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Observance library

Browse all researched observances

2,411 researched observances. Search for a specific name or known alternate name.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Calan Mai

1 May traditionally · Welsh seasonal folk tradition associated with the traditional beginning of summer

Museum Wales and Wales.com identify Calan Mai on 1 May as a traditional Welsh seasonal celebration associated with the beginning of summer and regionally varied folk customs.

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee

Third Thursday through Sunday in May · Angels Camp, California / Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee

Calaveras tourism sources describe the Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee as an annual four-day event held the third Thursday through Sunday in May, with frog jumping throughout the event.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Calennig

1 January traditionally · Welsh New Year custom

Museum Wales and Wales.com identify Calennig as a traditional Welsh New Year custom on 1 January, including documented door-to-door rhymes, gifts and decorated-apple traditions.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

California Admission Day

9 September every year · California, United States / state legal holiday and civic commemoration; not automatically a paid day off or statewide office closure

California Government Code § 6700 lists September 9 as Admission Day; state education and parks sources connect the date to California’s September 9, 1850 admission as the 31st U.S. state.

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

California Native American Day

Fourth Friday in September · California, United States / state observance and school-calendar framework

California Department of Education material identifies Native American Day on the fourth Friday in September, while Bureau of Indian Affairs history describes California’s state recognition…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

California Poppy Day

6 April annually · California, United States / state-designated educational observance

California Department of Education cites Education Code section 37222.12, which designates April 6 of each year as California Poppy Day.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

California Strawberry Day

21 March · California strawberry-industry observance actively promoted in California Strawberry Commission communications; not a statutory California state holiday.

California Strawberry Commission first-party dietitian toolkits list March 21 as National California Strawberry Day and recommend it as an education/story opportunity about growers and farm…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Canada Book Day

23 April · Canada / literary observance

Canadian House of Commons records identify April 23 Canada Book Day as a distinct Canadian observance, name Lawrence Martin as its brainchild and the Writers’ Trust of Canada as organizer,…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Canada Day

1 July; if July 1 is Sunday, July 2 is the federal legal holiday · Canadian national holiday

Canadian Heritage documents July 1, 1868 celebration, 1879 statutory-holiday status and the October 27, 1982 change from Dominion Day to Canada Day. The federal Holidays Act establishes Jul…

Source-backedEdition SpecificIn-depth guide

Canada’s Agriculture Day

10 February 2026 · Canada / agriculture-sector recognition day

Canadian Centre for Food Integrity and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada verify an organizer-led annual campaign launched in 2017; the 2026 edition was 10 February and the organizer has anno…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Capital Day (Kazakhstan)

6 July · Kazakhstan national public holiday

Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Captive Nations Week

Third week of July · United States federal civic observance established by Congress and renewed through presidential proclamation

Public Law 86-90, approved 17 July 1959, authorizes and requests a presidential proclamation for the third week of July each year; the 2026 proclamation designated 19–25 July 2026.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

CARICOM Day / anniversary of the Caribbean Community

4 July; CARICOM established by treaty signed 4 July 1973 · Caribbean Community (CARICOM) / regional institutional observance

CARICOM’s treaty record dates the Treaty Establishing the Caribbean Community to 4 July 1973, and CARICOM anniversary materials use 4 July for the Community’s anniversary/CARICOM Day.

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day

First Saturday after Labor Day · United States / federal statutory observance

36 U.S.C. §104 designates the first Saturday after Labor Day as Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day and allows federal-land managers to use an alternative date when local conditions warra…

Source-backedEdition SpecificIn-depth guide

Carnaval

16–17 February 2026 in the cited federal administrative calendar · Brazil — federal public-administration calendar context

Brazil federal-government 2026 Carnival operating guidance

Source-backedVariable CustomIn-depth guide

Carnaval del Ecuador

Movable pre-Lenten Carnival period; government holiday dates vary by year · Ecuador national cultural and holiday context

Ecuador’s official tourism portal documents Carnival traditions across the country, while the Ministry of Tourism holiday calendar records the Carnival holiday period.

Source-backedVariable CustomIn-depth guide

Carnavales de Venezuela

Movable pre-Lenten Carnival period; 2026 tourism programming ran in mid-February · Venezuela national tourism and cultural celebration context

Venezuela’s Ministry of Tourism published current 2026 Carnival programming and national tourism coverage for the Carnavales period.

Source-backedEdition SpecificIn-depth guide

Carnival Day / Carnaval

17 February 2026 · Angola

Angolan government cultural communications frame Carnival as a vehicle for cultural preservation and national identity

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Casimir Pulaski Day

First Monday in March in Illinois; 2 March 2026 · Illinois state commemorative holiday

Illinois law, 5 ILCS 490/15, establishes the first Monday in March as a statewide holiday known as the birthday of Casimir Pulaski and requires a gubernatorial proclamation; the Illinois Re…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Cat Herders' Day

15 December · United States / creator-defined informal Wellcat observance

Thomas and Ruth Roy’s first-party Wellcat Holidays calendar lists Cat Herders' Day on 15 December and identifies the Wellcat holiday collection as their creation. The creator text frames th…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Celebrate Bisexuality Day

23 September annually in the cited GLAAD community calendar · International bisexual+ community visibility and awareness observance

Boston City Council’s 2025 resolution records the observance as first celebrated on 23 September 1999 and founded by Wendy Curry, Michael Page and Gigi Raven Wilbur; GLAAD’s current communi…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Celebrate Shelter Pets Day

First Thursday after U.S. Thanksgiving (3 December in 2026) · Informal shelter-pet awareness calendar usage; current Animal Medical Center recurrence

The Animal Medical Center’s 2025 and 2026 calendars explicitly place Celebrate Shelter Pets Day on the first Thursday after Thanksgiving. Its 2022 calendar used April 11, so the current rul…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Central African Republic national day / Republic Day

1 December · Central African Republic / national day

The Central African Republic government identifies 1 December 1958 as the date of proclamation of the Republic, and current diplomatic references list 1 December as the national day.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Certified Nurses Day

19 March · Nursing / certification community

The American Nurses Credentialing Center states that Certified Nurses Day is celebrated every 19 March to recognize nurses who earn and maintain specialty certifications.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Chad Independence Day

11 August annually · Chad / national independence commemoration

Chadian government sources identify 11 August 1960 as the date of independence and continue the national commemoration in 2026.

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Champagne Day

Fourth Friday in October; 23 October 2026 · Champagne industry / Comité Champagne event

The official Champagne site lists Champagne Day 2026 for October 23 and states that it takes place on the fourth Friday in October.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Change a Pet’s Life Day

24 January · Pet-awareness observance / United States-origin nationwide shelter campaign; now decentralized across animal-welfare organizations

Contemporaneous 2009 reports document a nationwide January 24 Change a Pet’s Life Day adoption campaign sponsored by Hill’s Science Diet; current humane organizations continue to mark Janua…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Chester Greenwood Day

21 December annually in Maine · Maine statutory commemorative day honoring inventor Chester Greenwood; “Earmuff” in the canonical page title is descriptive rather than the statutory title

Maine law designates 21 December each year as Chester Greenwood Day, directs the governor to issue an annual proclamation, and traces the section to Public Law 1977, chapter 262.

Source-backedVariable CustomIn-depth guide

Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival

23–25 November 2026 (Chiang Mai municipal edition) · Chiang Mai, Thailand / Lanna cultural festival with municipal programming; target-year dates and lantern rules require current local-authority confirmation.

Thai government sources identify Yi Peng as a Lanna full-moon tradition and verify Chiang Mai Municipality/Province programming. The 2026 municipal edition is scheduled for 23–25 November;…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Child Health Day

First Monday in October · United States / statutory patriotic and national observance; child-health information remains general and non-diagnostic

36 U.S.C. §105 requests an annual presidential proclamation designating the first Monday in October as Child Health Day. The statutory history traces the federal observance to 1928; Public…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Childhelp National Day of Hope

First Wednesday of April · United States child-abuse prevention and survivor-support awareness observance

Childhelp; congressional recognition cited by the organizer

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Children of Fallen Patriots Day

13 May · United States / state and local commemorative recognition

Michigan's governor proclaimed May 13, 2019 as Children of Fallen Patriots Day, and current state/local government calendars continue to recognize May 13.

Source-backedEdition SpecificIn-depth guide

Children’s Day

24 July 2026 in the current government calendar · Vanuatu / national holiday calendar

Vanuatu’s Prime Minister’s Office 2026 public-holiday calendar lists Children’s Day on 24 July; the government holidays page likewise identifies 24 July as a national holiday.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Chile Independence Day

18 September · Chile

Chile’s Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional verifies Law No. 2,977 listing September 18 as a holiday commemorating national independence and explains that the date reflects the First Governmen…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Chinese Language Day

20 April · United Nations / international observance

United Nations language observance

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Chișinău City Day / Hramul Chișinăului

14 October · Chișinău municipal civic-cultural celebration on October 14 with a related Orthodox patronal-feast tradition; civic programming and religious worship remain distinct.

Official Chișinău municipal material records the first city-holiday celebration in 1995, an initial second-Sunday-in-October rule and a 2000 decision fixing October 14 to coincide with the…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Choose Women Wednesday

Wednesday after Thanksgiving · Women’s Entrepreneurship Day-linked women-entrepreneurship support campaign; the 2014 Women on Wednesday/#WomenWOW precursor and 2016 Choose Women Wednesday launch are documented.

UN Web TV documents the 2014 WOW: Women on Wednesday launch with Women’s Entrepreneurship Day founder Wendy Diamond; Endicott College states WED would host the first annual Choose Women Wed…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Christchurch Show Day

Second Friday after the first Tuesday in November under current Canterbury arrangements · Canterbury anniversary-day observance used in Christchurch and parts of Canterbury

New Zealand Employment New Zealand

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Civic Holiday

First Monday in August · Ontario, Canada — recognized holiday in specified Ontario public-service / registry contexts

Government of Ontario regulations and holiday bulletin

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Clean Up Australia Day

First Sunday in March · Australia-wide community environmental clean-up campaign

Clean Up Australia, official organizer

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Clinical Trials Day

20 May annually · International clinical-research professional community; coordinated by ACRP and sector partners

The Association of Clinical Research Professionals states Clinical Trials Day is observed annually on 20 May and documents its 2026 recognition initiative.

Source-backedEdition SpecificIn-depth guide

Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

10–12 and 17–19 April 2026 · Coachella 2026 / two festival weekends

Coachella’s official 2026 festival information lists the two weekends as 10–12 April and 17–19 April 2026.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Coast Guard Reserve Birthday

19 February annually · United States / U.S. Coast Guard Reserve institutional anniversary

The U.S. Coast Guard Reserve’s official history identifies 19 February as the Reserve’s birthday.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Colombia Independence Day

20 July · Colombia

Colombia’s SUIN-Juriscol legal database verifies Law 60 of 1873 declaring July 20 an annual national holiday for the anniversary of the 1810 proclamation of national independence; Law 51 of…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Color The World Orange™

First Monday of November; 2 November 2026 · Global organizer-led CRPS/RSD awareness campaign; medical information remains general and non-diagnostic

The Color The World Orange™ campaign states that the event is held annually on the first Monday of November to raise awareness of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), also known as RSD. I…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Colorado Day

First Monday in August · Colorado commemorative day established by statute

Colorado Revised Statutes

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Columbus Day

Second Monday in October · United States — federal legal public holiday

5 U.S.C. §6103

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Comic Sans Day

First Friday in July · Netherlands-origin radio/typography observance with wider online participation

Dutch media coverage identifies 3FM presenters Coen Swijnenberg and Sander Lantinga with the Comic Sans Day campaign and places it on the first Friday in July; later Dutch print-industry co…

Source-backedEdition SpecificIn-depth guide

Comic-Con

23–26 July 2026; Preview Night 22 July · San Diego, California / Comic-Con International: San Diego; event dates are edition-specific

San Diego Comic Convention, the nonprofit organization behind Comic-Con International: San Diego, documents the event’s history from 1970 and its later name changes. Official 2026 materials…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Coming of Age Day (Seijin no Hi)

Second Monday in January; 12 January 2026 · Japanese national holiday

Cabinet Office, Government of Japan

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration Day

30 November each year · United Arab Emirates

Current UAE government sources identify November 30 as Commemoration Day and state that President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared the observance in 2015 in remembrance of Salem…

Source-backedEdition SpecificIn-depth guide

Commemoration Day of the King Father (Norodom Sihanouk)

15 October 2026 · Cambodia / 2026 public-holiday calendar

Cambodian government 2026 holiday calendars identify 15 October as the Commemoration Day of the King Father, Norodom Sihanouk.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)

2 November annually · Catholic Church / remembrance and prayer for the dead

USCCB catechetical material and Vatican liturgical practice identify 2 November as the Roman Catholic Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day).

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of St. Vitus

15 June · Orthodox Christian / saint commemoration

The Orthodox Church in America lists Martyrs Modestus, Crescentia, and Vitus among the saints commemorated on June 15.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of the abolition of slavery — French Guiana

10 June annually · French Guiana / statutory abolition commemoration and public holiday

French Law no. 83-550 established the territorial abolition-commemoration public-holiday framework, Decree no. 83-1003 fixed 10 June for French Guiana, and current Labour Code article L3422…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of the abolition of slavery — Guadeloupe

27 May annually · Guadeloupe / statutory abolition commemoration and public holiday

French Law no. 83-550 established the territorial abolition-commemoration public-holiday framework, Decree no. 83-1003 fixed 27 May for Guadeloupe, and current Labour Code article L3422-2 p…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of the abolition of slavery — Martinique

22 May annually · Martinique / statutory abolition commemoration and public holiday

French Law no. 83-550 established the territorial abolition-commemoration public-holiday framework, Decree no. 83-1003 fixed 22 May for Martinique, and current Labour Code article L3422-2 p…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of the abolition of slavery — Saint-Barthélemy

9 October annually · Saint-Barthélemy / statutory abolition commemoration and public holiday

French Decree no. 2012-553 added Saint-Barthélemy to the territorial abolition-commemoration schedule with 9 October, and current Labour Code article L3422-2 lists that day as a public holi…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of the abolition of slavery — Saint-Martin

27 May annually under current French Labour Code · Saint-Martin / statutory abolition commemoration and public holiday

French Decree no. 2012-553 specifically added Saint-Martin to the territorial abolition-commemoration schedule with 27 May annually; current Labour Code article L3422-2 lists the Saint-Mart…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of the liberation struggle of 29 March 1947

29 March annually · Madagascar / national historical remembrance

Madagascar government ministries marked 29 March 2026 as the 79th anniversary of the 29 March 1947 liberation struggle; an official holiday decree also lists the 29 March commemoration in t…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commemoration of the Revolution of 20 October 1944

20 October annually as a civic historical commemoration · Guatemala / national civic commemoration

Guatemala government materials commemorate 20 October as the anniversary of the October Revolution of 1944 and organize official cultural events around the date.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Commonwealth Covenant Day

24 March · Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands public holiday

CNMI Office of the Registrar

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Commonwealth Day

Second Monday in March · Commonwealth-wide observance with Canada-specific jurisdictional guidance; not a statutory holiday in Canada

Commonwealth Secretariat and Canadian Heritage verify the second-Monday-in-March shared observance, 1976 adoption path and 1977 simultaneous start; Canada-specific status is a jurisdictiona…

Source-backedRule Based AnnualIn-depth guide

Community Manager Appreciation Day (CMAD)

Fourth Monday in January; 26 January 2026 · Community-management profession / creator-origin observance

Jeremiah Owyang’s original 25 January 2010 announcement created Community Manager Appreciation Day for every fourth Monday of January; later industry groups sometimes used Community Manager…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Computer Security Day

30 November · International/institutional cybersecurity-awareness tradition

University cybersecurity guidance identifies Computer Security Day as an annual November 30 observance dating to 1988.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Confederate Heroes Day

19 January annually in Texas · Texas, United States / official state partial-staffing holiday

The Texas State Library lists Confederate Heroes Day on 19 January as an official partial-staffing state holiday and documents its 1973 statutory consolidation; the current FY2027 state sch…

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day

19 April · Health-awareness observance organized and promoted by the CDH community

CDH International identifies 19 April as Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day; historic proclamations also document the observance.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day

14 February · New Hampshire statutory annual proclamation / wider CHD awareness usage

New Hampshire law directs the governor to proclaim February 14 each year as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day; HeartKids Australia also uses February 14 as CHD Awareness Day.

Source-backedFixed AnnualIn-depth guide

Conservatorship & Guardianship Abuse Awareness Day

1 February · United States / guardianship-reform awareness context

The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging and National Center on Law and Elder Rights identify February 1 as Conservatorship & Guardianship Abuse Awareness Day and provide aw…