Calendar

2SLGBTQIA+

Sikhism

November 25 – December 10 annually.

Bahá’í

Bahá’í

November 28 – January 6
Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Julian calendar)

November 30 – December 24, 2025
Christianity

Ontario

Around the world, one billion persons with disabilities face physical, social, economic and attitudinal barriers that exclude them from participating fully and effectively as equal members of society. They are disproportionately represented among the world’s poorest, and lack equal access to basic resources, such as education, employment, healthcare and social and legal support systems. In spite of this situation, disability has remained largely invisible in the mainstream development agenda and its processes. In many parts of the world today, lack of awareness and understanding of accessibility as a cross-cutting development issue remains an obstacle to the achievement of progress and development through the Millennium Development Goals, as well as other internationally agreed outcomes for all.

December 5 – 6, 2025

Buddhism

Catholicism; First Nations, Inuit, Métis

December 14 – 22, 2025
Judaism

First Nations, Inuit, Métis;
Wicca; Paganism

Christianity

African Canadian and American celebration

Sikhism

Shintō; Buddhism

Mahāyāna Buddhism

Christianity; Eastern Orthodox and Western

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

Christianity

Christianity – Russian/Eastern Orthodox

Christianity

Hinduism; Sikhism

Sikhism

Hinduism; Sikhism

Eastern Orthodox Christian

January 14 – 17, 2026
Hinduism; Sikhism

Islam

January 19 – 23, 2026

First Nations – Haudenosaunee

Hinduism

January 26 – 30, 2026

Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.

The UN General Assembly designated January 27 — the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, we should honor the victims of the Nazi era and develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides. For more information: http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/

Christianity

Buddhism, Shintō

Hinduism

Orthodox Christianity – Julian calendar

On February 15, 1965 our national flag was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill. Every year since 1996, when Parliament declared February 15th as National Flag of Canada Day, we celebrate our beautiful flag.

Mahāyāna Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism

Canada

March 1 – 19, 2025
Bahá’í

March 2 – 9, 2026

March 2 – 3, 2026
Judaism

March 2 – 8, 2026

Buddhism

March 4 – 6, 2026
Sikhism

Hinduism

The World Economic Forum predicts the gender gap won’t close entirely until 2186. This is too long to wait. Around the world, IWD is an important opportunity to drive driving greater change for women and to accelerate gender parity.

Islam

March 19 – 20, 2026
Islam

First Nations, Inuit, Métis; Wicca; Paganism

Baháʼí

Christianity

Hinduism

8:30 pm local time

Christianity

2SLGBTQIA+ 

Observed each year on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility is a day to celebrate the courage it takes to live openly and authentically, while also recognizing the leadership of transgender and gender nonconforming trailblazers who have led the charge in the fight for equality.

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

April 1 – 9, 2026
Judaism

Jehovah’s Witness

Christianity

Christianity

The Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, is a somber and traditional Chinese festival that has been celebrated for over 2,500 years. To show respect to their ancestors, families clean and beautify the gravesites, pray, burn spirit money (joss paper) and make ritual offerings of traditional foods. Willow branches, a symbol of purity and a protection against misfortune, are sometimes brought into homes.

Christianity

2SLGBTQIA+

2SLGBTQIA+

Orthodox Christianity

Theravada New Year
Buddhism

Holocaust Remembrance Day
April 13 – 14, 2026
Judaism

Solar New Year
Hinduism; Tamil

Sikhism

Hinduism

Bahá’í

The National Day of Mourning, or Workers’ Mourning Day is observed in Canada on April 28. It commemorates workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and incidents.

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis

2SLGBTQIA+ 

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia held on May 17 every year, is a rallying event offering an opportunity for people to get together and reach out to one another. Fondation Émergence promotes the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia and encourages organisations and individuals to highlight this event in their environment.

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

Sikhism

Midsummer, a festival honouring the summer solstice, has been marked by Nordic countries since Pagan times. With the spread of Christianity, the Feast of St. John the Baptist superseded the Pagan event, until the two rituals merged over time to form the unique secular Midsummer Day festival as it is celebrated today. Nordics mark it in various ways, but common events include huge bonfires, local food and drink, wildflower wreaths and decorations, and dancing long into the sunlit night!

First Nations, Métis, Inuit

Inti Raymi (Sun Festival) in the Andes is a centuries-old Inca celebration of the winter solstice in the Southern hemisphere. Begun in the 14th century, it was later banned by Spanish colonists in an attempt to eradicate Indigenous beliefs and culture. 

Nearly 400 years later Inti Raymi re-emerged thanks to efforts of historians and artists who sought to recover lost Indigenous traditions. Today, Inti Raymi has evolved into a grand theatrical re-enactment in which over 800 artists don costumes and engage in processions, rites, and traditional Inca dances, bringing the past to life.

Learn more: https://www.apus-peru.com/blog/inti-raymi-the-fascinating-sun-festival-in-peru/

Christianity

Quebec; Francophone Culture

June 25 – July 1

Ontario

Take part in the celebrations for Canadian Multiculturalism Day and discover the wealth of cultures that bring our country to life. http://www.canada.ca

Bahá’í

Commonly held June – September.

Elements of the Scottish Highland Games can be traced back over 1,000 years, though the connection to the clan system didn’t evolve until the late Middle Ages. After being banned following the 18th c. Jacobite Rebellion, the Games returned in the early 1800’s and swiftly grew in popularity. Today, the modern Highland Games are a celebration of Scottish culture held across Scotland and in many countries with a large Scottish diaspora – including Canada.

August 2 – 3, 2025
Judaism

The Civic Holiday is known in Toronto as Simcoe Day, to honour John Graves Simcoe and his work towards the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada until emancipation came into effect across the British Empire on Aug 1, 1834. 

Following the first Caribana celebration held in 1967 by West Indians living in Canada, Simcoe Day was chosen as the annual date to celebrate the Caribana festival. It recognizes the historical link to Simcoe’s humane work, Emancipation Day, and the resulting carnival celebrations by freed slaves in the West Indies. 

Now called the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, the annual event is a vibrant and energetic celebration of pan-Caribbean culture and is billed as North America’s largest cultural festival!