February Inclusion calendar

Imbolc is an ancient Celtic festival associated with the goddess Brigid, celebrating the beginning of spring and held on or around 1 February.

World Hijab Day is an annual event founded by Nazma Khan in 2013, taking place on 1 February each year in 140 countries worldwide. Its stated purpose is to encourage women of all religions and backgrounds to wear and experience the hijab.

World Cancer Day aims to prevent millions of deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer, and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the disease.

In 2012, the UN General Assembly designated 6 February each year as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, with the aim to amplify and direct efforts to eliminate this practice.

Time to Talk Day – this annual day focuses on mental health and the importance of reaching out to others for checking wellbeing. 

Race Equality Week is an annual UK-wide movement uniting thousands of organisations and individuals to address the barriers to race equality in the workplace.

This day is an opportunity to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. Gender equality is a global priority for UNESCO – the support of young girls, their education and their full ability to make their ideas heard are levers for development and peace. 

Find out more at Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on 14 February. It originated as a Christian feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

Parinirvana Day is an annual festival, observed in some Mahayana countries, that remembers the death of the Buddha when he reached the age of 80. When the Buddha died, Buddhists believe that he entered a state called Parinirvana (which means Nirvana without end).

Vasant Panchami (vasant meaning “spring” and panchami meaning “fifth”) is a festival that falls on the fifth day of the Hindu lunar month of Magha (January-February in the Western calendar) marking the beginning of winter's end and the coming of spring.

World Day of Social Justice (Social Justice Equality Day) is an international day recognising the need to promote social justice, which includes efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion, gender inequality, unemployment, human rights and social protections.

Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (AAW) is a week centered around spreading information and awareness about aromanticism and making sure aromantic spectrum voices and issues are heard and understood. This is an important day to bring visibility to a sometimes forgotten about section of the LGBTQIA+ community, their struggles and experiences.

International STAND UP to Bullying Day is a special semi-annual event in which participants sign and wear a pink "pledge shirt" to take a visible, public stance against bullying.

Lailat al Miraj celebrates the Prophet Muhammad's nighttime journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, where he then ascended to heaven. While sleeping in the Ka'bah, the sacred shrine of Mecca, Muhammad was visited by the archangels Jibril and Mikal. This is a very important and sacred day in the history of Islam.

Ramadan is a holy month of worship, study of the Quran, prayer, and fasting. Ramadan occurs during the month in which Muslims believe the Quran began to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is a joyous celebration for Muslims. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Ramadan in 2024 began on Sunday 10 March and will end on Tuesday 9 April.

Ramadan in 2025 is expected to begin at sundown on Friday 28 February and is likely to end on Sunday 30 or Monday 31 March.