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Feb28
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Feb28
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Feb28
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Mar2
• National Cancer Prevention Month: Observed every February to raise awareness about reducing cancer risk and promoting healthier lifestyle
• National Senior Independence Month: Observed to celebrate older adults and their desire to live independently as contributing members of their communities.
• Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month: Observed to raise awareness about the impact of dating violence on youth and educate young people about healthy relationships.
• American Heart Month: Established by presidential proclamation in 1964, raises awareness about cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, and encourages heart health through regular exercise, healthy eating, stress management, and routine health screenings.
• National Wear Red Day: Typically observed on the first Friday of February, which raises awareness about heart disease in women.
• National Patient Recognition Week (February 1 - 7): Observed annually to promote a culture of patient-centered healthcare.
• World Interfaith Harmony Week (February 1 - 7): Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, is observed during the first week of February.
• World Cancer Day (February 4): Observed annually on February 4, is an international day led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to raise awareness about cancer, encourage its prevention, and mobilize global action against the disease
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 and observed annually on to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.
• World Day of Social Justice (February 20): Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007 to promote efforts toward poverty eradication, full employment, and social integration.
• National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Observed annually to raise awareness about eating disorders, reduce stigma, and encourage early intervention and treatment.
• Rare Disease Day: Observed annually to raise awareness about rare diseases and their impact on patients and families.
Cultural and Federal Holidays:
• National Freedom Day: Honors the signing of the resolution that would become the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery in the United States., abolishing slavery in the United States. On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Congressional resolution declaring that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.” The amendment was ratified later that year on December 18, 1865. In 1941, Richard Robert Wright Sr. proposed a day to commemorate this pivotal moment in American history, and National Freedom Day became a national holiday in 1948.
• World Hijab Day: Founded in 2013 by Nazma Khan, World Hijab Day was created to foster understanding and support for women who choose to wear the hijab and face discrimination or harassment for doing so.
• Valentine’s Day: Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually on February 14 as a day to honor love and affection.
• Presidents Day: Also known as Washington’s Birthday at the federal level, Presidents’ day is observed on the third Monday of February.
• Lunar New Year: Marking the start of the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese zodiac. Lunar New Year 2026 begins on Tuesday, February 17. Festivities traditionally last 16 days, from New Year’s Eve to the Lantern Festival.
• Losar: The Tibetan New Year, Losar, is the most important festival in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar. Marking the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse (Tibetan year 2153).
The celebration lasts for 15 days, with the main festivities occurring during the first three days.
Religious Holidays:
• Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras (February 17): This year, Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, falls on February 17. It day marks the final day before the Christian season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
• Ramadan (Evening of February 17 - March 19): Ramadan 2026 is expected to begin on the evening of Tuesday, February 17, with the first full day of fasting on February 18, depending on the sighting of the moon. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn (Suhoor) to sunset (Iftar), abstaining from food, drink, and other physical needs as an act of worship, self-discipline, and spiritual reflection. The month commemorates the first revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad.
• Ash Wednesday/Lent (February 18/ February 18 - April 2): Ash Wednesday falls on February 18, 2026, marking the first day of Lent in Western Christianity. On this day, many Christians receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross as a sign of repentance and mortality.
• Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti (February 19): Observed on February 19, 2026, celebrates the birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886), one of India’s most revered spiritual leaders and mystics. The day is marked by special prayers, discourses, and spiritual gatherings at Ramakrishna centers globally.
• Eastern Orthodox Beginning of Lent (February 23): Clean Monday, also known as Pure Monday or Ash Monday, marks the beginning of Great Lent in the Eastern Orthodox Church and falls on February 23, 2026. This day initiates the most significant fasting period in the Orthodox Christian liturgical calendar, which extends until Holy Saturday before Pascha (Easter).
