Multicultural Calendar for March

Multicultural Calendar - March 2008

Select a Month:

March 1:

Martenitza (Bulgaria) - Bulgarians celebrate spring by exchanging red-and-white yarn designs called martenitza to symbolize health.

St. David’s Day (Wales) - He is the patron saint of Wales and died on this day.

Chalanda Marz (Switzerland) - A very old Engadin tradition, the Engadin schoolchildren drive away winter with bells and songs.

March 1-6:

Great Prayer Festival (Tibet) - Monks from the three great monasteries of Tibet assemble in Jikhang to pray to Shakayamuni’s image as if it were the Living Buddha.

March 3:

Hinamatsuri Doll Festival (Japan) - This festival is combined with the Spring Festival. Ceremonial dolls are displayed to honor the daughters in the family.

March 4:

Butter-Lamp Festival (Tibet) - To celebrate Shakayamuni’s victory over non-Buddhist opponents in 1409, Lord Neu Dzong, a noted patron of Tsongkapa, illuminated numerous butter lamps. The tradition has since then flourished.

March 5:

Lantern Festival (China, Taiwan) - Marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

March 6:

Alamo Day (Mexico/USA) - Anniversary of the slaughter of Texans at the Alamo fort in 1836.

March 17:

St. Patrick’s Day (Ireland, USA) - The anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, who was regarded as a patron saint for spreading Catholicism throughout Ireland. On this day the Irish, as well as descendants, celebrate being Irish.

March 19:

Chetra Navratras (India) - This festival honoring Great Goddess Mha Devi as Gauri — life, growth, and fruition — is honored by keeping a fast.

March 21:

Shumbun-no-Hi (Japan, Korea) - During the time of the spring equinox, Buddhists meditate on the harmony in the universe. Also known as Ohigon.

Norooz (Persia) - Also spelled No Ruz, this day marks the "new year" or "new day" and is a celebration of the spring equinox. It was celebrated by all major cultures in Mesopotamia, and today is deeply rooted in Iran within the traditions of the Zoroastrian belief system.

Purim (Jewish) - Known as the Feast of Lots, celebrates the deliverance of Jews in Persia from the machinations of Haman. Jews dress in costume and give gifts of food to each other.

Good Friday (Christian) - A holy day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary.

March 23:

Easter (Christian) - the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 30-33.

March 25:

Independence Day (Greece) - Commemorating the day in 1821 when Greece gained independence from Turkey.

Evangelismou (Greece) - The Greeks combined the national Independence Day with the Annunciation and what was earlier believed to be the spring equinox. Greeks wear traditional clothes and celebrate with speeches and folk dancing.

Audrey Matlala is a
Business Systems Analyst
in Richmond, Va.
(Click image to enlarge)

Spotlight: Audrey Matlala, South Africa

Richmond, Virginia, is a long way from her birthplace of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, but Audrey Matlala, Business Systems Analyst, OJRP, notes that people in both cities share a common love for sports and backyard barbecues.

Americans enthusiastically root for their favorite football, baseball and basketball teams, while their South African counterparts passionately cheer for their favorite soccer, cricket and rugby squads.

The barbecue is just as tasty, too, whether one's enjoying some old-fashioned barbecued ribs fresh off the grill in Richmond, or some tasty braaivleis, (pronounced "bry-flays," Afrikaans for roasted meat), at a Pretoria braai, the cookout that has become a cherished South African social institution.

"Due to the number of different ethnic groups and influences from Asia and Europe, South Africa has a combined dish which is loved by most, if not all, South Africans: Pap (pronounced "pup," which resembles grits), Wors (German Bratwurst) and Chakalaka (a Malaysian chili mix)," Matlala says.

Matlala points out that her homeland has come a long way in transforming from a former minority government, built on apartheid, the system of institutionalized racial segregation that dominated the country for much of the 20th century, to majority rule by a Government of National Unity.

"The New South Africa was formed out of great pain and strife under the old apartheid regime, and has withstood threats of all kinds to come out as an exemplary nation on working things out without the unnecessary shedding of blood," Matlala says.

South Africa's population and culture consists of Africans, Europeans, Asians and people of mixed ethic backgrounds, Matlala explains. "South Africa is a melting pot of different cultures of the world where the first world meets the third world and fuses to create a wonderful rainbow nation of people with a goal to make all their differences work together for the betterment of a new South Africa."

"South Africa has 11 officials languages, which include Tswana (Western Sotho, Matlala's native tribe); Sepedi (Northern Sotho); Southern Sotho; Zulu; Xhosa; Ndebele; Swazi; Shagaan; Venda; Afrikaans (a dialect of the Dutch language that evolved into a separate language) and English, in which most government and all official documents are scribed," she says.

South Africa is a land of large cities, industrial areas, gold and diamond mines and farming communities. "There is still a misconception that South Africa is still a jungle and that wild animals are still roaming everywhere," Matlala says.

"We have national wildlife refuges and zoos where wild animals are kept and looked after. We also have to pay to go see them, just like all the tourists that come to visit our country."

Major holidays in South Africa include:

Freedom Day, celebrated April 27, commemorates the 1994 election of South Africa's first Government of National Unity, "which represented all the people of our country and not just a small minority group."
Heritage Day, celebrated September 24 is a day “when all cultures of our rainbow national are celebrated,” Matlala says. “South Africans across the spectrum are encouraged to celebrate their cultural heritage and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions, in the wider context of a nation that belongs to all its people. The day is meant to remember their past and the struggles of Apartheid.”
Day of Reconciliation celebrated December 16, was established in 1994 to foster reconciliation between South Africa’s different racial groups.

Either one of these holidays, or any other occasion, for that matter, would be a great day for a braai, in Virginia or South Africa. •

March 26:

Independence Day (Bangladesh) - In 1971, the nation of Bangladesh won a brutal war against the Central Pakastani government thus gaining its independence.

Kuhio Day (Hawaii) - A state holiday, it celebrates Prince Kuhio’s birthday. He is remembered for actively promoting Hawaiian culture and getting Congress to pass the 1829 Hawaiian Homes Act, providing homesteads for native Hawaiians.

March 27:

Ram Navami (India) - A fast is usually kept to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama, who is believed to be one of the incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu.

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