January 2025 Heritage Celebrations

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To the UConn Community:

The Office for Diversity and Inclusion and the Provost’s Office would like to remind you of several celebrations, commemorations, and moments of raising awareness for members of our community during the month of January:  

Federal and Cultural Holidays: 

New Year’s Day (January 1): This day for celebrating new beginnings was first marked as a federal holiday in 1870, along with Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. 

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (January 11): Every January 11, the United States government recognizes National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. On January 11, 2011, President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation designating January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Though slavery in the United States was officially abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, the injustice of slavery still exists through sex trafficking, forced labor, involuntary servitude, forced marriage, and debt bondage. 

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were more than 10,000 reports of human trafficking involving over 16,000 individual victims in 2021; 2022 and 2023 statistics have not yet been released. Evidence suggests that people of color and LGBTQIA+ people are among the most vulnerable to trafficking, as are victims of domestic violence; victims of sexual abuse; those in unstable living conditions; runaways or those involved in the juvenile justice or foster care system; undocumented migrants; those facing poverty or economic need; and those addicted to drugs or alcohol. 

For more information or to report suspected human trafficking: 

      • Visit the Connecticut Department of Children and Families for Connecticut-specific resources and information 
      • Call the Federal Government at 1-866-347-2423 
      • Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text “HELP” or “INFO” to BeFree (233733).

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 20): Since 1983, the third Monday of January has been set aside to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. No figure is more closely associated with the American struggle for civil rights than Dr. King, an influential leader who is best known for his work on racial equity and ending racial segregation in the United States. On this day we honor his life and his achievements, and we reflect on the work that still needs to be done to promote racial equity. Observing this holiday provides an opportunity for all of us at UConn to reflect on Dr. King’s life and legacy. In particular, we invite you to reflect on the importance of standing up for racial, social, and economic justice for all. From Dr. King, we learned that we can only reach our potential for justice when we address the needs of those who have been excluded from it historically, especially racially oppressed peoples. We recognize that we cannot truly have justice as long as there are groups for whom justice is denied. 

UConn celebrates the work of Dr. King through the Office for Diversity and Inclusion’s MLK Living Legacy Convocation. This year’s convocation event will feature Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Todd Dulaney, at the Jorgensen on January 31st 6:00pm – 8:00pm. The 2025 MLK Legacy Award recipients will also be honored at this event. Special thanks to co-sponsors: Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts and the Provost Office. 

Community Outreach will host its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on January 20th  9:00am – 3:00pm. On this day, students all over the UConn Campus will partake in service opportunities, hear for speakers, and engage in meaningful discussion. For information, click here. 

National Day of Racial Healing (January 21): As part of the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Initiative – which has selected UConn as one of its campus sites – this day recognizes that racial healing lies at the heart of racial equity. According to the TRHT framework, racial healing enables community, organizational, and systems transformation by restoring individuals and communities to wholeness; repairing the damage caused by racism; facilitating trust; building authentic relationships; and bridging divides.  

This year’s virtual event, A Discussion on Racial Healing: Acknowledging Indigenous Wisdom, Addressing Racial Trauma, and Advancing Trauma-Informed Care, will feature Dr. Dyanne Tappin, Dr. Larry Fisher, and Chenae Bullock from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Click here for login information.
 

Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27): In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly voted to mark January 27th—the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to the United States Holocaust Museum, an estimated 1.1 million people were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, including 1 million Jewish people. The atrocities committed there were only part of the larger program of genocide aiming to systemically annihilate the Jewish people. An estimated six million Jewish people were murdered during the Holocaust—around two thirds of the world’s Jewish population at that time—along with millions of others. On January 27th, we remember this systemic murder and renew our vow to never let such violence happen again. 

ODI believes that the first step to stopping this violence from happening again is to stand against antisemitism in all forms. We encourage all members of the UConn community to confront antisemitism, racism, and discrimination, to actively speak out and denounce it, and to create a caring community that celebrates diversity. For more resources on confronting antisemitism, please check out: 

ODI and the Provost’s Office are committed to combating antisemitism in our campus spaces. We are currently engaged in two long-term programs to combat antisemitism: a Campus Climate Initiative in partnership with Hillel and the Academic Engagement Network. These two projects are helping UConn build the infrastructure needed to eliminate antisemitism and other forms of identity-based harassment and violence, including by expanding partnerships across the university system. We are also excited to participate in the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center Initiative, which will help build the infrastructure for addressing identity-based bias and creating space for members of our community to process and heal from hateful incidents. 

Religious Holidays: 

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (January 1): This holiday is a celebration of Mary’s motherhood of Jesus. It is a reminder of the role she played in the salvation of humankind. 

Gantan-sai (January 1): This is a holiday with significant work restriction. Gantan-sai is the annual New Year festival of the Shinto religion.  General Practices: Practitioners pray for inner renewal, prosperity, and health, as well as visiting shrines and visiting friends and family. 

Oshogatsu (January 1): The New Year, or O-Shogatsu in Japanese is Japan’s most important holiday that comes with its own customs and traditions.  Many of these customs have Shinto, Buddhist, or even Feng Shui roots. They are all meant to ensure an auspicious start to the new year and usher health, success, and prosperity into your household. O-Shogatsu and the days before it is like one giant, complex ritual that every Japanese knows and engages in naturally and cheerfully. 

Last Day of Chanukah/Hanukkah (January 2): The last day of Hanukkah is the eighth day of Hanukkah. It is known as Zose Hanukkah, Zos Hanukkah or Zot Hanukkah.  It is the second day of the month of Tevet and marks the day on which the great miracle of oil occurred, according to Jewish belief. It is a particularly special day because it encapsulates all of Hanukkah. 

Epiphany | Theophany | Three Kings Day (January 6): Epiphany is a Christian feast day celebrating the revelation of Jesus Christ as God incarnate. In Western Christian traditions, this feast commemorates the visit of Three Wise Men to Bethlehem. Epiphany is the twelfth day of Christmas, and the night before is commonly referred to as Twelfth Night. In Eastern Christian traditions, this feast is known as Theophany and commemorates the revelation of Christ’s divinity through his baptism and his first miracle. 

In Latin American countries, this day is commemorated as Three Kings Day, El Día de Reyes or El Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos. In addition to gift-giving and parades on this day, this day is often marked with Rosca de Reyes, a cake that signifies a king’s crown. Inside this cake is a small plastic figurine representing the baby Jesus; whoever finds it is obligated to host the upcoming Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas Day) on February 2nd. 

Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (January 6): This day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru, who instituted the Five Ks and established the Order of the Khalsa on Vaisakhi (Baisakhi). On his birthday, historical lectures are conducted, and poems are recited in praise of the Guru. Special dishes that are unique to this occasion are prepared and served during the festivities.  

Orthodox Christmas (January 7): Orthodox Christmas, also known as “Old Christmas,” is celebrated on January 7th in accordance with the Julian calendar. Christmas is celebrated on this day by practitioners of Orthodox faiths, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, including Greece, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine, as well as in communities in Egypt, Ethiopia, and elsewhere. Traditions vary by location and culture, but Old Christmas is typically seen as a time for peace, unity, reflection, and healing.  

Fast of the 10th of Tevet (January 10): Remembrance that on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tevet, in the year 3336 from Creation (425 BCE), the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem.  

Orthodox New Year (January 14): Orthodox New Year, also known as “Old New Year,” is celebrated on the first day of the Julian calendar, falling on January 14 of the Gregorian calendar. This day is celebrated by practitioners of Orthodox faiths, especially in Russia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and other Eastern European countries, though it is not a public holiday in those countries. Celebrations vary by location, but typical traditions involve a festive dinner, music, dancing, and meditation about personal New Year’s resolutions. 

Makar Sankranti (January 14): Makar Sankranti, often called “Uttarayana,” “Makar,” or “Sankranti,” is a Hindu observance and festival that celebrates the sun’s journey from the Southern to the Northern hemisphere. Dedicated to the sun deity, Surya, Makar marks a new beginning. Makar is a day for thanking Mother Earth or nature as the winter starts to recede to spring; participants spread good will, peace, and prosperity by giving each other presents, especially sweets. Makar is typically observed on January 14 but is observed on January 15 during leap years.  

Isra and Mi’raj (January 26-27): Isra and Mi’raj are two parts of a night journey that Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad took in a single night around 621 AD. First from Mecca to Jerusalem, and then from Jerusalem to the heavens. The events are considered to be a miraculous occurrence and a sign of the Prophet’s connection to Allah.  

Lunar New Year (January 29): Marks the start of the Lunar New Year 2025, the Year of the Wood Snake. Lunar New Year has been observed for thousands of years and symbolizes the welcoming of a new beginning and a time of reunion with family and friends. For the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities at UConn, it marks an occasion to celebrate cultural backgrounds, experiences, and identities. On the Lunar New Year, we recognize and honor the rich culture, history, and experiences of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities, which make up such a significant portion of the UConn community. We are thrilled to celebrate them and encourage all in our community to participate in this month of festivities. Check out the Asian American Cultural Center for this year’s Lunar New Year Events. 

We welcome the celebration of each of these holidays on our campuses and encourage support for those requiring accommodation. You can find information and guidance about these accommodations for religious observations on the Provost Office’s webpage.  

To see more information about resources and events happening this month and throughout the semester, please visit our events page at www.diversity.uconn.edu/events. ODI writes these letters in collaboration with our partners across the UConn system. If we inadvertently omitted a cultural or religious holiday, please let us know by emailing us at diversity@uconn.edu. 

If you would like to receive our ODI Weekly Digest, where you can receive regular updates about upcoming events, programs, and opportunities, subscribe here! 

Sincerely, 

Jeff and Anne 


Jeffrey F. Hines, MD
Interim Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer, University of Connecticut 

Chief Diversity Officer, UConn Health 


Anne D’Alleva, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs