March

Coming up on the 3rd of March is Hinamatsuri, a Japanese doll’s festival to celebrate the happiness and health of the daughters in the family.

On the 8th March is Vietnamese Woman’s Day.

It is the start of Ramadan on the 11th of March, where Muslim people fast for a month.

Persian New Year (Nowruz) is celebrated on March 20th, and concludes 13 days later on Nature’s Day (Sizdabedar). It is believed to have been celebrated for more than 3,000 years. In Iran, every celebrating family puts together a haft-seen, a table of items with symbolic, auspicious meanings, which include dried fruit, apples, garlic, vinegar, and sprouts that can grow through the festival as a sign of rebirth. The sprouts, or Sabze, are typically released into running water in nature on the last day of Nowruz.

We have a long-standing tradition at Unley Primary School of celebrating Harmony Day on the 21st March, and often it extends across the whole week. Harmony Day’s message is Everyone Belongs and it is a celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. There are signs around the school about Harmony Day at UPS and our Harmony Day assembly.

The Hindu celebration of Holi is on the 25th of March, known as the festival of colours.

Bangladesh Independence Day is March 26th.

This year Holy Week for Catholics is the 25th of March til the 31st of March, where celebrations take place, often including fasting until Easter Saturday. Philipino families attend church on Easter Sunday, called “Palaspas” in Tagalog. Spanish Easter celebrations include baking traditional foods to eat just during Easter and very solemn parades. Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the deity Shiva, between February and March.

Unley Primary School values its cultural diversity and we would love to help celebrate all the cultural events that are important to our families. If you have one coming up that isn’t mentioned, please get in contact with your child’s class teacher or me, Sally Van Leuven. sally.vanleuven217@schools.sa.edu.au.