1.01.23 – January Recognitions

Sunday, January 1, 2023

January Recognitions

January 1 is New Year’s Day. We wish you fond memories to look back on and a year ahead in 2023 full of warmth, light, and love!

January is National Braille Literacy Month. January 4 is Louis Braille’s birthday, born in 1809. At the age of 15, he created this six-dot cell system of reading and writing for visually impaired people, known as “braille.”

January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany. It is also marks the twelve days after Christmas when the three kings arrived in Bethlehem.

Orthodox Christmas Day is January 7. Coptic Orthodox Christians are the largest denomination in the Middle East, Egypt, Libya, and Sudan. Most Orthodox churches celebrate on the 13th, based on their use of the Julian calendar.

January 7 is also Mahayana New Year. It is a time for Buddhists to meditate and self-reflect for self-improvement. In Mahayana countries, the Buddhist New Year starts on January’s first full moon day.

Maghi Muktsar is January 13. It is a Hindu festival, the Punjabi festival, that always falls on the day before Maka Sankranti. It is a day the Sikh community honors those who sacrificed their lives to ward off an attack on Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru and spiritual master of Nanak.

January 14 is Maka Sankranti. It is a Hindu celebration marking the sun’s turning toward the north by the first day of the sun’s journey to Capricorn, their winter solstice.

On January 15, the third Sunday in January, international followers of the Baháʼí Faith celebrate World Religions Day. This day encourages all faiths worldwide to recognize our differences in religions and our similarities.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 16 honors this Baptist minister and civil rights activist. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the most influential civil rights leaders in the civil rights movement.

January 22 is the Chinese New Year. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. More than 2 billion people celebrate or acknowledge the Chinese New Year.

January 26 is International Customs Day. It is set aside to show our appreciation for those who keep our borders safe.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on January 27, recognizes the approximately 6 million Jewish men, women, and children murdered during World War II. It is also the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in 1945.

We encourage you to continue working with us, providing your perspectives, opinions, and input in 2023. May the new year bring hope, health, and happiness.

In Solidarity,

Chaddrian Calhoun and Rhonda Curtright
APFA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
[email protected]