Cultural Calendar

The Bellevue School District learning community is comprised of a multitude of cultures, traditions, histories, identities, experiences and faith backgrounds. BSD strives to acknowledge and affirm each and every student, family and staff member. In collaboration with members of the Communications Ambassadors, BSD has developed a cultural calendar that incorporates the lived experiences of our community.

The following acknowledgements, recognitions and observances can be found in the Common Religious and U.S. Public Holidays Calendar of the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) along with the Interfaith Calendar. The district will generally recognize monthly acknowledgements through BSD News and Events. Recognitions will often be highlighted through district social media channels along with high impact observances. All other monthly acknowledgements will be added to a monthly social media calendar.

Please note: some religious holidays are based on lunar observances and the sighting of the moon, therefore, the calendar date may vary by one day. This calendar does not cover all holidays that may be observed by members of the BSD community and individuals may practice the same religion differently.

September

Monthly Acknowledgement: National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

Monthly Recognitions: National Suicide Prevention Month

2023 Observances:

September 4, 2023 – Labor Day
- Initiated by labor activists in the nineteenth century, Labor Day celebrates the accomplishments and contribution of workers across the United States.
September 6 – 7, 2023 – Janmashtami
- Janmashtami is a Hindu religious festival held in honor of the Hindu god Krishna’s birthday.
September 15, 2023 (sundown) – September 17, 2023 – Rosh Hashanah
- Please do not schedule events on these days.
  Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, kicks off several weeks of Jewish holidays during the fall. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur considered the high holy days for members of the Jewish faith.
September 16, 2023 – Mexican Independence Day
- Mexican Independence Day recognizes the revolution in 1810 that ended Spanish dictatorship.
September 21, 2023 – International Day of Peace
- Established in 1981 by a United Nations resolution, the International Day of Peace provides a globally shared date for all to contribute to building a culture of peace.
September 24, 2023 (sundown) – September 25, 2023 – Yom Kippur
- Please do not schedule events on these days.
  Yom Kippur commemorates the day Moses came down from Mount Sinai. It is the last of the ten days of penitence that began with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year).
September 27, 2023 – Mawlid-al-Nabi
- Mawlid-al-Nabi celebrates the birthday of Mohammad.
September 29, 2023 (sundown) – October 6, 2023 – Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
- Sukkot commemorates the 40 years the Jewish people spent in the desert on their way to the Promised Land after escaping slavery in Egypt
September 29, 2023 – Mid-Autumn Festival
- The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the largest festivals in Mainland China and East Asia. This festival began as a celebration of the moon and is a time to reconnect with family members.
September 30, 2023 – National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools
- The National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools is intended to acknowledge the trauma of Federal Indian Boarding School Policies and hold healing-informed events honoring boarding school survivors.
September 30, 2023 – BHS 100 Year Celebration
- Commemorative ceremonies will take place celebrating 100 years of Bellevue High School.

October

Monthly Acknowledgement: Indigenous People’s Month

Monthly Recognitions: Filipino American History Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, National Principals Month, Czech Heritage Month, Italian American Heritage and Culture Month, Polish American Heritage Month

2023 Observances:

October 2, 2023 – National Custodian Day
October 4, 2023 – International Walk to School Day
October 6, 2023 – Snoqualmie Tribal Recognition Day
- On this date, the Snoqualmie Tribe reclaimed their Federal Recognition in 1999. A federally recognized tribe is an American Indian or Alaska Native tribal entity that is recognized as having a government-to-government relationship with the United States, with the responsibilities, powers, limitations, and obligations attached to that designation, and is eligible for funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Snoqualmie Tribe is the state-assigned, Federally Recognized Tribal Partner of the Bellevue School District. Collaboration takes place between the Snoqualmie Tribe and the district on curriculum, recognition events and more.
October 7 – 8, 2023 – Shemini Atzeret
- Shemini Atzeret is the holiday that follows immediately after the seventh day of Sukkot. Shemini Atzeret is a time when prayers or celebrations are made for the coming year in the Jewish calendar.
October 8, 2023 – Simchat Torah
- Simchat Torah celebrates the completion of an annual cycle of reading the entire Torah in synagogues.
October 9, 2023 – National Indigenous People’s Day
- National Indigenous People’s Day promotes recognition of indigenous populations and acknowledges the outstanding contributions of indigenous peoples to the improvement of world issues.
October 9 – 13, 2023 – National School Lunch Week
October 10, 2023 – World Mental Health Day
- World Mental Health Day raises awareness of mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. It provides an opportunity to eradicate stigma and make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.
October 15, 2023 Sharad Navratri
- Sharad Navratri is a Hindu festival widely observed in India in honor of the Goddess Durga, spanning over nine nights (and ten days). Different communities take part in the celebration through fasting, dancing, religious reflection, and other celebrations.
October 16, 2023 Birth of the Báb
- An observance of the anniversary of the birth in Persia (now Iran), of Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, who later took the title of “the Báb,” meaning “the Gate.” The Báb is a prominent figure of the Baha’i Faith.
October 16 – 20, 2023 – National School Bus Safety Week
October 17, 2023 Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
- An observance of the anniversary of the birth of Baháʼu’lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith.
October 18, 2023 International Pronoun Day
- International Pronoun Day seeks to make asking, sharing, and respecting personal pronouns commonplace.
October 18, 2023 Unity Day
October 23, 2023 Chongyang Festival/Seniors Festival
- Also known as Senior’s Day or the Double-Ninth Festival, the Chongyang falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in Chinese lunar calendar. In the year of 1989, Double Ninth Festival was designated as Senior’s Day – a day to respect the elderly.
October 31, 2023 Halloween

November

Monthly Acknowledgement: Native American Heritage Month

2023 Observances:

November 1, 2023 – Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
- Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, is an observance traditionally celebrated in Mexican communities to honor and welcome the return of souls of deceased family members and loved ones with food, offerings, and more.
November 6, 2023 – November 10, 2023 – National School Psychology Awareness Week
November 7, 2023 – Election Day (United States)
November 11, 2023 – Veterans Day
- This observance provides an opportunity to honor and show gratitude to veterans for their service and sacrifice as members of the United States Armed Forces.
November 12, 2023 – Deepavali/Diwali
- Also known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is a festival that symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, or good over evil.
November 13, 2023 – World Kindness Day
- World Kindness Day is an international holiday formed in 1998, to promote kindness throughout the world as part of the World Kindness Movement. World Kindness Day presents us with the opportunity to reflect on the positive potential of both large and small acts of kindness.
November 13, 2023- November 17, 2023 – American Education Week
November 15, 2023 – Education Support Professionals Day
November 15, 2023 – America Recycles Day
November 23, 2023 – Thanksgiving
November 23, 2023 – The National Day of Mourning
- While largely celebrated in the United States as a day of feasting and giving thanks, many Americans observe Thanksgiving as the Day of Mourning, grieving the sacrifice endured by Native Americans in Plymouth, Massachusetts upon the arrival of English in 1620.

December

2023 Observances:

Highlighted observances mark days of high impact to many members of the Bellevue School District Community.

December 2, 2023 – National Special Education Day
December 4 – 8, 2023 Computer Science Education Week
December 16, 2023 – Las Posadas
- Las Posadas is a Mexican festival that commemorates the journey of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge for Mary to give birth to the baby Jesus.
December 7 (sundown) – 15, 2023 Hanukkah
- Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem with an 8-day “festival of lights”. In Jewish households, celebratory events include nightly menorah lightings and special prayers.
December 25, 2023 – Christmas Day
- Christmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus. It has evolved into a celebration observed in both religious and secular settings.
December 26, 2023 – January 1, 2024 – Kwanzaa
- The Kwanzaa celebration brings together African and African American culture and is centered around seven core principles. This African American and pan-African holiday is a seven-day cultural festival celebrating family, community, and culture.

January

Monthly Acknowledgement: Americans of Chinese Descent History Month
Monthly Recognition: School Board Recognition Month

2024 Observances:

January 1, 2024 – Shogatsu
- Shōgatsu, also called Oshōgatsu, marks the beginning of a new calendar year. On the eve of the new year, temple bells ring 108 times: 8 times to ring out the old year and 100 times to usher in the new year.
January 6, 2024 – Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day)
- Also known as Epiphany, Día de los Reyes or Three Kings Day, is traditionally celebrated by members of Hispanic communities. Three Kings Day marks the arrival of the three wise men who brought gifts to Jesus on the 12th day following Christmas.
January 7, 2024 – Orthodox Christmas
- Members of the Orthodox Christian community celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ according to the Julian calendar.
January 15, 2024 – Martin Luther King Day
- Martin Luther King Day commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and an activist for non-violent social change until his assassination in 1968.
January 27, 2024 – Holocaust Remembrance Day
- Since 2005, nations have held commemoration ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

February

Monthly Acknowledgement: Black History Month

Monthly Recognitions: CTE Month

2024 Observances:

February 1, 2024 – National Freedom Day
- National Freedom Day celebrates the signing of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in 1865.
February 5 – 9, 2024 – National School Counseling Week
February 10, 2024 – Lunar New Year
- The Lunar New Year festival celebrates the beginning of a new year in China and other Asian countries and cultures whose calendars follow the cycle of the moon.
February 14, 2024 – Ash Wednesday
- In Western Christianity, Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter. Ash Wednesday pays homage to Christ’s 40-day fast and practice of self-discipline in the desert before beginning his ministry.
February 14, 2024 – Valentine’s Day
February 17, 2024 – National PTA Founders Day
February 19, 2024 – President’s Day
February 24, 2024 – Lantern Festival
- The Lantern Festival marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.
February 26, 2024 – March 1, 2024 – Public Schools Week
February 26 – 29, 2024 – Ayyám-i-Há or Intercalary Days
- The Ayyam-i-Ha (or Intercalary Days) are when members of the Bahá’ís faith focus prepare for the month of fasting.

March

Monthly Acknowledgement: Women’s History Month

Monthly Recognitions: Music in our Schools Month, National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Youth Art Month, Social Work Month, National Nutrition Month, Irish American Heritage Month

2024 Observances:

February 29, (Sundown) – March 19,2024 – Nineteen Day Fast
- The Nineteen-Day Fast is a nineteen-day period of the year during which members of the Baháʼí Faith adhere to a sunrise-to-sunset fast. Along with prayer, it is one of the greatest obligations of the Baháʼí faith, and its chief purpose is to reinvigorate the soul. The nineteen days of fasting occur immediately before the beginning of the Baháʼí New Year.
March 2, 2024 – Read Across America Day
March 3, 2024 – 3/9/2024 – National World Language Week
March 3 – 9, 2024 – National School Social Worker Week
March 3 – 9, 2024 – National School Breakfast Week
March 8, 2024 – Maha Shivaratri (Festival for Lord Shiva)
- Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honor of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava.
March 8, 2024 – International Women’s Day
- International Women’s Day is a global celebration honoring women’s economic, political and social achievements.
March 10 (sundown) – 8, 2024 – Ramadan
- Considered one of the holiest months for followers of the Muslim faith, Ramadan honors the revelation of the Qu’ran. During Ramadan many Muslims fast from food and drink during sunlit hours as a way to draw closer to God and build upon spiritual values and practices.
March 17, 2024 – St. Patrick’s Day
March 19, 2024, 8:06 PM – Nowruz
- Nowruz, Persian for ‘New Day’.
March 21, 2024 – World Down Syndrome Day
March 23 (sundown) – 24, 2024 – Purim
- Purim is a Jewish holiday celebrated by reading the Book of Esther, exchanging gifts and partaking in a celebratory meal.
March 24 (sundown) – 25, 2024 – Holi
- Also known as the Festival of Colors, Holi is largely celebrated across India and marks the shift from winter to spring and the triumph of good over evil.
March 24, 2024 – Palm Sunday
- Palm Sunday is a Christian celebration that originates from the palm branches waved by the crowd to greet and honor Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on the Sunday before Easter.
March 29, 2024 – Good Friday
- Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum.
March 31, 2024 – Easter
- Easter, also called Resurrection Sunday, is one of the most important days of Christianity. It marks the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christians, Easter is the joyful end to the Lenten season of fasting and penitence.

April

Monthly Acknowledgement: Arab American Heritage Month

Monthly Recognitions: Autism Acceptance Month, Poetry Month, National Occupational Therapy Month, School Library Month

2024 Observances:

April 2, 2024 – World Autism Awareness Day
April 3, 2024 – Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
April 4, 2024 – National School Librarian Day
April 6, 2024 – Laylat al-Qadr
- Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, marks the night in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah. Muslims regard this as the most important event in history.
April 8 – 12, 2024 – Assistant Principal Appreciation Week
April 9 (sundown) – 10, 2024 – Eid al-Fitr
- The festival of Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast-breaking, is an important religious holiday celebrated worldwide by Muslims that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.
April 13, 2024 – Vaisakhi
- Vaisakhi – the Sikh New Year festival – is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar. Also spelled Baisakhi, it marks the start of the Punjabi New Year, but it is also a day to celebrate 1699 – the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith.
April 15 – 19, 2024 – Public School Volunteer Week
April 17, 2024 – Ram Navami
- Ram Navami, a Hindu day of worship and celebration of the seventh avatar of Vishnu (Lord Rama). Devotees typically wear red and place flowers on the shrine of the God.
April 21, 2024 – May 2, 2024 – Festival of Ridván
- The Festival of Ridván, a holiday celebrated by those of the Bahá’í faith, commemorating the 12 days when Bahá’u’lláh, the prophet-founder, resided in a garden called Ridván (paradise) and publicly proclaimed his mission as God’s messenger for this age.
April 22 (sundown) – 30, 2024 – Passover In Judaism
- this eight-day festival commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites in ancient Egypt. The observance is celebrated with a Seder meal, storytelling, and other traditions.
April 22, 2024 – Earth Day
- Earth day marks the anniversary of the beginning of the modern environmental movement in 1970. This day raises awareness of issues that affect the earth and global society including carbon emissions, climate change, food security, and clean energy.
April 24 – 30, 2024 – National Student Leadership Week
April 24, 2024 – Administrative Professionals Day
April 25, 2024 – National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

May

Monthly Acknowledgement: Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month

Monthly Recognitions: Mental Health Awareness Month, Military Appreciation Month, National Physical Education and Sport Month

2024 Observances:

May 1, 2024 – School Principals’ Day
May 1 – 7, 2024 – National Physical Education and Sport Week
May 3, 2024 – School Lunch Hero Day
May 4, 2024 – Orthodox Easter
- Members of the Orthodox Christian community celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the Julian calendar.
May 5, 2024 – Children’s Day (Korea)
- Children’s Day was founded by the Korean children’s writer Pang Chong-Hwan in 1923 to instill in children a sense of independence and pride. It was designated as a national holiday in 1975. Children’s Day highlights the dignity of children and their need for love, care, and respect. It is also a day to honor adults that have contributed to improving the lives of children.
May 5, 2024 – Cinco de Mayo
- Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, commemorates the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862, victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage.
May 5 (sundown) – 6, 2024 – Holocaust Remembrance Day
- The internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
May 6 – 10, 2024 – Teacher Appreciation Week
May 8, 2024 – School Nurse Day
May 10, 2024 – School Communicators Day
May 23, 2024 – Vesak Day
- Vesak is one of the most important Buddhist festivals, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, and celebrated at the full moon in the Indian month of Vaishaka.
May 23, 2024 (sundown) – Declaration of the Báb
- For followers of the Bahá’í faith, this Holy Day commemorates the event when the Báb, the herald of the Baha’i Faith, announced in Persia (now Iran), that He was the Herald of a new Messenger of God.
May 27, 2024 (sundown) – Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh
- The Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh is one of the holiest days of the Bahá’í faith. It celebrates Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the faith as well as his teachings.
May 27, 2024 – Memorial Day
- The national holiday was established to honor those who have died in American wars. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It originated during the American Civil War, when citizens would place flowers on the graves of those who had been killed in battle.

June

Monthly Acknowledgement: LGBTQ+ Pride Month

Monthly Recognitions: National Caribbean-American Heritage Month

2024 Observances:

June 12, 2024 – Loving Day
- This day marks the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of the 1967 Loving v. Virginia case that legalized interracial marriage in the United States.
June 11 (sundown) – 6, 2024 – Shavuot
- This Jewish holiday celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. In biblical times, Shavuot was one of three pilgrimage festivals in which Jewish men would go to Jerusalem and bring their first fruits as offerings to God.
June 15, 2024 – Flag Day
June 19, 2024 – Juneteenth
- Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. Officially known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, and the emancipation of enslaved people throughout the Confederate South. Two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and two months after the end of the Civil War, Union troops arrived in Galveston to find that news of the proclamation had not yet reached Texas. The Juneteenth flag was created in 1997 by Ben Haith, the founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation.
June 28, 2024 – Pride Day
- The Stonewall Riots, also called the Stonewall Uprising, began in the early hours of June 28, 1969, when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.