, and trees are planted in celebration.
January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day Every year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated to honor the anniversary of the liberation of the biggest concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. This day honors the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and supports developing educational programs to remember the Holocaust and prevent further genocide.
📅Looking for an International Holocaust Remembrance Day communications template?
