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Calendar

2023-2024 School Calendar

September 2018 – March 2019

Sep
21
Fri
International Day of Peace
Sep 21 all-day
Today is INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE!
 
Each year, International Day of Peace (World Peace Day) is observed around the world on Sept. 21. The United Nations General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. Annually, HI USA has been joined by HI hostels around the world to host various events in celebration of promoting peace. If you can’t make it to one of our hostels on Sept. 21, don’t fret! Here are eight other ways you can celebrate the UN’s World Peace Day.
 
https://www.hiusa.org/about-us/hiusa-news/8-ways-to-participate-in-international-day-of-peace
Sep
22
Sat
Autumnal Equinox
Sep 22 all-day
Oct
15
Mon
NO SCHOOL: Staff Development Day
Oct 15 all-day
Nov
20
Tue
NO SCHOOL: Thanksgiving Break
Nov 20 – Nov 23 all-day
Dec
19
Wed
NO SCHOOL: Winter Break
Dec 19 – Jan 2 all-day
Feb
14
Thu
Valentine’s Day
Feb 14 all-day
Mar
5
Tue
Mardi Gras! (Fat Tuesday)
Mar 5 all-day

 

 

Mardi Gras = Fat Tuesday

A brief history of Mardi Gras…

133-31 B.C.

Some think Mardi Gras may be linked[2] with the ancient Roman pagan celebrations of spring and fertility such as Saturnalia, which dates back to 133–31 B.C. This celebration honored the god of agriculture, Saturn. It was observed in mid-December, before the sowing of winter crops. It was a week-long festival when work and business came to a halt. Schools and courts of law closed, and the normal social patterns were suspended.

On the Julian calendar, which the Romans used at the time, the winter solstice fell on December 25. Hence, the celebration gradually became associated with Christmas.

4 B.C. Onward

The festival is more commonly associated with Christian tradition. In the Gospel of Matthew the biblical Magi (also called the ‘Three Wise Men’ or ‘Three Kings’) visited Jesus with gifts containing gold, frankincense, and myrrh. So on the twelfth day of Christmas, Christians celebrate the feast of Epiphany, a celebration of Jesus coming for more than just the Jews, as even Gentile magi were allowed to see him. This begins the Carnival celebration which continues until the day before Ash Wednesday. The culmination of this celebration overlapped with the beginning of Lent. Early Christians believed that during the Lenten season (the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, not including Sundays), Christians should deprive themselves of anything (especially foods) that brought joy so that they might understand better the trials that Jesus faced leading up to his death on Good Friday. Thus, on the Tuesday before Lent and the last day of Epiphany, Christians would celebrate with a feast of their favorite foods to tide them over the coming weeks.

These feasts, which first were only meant for Christians, were expanded so that Christians would celebrate with their neighbors and friends. Slowly, feasts like Shrove Tuesday became public celebrations and adapted many names and traditions as they spread.

Source: wikipedia.com

Mar
17
Sun
St. Patrick’s Day
Mar 17 all-day
Mar
18
Mon
NO SCHOOL: Spring Break
Mar 18 – Mar 22 all-day
Mar
20
Wed
Vernal Equinox
Mar 20 all-day