(68) April 2020 Holidays – will Corona Virus cancel the Holidays?
(68) April 2020 Holidays – will Corona Virus cancel the Holidays?
Because of the current upheaval in our communities, some of these April 2020 holidays might be altered, postponed or canceled. Check with your local events coordinator for up-to-date information.
April Fool’s Day 2020 Wednesday April 1
It has been suggested that April Fools’ Day is related to the vernal equinox, the beginning of spring, when Mother Nature plays sudden weather tricks on people. The custom of April Fools’ was brought from Britain to the US centuries ago. This is a light-hearted comedic day of cheer, practical jokes and hoaxes. These typically include fooling another person and yelling “April fools”.
Assyrian New Year 2020 Wednesday April 1
The Assyrian New Year was the biggest festival in the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian Empires. Akitu is celebrated on the 1st of April, the festival is a symbol of the rebirth of nature in the spring.
National Walking Day 2020 Wednesday April 1
This day emphasizes the importance and the health benefits of taking a walk. The observance is celebrated annually on the first Wednesday of April.
National Burrito Day 2020 Thursday April 2
This day celebrates the Mexican dish that became one of the most popular foods in the United States.
World Autism Awareness Day 2020 Thursday April 2
This day seeks to raise awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and improve the lives of those currently living with autism.
International Mine Awareness Day 2020 Saturday April 4
This observance calls attention to potential mines and explosives that remain buried after the end of wars. These objects can cause massive destruction, and harm a significant number of civilians. The United Nations Mine Action Service has been working towards avoiding tragedies and helping people affected by explosives for over 20 years.
National Hug a Newsperson Day 2020 Saturday April 4
This day is an unofficial holiday dedicated to all the Newspersons. The “hug” represents a way to say thank you for their services.
Palm Sunday 2020 Sunday April 5
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ’s last, triumphant entry into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. According to the Gospels, as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, the crowds greeted him by waving and laying palm branches in his path. Today, palms are still used during the Palm Sunday ceremony. The palms are blessed during the ceremony and then collected and burned into ash for the following year’s Ash Wednesday celebration. Palm Sunday is celebrated annually on the Sunday before Easter.
Country Music Awards 2020 (ACM) Sunday April 5
The Academy of Country Music Awards honors the best country artists of the year.
Deep Dish Pizza Day 2020 Sunday April 5
The deep dish pizza is believed to be one of the most popular pizza types in the United States.
International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2020 Monday April 6
This day celebrates sports and their widespread contribution to education, human development, a healthy lifestyle and world peace.
National Tartan Day 2020 Monday April 6
This day is a celebration of Scottish heritage. Although the word “plaid” is used in North America to describe a pattern, in Scottland, tartan is the pattern and plaid is a piece of clothing with a tartan pattern.
International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda 2020 Tuesday April 7
This date marks the beginning of the horrific genocide perpetrated against members of the Tutsi minority by the Hutu extremist-led government of Rwanda. Within just over 100 days, more than 800,000 Tutsi were systematically murdered.
National Beer Day 2020 Tuesday April 7
This day celebrates the passage of the Cullen-Harrison Act in 1933, which was an important step toward ending prohibition.
World Health Day 2020 Tuesday April 7
The day attempts to increase awareness about current major health concerns and their repercussions.
Lailatul Barat 2020 Starts Wednesday April 8
This commemorates the night that Muslims believe God descends from heaven and forgives sins very generously. For that reason, Muslims spend the night in prayer, and fast the next day. Lailatul Barat occurs in the middle of the month of Sha’ban, the month before Ramadan. It is considered one of the holiest nights on the Islamic Calendar.
Rex Manning Day 2020 Wednesday April 8
This day celebrates a fictional music star from the 1995 movie, Empire Records. Since the ascension of the internet, Rex Manning Day grew significantly due to the success of its “memes”.
Holy Thursday 2020 Thursday April 9
Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper Jesus had with his disciples before he was arrested and crucified.
Passover 2020 (Start) Thursday April 9
This is a seven day Jewish festival which celebrates the Israelites fleeing from Egypt about 3300 years ago. Passover is called such because the Israelites marked their door frames with a sign. It is believed because of this sign God passed over their houses during the plague of the firstborn.
National Unicorn Day 2020 Thursday April 9
This day celebrates one of the most popular mythical creatures in the world. The unicorn originated from artworks in the early Mesopotamia and from ancient myths of China and India.
Good Friday 2020 Friday April 10
This day commemorates the day that Jesus was crucified.
National Siblings Day 2020 Friday April 10
This day recognizes the importance of brothers and sisters. The bond and relationship between brothers and sisters is unlike any other as it is usually a person’s longest relationship over his/her lifetime.
National Pet Day 2020 Saturday April 11
This observance commemorates the happiness and enjoyment that pets bring to human lives.
Easter 2020 Sunday April 12
Easter commemorates Jesus’ resurrection three days after his crucifixion and death. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox.
International Day of Human Space Flight 2020 Sunday April 12
The objective of this observance is to bring awareness to the importance of space science and exploration for technological development and the growth of human knowledge.
National Grilled Cheese Day 2020 Sunday April 12
This celebrates one of the most popular foods in the United States. It is believed that the first time bread and cheese were combined was during the Ancient Romans civilization.
Burmese New Year 2020 Monday April 13
In Myanmar, people celebrate Thingyan, or “Water Festival”. It is a buddhist celebration symbolizing the cleansing of sins. Everything revolves around water. Participants spray it on each other using buckets, water guns and other items.
Cambodian New Year 2020 Monday April 13
This marks the traditional end of the harvest season. Families celebrate as they reap the fruits of their labor.
Dyngus Day 2020 Monday April 13
This commemorates a historic day during the 10th century, when the ruler of Poland made a mass baptism all over the country with the goal of converting all citizens to Christians. Polish Immigrants brought the tradition to the United States.
Songkran 2020 (Lao/Tai New Year) Monday April 13
The Lao New Year is a time for rebirth and purification. It marks the end of the dry season and the start of the monsoon season.
Bengali New Year 2020 Tuesday April 14
“Shubho Nabobarsho” is “Happy New Year” in Bengali.
Tamil New Year 2020 Tuesday April 14
Tamil people celebrate Puthandu, also called Puthuvarusham, as the traditional Hindu New Year. This is the month of Chittirai, the first month of the Tamil solar calendar, following the vernal equinox.
Tax Day 2020 (Taxes Due) Wednesday April 15
In the year 2020, the United States has delayed this tax deadline for 90 days.
Jackie Robinson Day 2020 Wednesday April 15
This day honors and commemorates the first black American to play in Major League Baseball. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and led them to six league championships and one World Series. You can celebrate this day by wearing Jackie’s uniform number 42.
National High Five Day 2020 Thursday April 16
This day was established to use the famous greeting to spread positive energies. During the 2020 quarantine, you might want to use sanitary gloves or just high-five with your main squeeze!
National Haiku Poetry Day 2020 Friday April 17
A Japanese version of poetry that usually does not rhyme. It consists of 3 lines and 17 syllables; the first line must have 5 syllables, the second line 7, and the third 5.
Record Store Day 2020 Saturday April 18
Seeks to promote and celebrate independently owned record stores as well as bring together vinyl enthusiasts.
Divine Mercy Sunday 2020 Sunday April 19
This is an observance in the Roman Catholic Church in which followers are encouraged to offer forgiveness and reconciliation to all.
Orthodox Easter 2020 Sunday April 19
Orthodox Easter follows the Julian calendar and must take place after the Jewish Passover. For these reasons, Orthodox Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday, after the first full moon, following the vernal equinox and always after Jewish Passover.
Bicycle Day 2020 Sunday April 19
This celebrates the day the famous pharmaceutical inventor Dr. Albert Hoffmann bicycled home on LSD.
420 Day 2020 Monday April 20
This is a counterculture holiday that celebrates the use of marijuana. A group of high school students in the 1970s came up with the name. They were supposed to meet at 4:20 p.m. for an after-school smoke. Eventually, 4:20 spread as a term to mean marijuana use in general and a popular time to consume it, and April 20 (4/20 in U.S. format) became a day of celebration.
Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020 Tuesday April 21
This day commemorates the Holocaust, a systematic program to murder millions of Jews, Russian gypsies, homosexuals, disabled persons and other minorities during World War II.
World Creativity and Innovation Day 2020 Tuesday April 21
This day aims to encourage everyone to think more outside the box, to always be innovative and try to idealize things differently than usual.
Earth Day 2020 Wednesday April 22
This day highlights and promotes efforts dedicated to the protection of the environment.
Administrative Professionals’ Day 2020 Wednesday April 22
This gives thanks to administrative professionals including secretaries, receptionists, and office assistants.
English Language Day 2020 Thursday April 23
Seeks to entertain, inform and increase awareness of the history, culture and achievements of the English language.
NFL Draft Day 2020 Thursday April 23
The main goal of this event is to promote equality among all teams, with the worst-ranked team of the previous season having the first pick. This is the most common source of recruitment for National Football League teams.
Spanish Language Day 2020 Thursday April 23
The goal of the observance is to raise awareness of the history and culture of each of the six official languages used by the United Nations.
World Book and Copyright Day 2020 Thursday April 23
The goal is to promote reading, especially in younger people, and honor authors and their books.
Arbor Day 2020 Friday April 24
This day is celebrated by planting trees and recognizing their importance in providing shelter, stabilization for the ground, and beauty to the beholder.
Ramadan 2020 (start) Friday April 24
This is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, during which, for a period of thirty days, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. Fasting and abstaining from bad habits teaches Muslims self control, humility, and generosity. The month of Ramadan begins when the new moon of Ramadan is sighted and ends when the new moon of Sha’ban is sighted.
International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace 2020 Friday April 24
The objective of this observance is to promote and bring awareness to the United Nation’s “three pillars”, which are stated to be 1) peace and security, 2) development, and 3) human rights.
DNA Day 2020 Saturday April 25
This day celebrates the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953 and the success of the Human Genome Project in 2003.
Independent Bookstore Day 2020 Saturday April 25
This encourages independent bookstores to promote events, parties, contests, live music, scavenger hunts and any other events that can entertain and bring joy to people. This year in 2020, Independent Bookstore Day has been postponed until Saturday, August 29, 2020.
International Delegate’s Day 2020 Saturday April 25
This day celebrates the representatives that are either chosen or elected to act for their country, promoted by the United Nations.
World Malaria Day 2020 Saturday April 25
This day seeks to raise awareness about malaria, transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, a serious and sometimes fatal disease that plagues most tropical regions.
International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day 2020 Sunday April 26
This day remembers the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986. The explosion released radiation over many parts of the Soviet Union.
Lesbian Visibility Day 2020 Sunday April 26
The Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice recognizes ‘lesbian’ as both a sexual orientation and a political identity.
National Pretzel Day 2020 Sunday April 26
It is believed that the origin of pretzels goes all the way back to the seventh century, when pretzels were made to be eaten during lent. A mixture of water, flour and salt, the perfect combination for the occasion. Pretzels were first brought to the United States by Germans around the year of 1710, more specifically to Pennsylvania.
World Intellectual Property Day 2020 Sunday April 26
This day brings awareness to the importance of intellectual property to motivate innovation and creativity.
Yom HaZikaron 2020 Monday April 27
Israeli Memorial Day, a national day of public mourning which honors those who have given their lives in defense of the State of Israel.
Yom-HaAtzmaut 2020 Tuesday April 28
This is Israel’s Independence Day celebration, always held on the day after Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day).
World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2020 Tuesday April 28
This day has been observed by the International Labour Organization since 2003, and it has the goal of promoting improvements for safety and health at work.
Billboard Awards 2020 Wednesday April 29
These awards are given for the best album, single, and artist for many different music genres.
Denim Day 2020 Wednesday April 29
This observance encourages everyone to wear and buy jeans to protest against sexual violence. It originated from a sexual assault case in Italy in 1992, where the judges argued that the fact that the victim’s jeans were too tight implied consent, because they assumed that the criminal would not be able to remove the woman’s jeans without her help.
Duke Ellington Day 2020 Wednesday April 29
This commemorates the life of jazz musician, Edward Kennedy Ellington, known as Duke Ellington. Born on April 29th, 1899, in Washington D.C., Ellington was a famous American composer, pianist and bandleader of a jazz orchestra.
International Dance Day 2020 Wednesday April 29
The International Theatre Institute created this day for those who can see the value and importance of the art form of dance.
International Jazz Day 2020 Thursday April 30
This is a celebration of jazz music and its contribution to education, peace, unity, dialogue and cooperation. Jazz is a form of music that was born in New Orleans in the late 1800s. Since then, it has spread around the world and evolved into many different types of jazz music.
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