World Religion Day is celebrated every January on the third Sunday of the month. In 2025, that falls on 19th January. Its aim is to promote understanding and peace between all religions, as well as mutual understanding and tolerance between peoples from different backgrounds.
The first such day was observed in 1950. It was initially started by followers of the Bahá’í faith, which says that all religions have common features, and that they should be respected equally. Followers of the Bahá’í faith believe that all humans are born equal, and that we all have the same rights regardless of our faith.
For centuries, different religions and faiths have fought each other, and ignored their common values. The purpose of World Religion Day is to work towards a peaceful understanding between faiths.
The six major religions of the world are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. Nearly seventy-five per cent of the world practices one of these six religions. World Religion Day promotes their similarities and the role religion has played in uniting people across the planet.
Colleagues at LOROS, alongside partners and community members, are leading the way in exploring a system wide end of life culturally sensitive toolkit to support staff and enhance our services for different faith communities.
*Watch this space for more on this in the February Pin Board and a vlog with Director of the Centre for Excellence Camilla Barrow
The Holocaust is central to Holocaust Memorial Day and we remember the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. We also commemorate the millions more people murdered through the Nazi persecution of other groups and during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur, and the Yazidi genocide.
27th January marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation, and our world often feels fragile and vulnerable with discrimination and persecution still taking place. Holocaust Memorial Day encourages remembrance in a world scarred by genocide and reminds us that hatred, prejudice, discrimination and persecution must not be tolerated.
Chinese New Year, which is also known as the Spring Festival, falls on 29th January in 2025 (the date changes each year as it is according to the Lunar calendar). It is celebrated by more than 20% of the world.
There are 12 Chinese zodiac animals and 2025 is the year of the snake. Celebrations end with the Lantern Festival on 12th February. Please follow this link for more information.
