February

This diversity calendar starts with month-long celebrations:

• Black History Month, celebrating the history and achievements of Black Americans. 

February 1: National Freedom Day, honoring the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery.

February 1: Lunar New Year, a week-long festival that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar, celebrated in China as well as in Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and Mongolia.

February 2: Candlemas, a Christian holy day that commemorates when Jesus was presented to the temple for the first time.

February 5: Vasant Panchami, a Hindu festival celebrating spring and Saraswati Devi, the goddess of art and culture.

February 11: Asian-American Women's Equal Pay Day, marking the fact that Asian-American women earn 90 cents for every dollar earned by white men.

February 14: Valentine's Day, celebrated by western Christians as a saint's day and as a secular holiday highlighting love.

February 15: Nirvana Day, a Buddhist commemoration of Buddha's death.

February 15: Presidents' Day, a U.S. holiday celebrating President George Washington's birthday and all the presidents after him.

February 16: Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday and the end of the Carnival season, celebrated by Christians as the last day before Lent and often full of feasting and celebration.

February 16: Mukha Bucha Day, also known as Māgha Pūjā, a Buddhist holiday celebrating the Buddhist community spent giving alms, visiting the temple, and meditating.

February 16: Maghi-Purnima, a Hindu festival celebrated on the last day of Magha, a month focused on charity work, when devotees often take holy baths and do charity.