2002 Taoist & Shinto Holidays
* 1/1: World Peace Day--Day to meditate for peace throughout the world. [Universal Hour of Peace: 7:00-8:00 a.m. EST.]
* 1/1 to 1/6: Shogatsu/Shinto New Year's Festival--The Kami (Nature Spirits) of the four directions are honored, and prayers for happiness, good health, and prosperity are made. [a/k/a Shihohai, Genshisai, Shinnen-enkai]
* 1/4: Day ethnic discrimination was outlawed world-wide (1969); day to mourn all manifestations of racism. [Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination: signed/adopted 3/7/1966; entered into force 1/4/1969.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see Anti Racism Information Service website; Human Rights Watch website.] [Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Text of Declaration) and Article 2 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Text of Covenant) also prohibit discrimination on account of race.] [The U.N. has designated 3/21 to 3/27 Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination.]
* 1/7: Koshogatsu--Shinto rite honoring Goddess Izanami, partner of God Izanagi. They created Nature and the Kami. Shinto try to live in harmony with the cosmic forces of the Kami.
* 1/15: Seijin-no-Hi--Shinto festival honoring 20-year-old men and women on reaching adulthood, and recognizing the rights and responsibilities that come with it. [Also celebrated the second Monday in January.] [a/k/a Seijin-Shiki, Coming of Age Day]
* 1/20: World Religions Day--Day to contemplate all religions as different paths to the one universal Deity of many names and aspects.
* 2/1 to 2/28: Ethnic Equality Month--Time to honor all peoples and their positive traditions; time to meditate on the equality of all peoples, on the respect due to them, and on God-Goddess manifesting as African, Asian, Oceanic, Middle Eastern, European, Hispanic, and Native American. [Expands idea of African-American History Month a/k/a Black History Month.]
* 2/3: Setsubun--Shinto rite in which good fortune is invoked and evil exorcised. [a/k/a Setsubun-Sai, Setsubun-no-Hi, Bean-Throwing Festival, Turn of the Seasons Festival]
* 2/12 to 2/15: Hsih Nien/Suhl/Tet--Chinese and East Asian Lunar New Year (Year 4700 - Year of the Horse).
* 2/17: Toshigoi--Shinto rite honoring the Kami and offering prayers for a bountiful rice harvest. The Kami are manifestations of the one universal, primordial and eternal, immanent and transcendent Deity, Kuni-Tokotachi-no-Kami. [a/k/a Toshigoi-no-Matsuri, Kinensai]
* 2/19: Day President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the internment of loyal Japanese Americans during World War II (1942); day to mourn Asian victims of internment and exclusion (past and present), make peace, and celebrate empowerment of Asian Americans. [The internment was authorized by Executive Order 9066.] [While Emperor Hirohito's Japanese government attacked the U.S., Japanese Americans did not authorize or approve of the attack. While it was appropriate to blame the Japanese government for the war against the U.S., it was immoral to blame all ethnic Japanese for the acts of the Japanese government.]
* 3/1: Day the production and use of landmines was outlawed world-wide (1999); day to mourn their victims. [Protocol on Prohibition or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps, and Other Devices a/k/a Convention on Landmines a/k/a Mine Ban Treaty, amending the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects: Treaty signed/adopted 10/10/1980; entered into force 12/2/1983; Protocol signed 12/3/1997; entered into force 3/1/1999.] [Text of Convention] [China, South Korea, North Korea, and Vietnam have not ratified the Protocol.] [There are between 60 and 70 million landmines in the ground of 70+ countries. Landmines maim or kill approximately 26,000 civilians each year, including 8,000 to 10,000 children.] [Taoists and Shintoists should renounce the production and use of landmines, and should demand removal and destruction of all existing landmines.] [For more information, see International Campaign to Ban Landmines website; Adopt a Minefield website.]
* 3/1 to 3/31: Gender Equality Month--Time to honor both genders; time to meditate on the equality of women and men, on the respect due to both women and men, and on Goddess-God manifesting as woman and man. [Expands idea of Women's History Month.]
* 3/3: Joshi-no-Sekku--Shinto festival honoring girls. Families pray for the health, happiness, and prosperity of girls, and to protect them from evil spirits. [a/k/a Hina Matsuri, Girls' Day, Girls' Festival, Doll Festival]
* 3/5: Day commemorating the birth of Taoist Lao-Tzu (570? BCE). Taoists live simply and tranquilly, respect life, and recognize the equality of all. [570?-490? BCE; alternate dates: 604-531 BCE]
* 3/8: International Women's Day--Day to mourn victims of gender-based oppression and misogyny (past and present), make peace, and celebrate women's empowerment. [See U.N. website on International Women's Day; A history of International Women's Day.]
* 3/21: Taoist festival honoring the Shen (Deities) of Water, East, and Spring; prayers are made for growth. Taoists seek enlightenment and live in harmony with Nature.
* 3/21: Shunki-Korei-Sai--Shinto rite honoring ancestral spirits. [a/k/a Shunki-Sorei-Sai, Shunbun-no-Hi, Shunbun-Sai, Haru-no-Higan]
* 3/26: Day production and use of biological weapons was outlawed world-wide (1975); day to mourn their victims. [Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction a/k/a Biological Weapons Convention: signed 4/10/1972; entered into force 3/26/1975.] [Text of Convention] [China is believed to currently possess biological weapons; North Korea is believed to currently have a biological weapons research program. Both have ratified the Treaty.] [Taoists and Shintoists should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of biological weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.] [For more information, see U.N. Disarmament of Weapons of Mass Destruction website; Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention website; Sipri Chemical and Biological Weapons Project: Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Mainpage; Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project website; Monterey Institute of International Studies Chemical and Biological Weapons Resource Page; Federation of American Scientists (F.A.S.) Chemical and Biological Arms Control Program website.]
* 3/31: Vigil to mourn China's annexation of Tibet (1959) and the killings, torture, and religious persecution of Tibetan Buddhists. [Day the Dalai Lama fled into exile following the Chinese invasion of Tibet.] [Articles 2 and 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Text of Declaration) and Articles 2 and 18 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Text of Covenant) guarantee freedom of religion and prohibit discrimination on account of religion.] [For more information, see International Campaign for Tibet website; Human Rights Watch report: China and Tibet; U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report for 2002: China and Tibet.]
* 4/7: World Health Day--Day to pray for healing of all those chronically and seriously ill; day to advocate for adequate health care for all. [Day the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) was founded in 1948.] [For information on World Health Day, see World Health Organization website; UN Dag Hammarskjold Library website.] [For information on the World Health Organization, see World Health Organization website.]
* 4/8: Hana Matsuri--Shinto rite honoring the Kami of Flowers. [a/k/a Flower Kami Festival]
* 4/17: Day Cambodia fell to the Khmer Rouge, who caused the deaths of more than a million civilians (1975); vigil for true peace, justice, and respect for the human rights of all in East Asia. [For more information, see Yale Cambodian Genocide Study; Human Rights Watch report: Cambodia.]
* 4/22: Earth Day--Day to honor the Earth and to meditate on Deity manifesting as Mother Earth. [a/k/a International Earth Day, National Earth Day] [For information about Earth Day activities, see Earthday Network website; Envirolink website; U.S. government website for Earth Day; U.S. E.P.A. website for Earth Day.]
* 4/22: Day the world's nations guaranteed asylum to those persecuted in their homelands on account of their ethnicity, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group (1954). [Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees: signed 7/28/1951; entered into force 4/22/1954.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (U.N.H.C.R.) website; Human Rights Watch website.]
* 4/29: Day production and use of chemical weapons was outlawed world-wide (1997); day to mourn their victims. [Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons a/k/a Chemical Weapons Convention: signed 1/13/1993; entered into force 4/29/1997.] [Text of Convention] [China, Taiwan, and North Korea are believed to currently possess chemical weapons. China has ratified the Treaty; Taiwan and North Korea have not.] [Taoists and Shintoists should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of chemical weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.] [For more information, see U.N. Disarmament of Weapons of Mass Destruction website; Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (O.P.C.W.) webpage; Sipri Chemical and Biological Weapons Project: Chemical Weapons Convention Mainpage; Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project website; Monterey Institute of International Studies Chemical and Biological Weapons Resource Page; Federation of American Scientists (F.A.S.) Chemical and Biological Arms Control Program website.] [a/k/a Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare] [See U.N. website on Chemical Warfare Victims Remembrance Day.]
* 5/2: National Day of Prayer--Day to pray for freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state throughout the world. [Freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and separation of religion and government is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. For text and information on the First Amendment, see Cornell University's Legal Information Institute website; First Amendment Online website and 1st Amendment.com website. For domestic organizations that advocate for freedom of religion, see Americans United for Separation of Church and State website and American Civil Liberty Union website. For information on religious freedom in countries around the world, see U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report; Human Rights Watch website; Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief website.]
* 5/3: Taue Matsuri--Shinto rice-planting festival. Prayers are made to the Kami for a bountiful harvest. [a/k/a O-taue Matsuri, Otaue-Sai]
* 5/5: Tango-no-Sekku--Shinto festival honoring boys. Families pray for the health, happiness, and prosperity of boys, and to protect them from evil spirits. [a/k/a Koi-no-Bori, Boys' Day, Boys' Festival, Children's Day]
* 6/4: Day to mourn the massacre of the peaceful, pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China (1989); vigil for democracy and respect for the human rights of all in China. [For more information, see Human Rights Watch report: China.]
* 6/15: Suijin Matsuri--Shinto rite honoring the Kami of Water. [a/k/a Water Kami Festival]
* 6/21: Taoist festival honoring Shang-Ti/Heavenly Emperor, Father of Justice and Law, and manifestation of the Te (Virtuous Inner Power). Also celebrates the peak of the masculine Yang half of the year and the Shen of Fire, South, and Summer; prayers are made for strength and maturity, and offerings are made to the ancestors.
* 6/30: Oharai/Grand Purification Festival--Shinto rite exorcising evil from the world. Devotees are purified from offenses committed. [a/k/a Oh-Harai-Taisai, Great Purification Festival]
* 7/1: Day the world's nations committed to stop proliferation of nuclear weapons (1968); vigil to protest the production and use of all nuclear weapons world-wide. [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: signed 7/1/1968; entered into force 3/5/1970.] [Text of Convention] [The U.S. used 2 atomic bombs on Japan in 8/1945: over 270,000 civilians died from the bombs and radiation. The U.S. and China have failed to destroy their nuclear weapons in spite of the Treaty's requirement that they work towards disarmament. 8 countries are known to currently possess nuclear weapons and other countries are attempting to develop or acquire them.] [Taoists and Shintoists should renounce the production, acquisition, and use of nuclear weapons, and should demand destruction of all existing weapons.] [For more information, see U.N. Disarmament of Weapons of Mass Destruction website; International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) website. See Federation of American Scientists (F.A.S.) nuke guide for information on North Korea's nukes.]
* 7/1: Day endangered species became internationally protected (1975); day to celebrate all the world's creatures. [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora: signed/adopted 3/3/1973; entered into force 7/1/1975.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see U.N. Environmental Programme CITES website; World Wildlife Fund website; EarthJustice website.]
* 7/7: Tanabata--Shinto rite honoring the Kami of the Stars. [a/k/a Star Kami Festival]
* 8/6: Day to mourn those harmed by the atomic bomb attacks on Japan (1945); day to advocate for world-wide prohibition of all weapons of mass destruction. [Hiroshima was bombed on 8/6/1945; Nagasaki was bombed on 8/9/1945: over 270,000 civilians died from the bombs and radiation.] [Use of weapons of mass destruction is now recognized to constitute a crime against humanity and cannot be justified under any circumstances.] [While the U.S. government bombed Japanese cities, few Americans authorized it. Virtually all Americans alive today disapprove of the disproportionate use of force, and many Americans at the time disapproved as well. While it is appropriate to expect atonement from the U.S. government, it is immoral to blame all Americans today for the acts of the U.S. government in 1945.]
* 8/15: Kaza Matsuri--Shinto rite honoring the Kami of Wind. [a/k/a Wind Kami festival]
* 8/28: Opening of the Second World Parliament of Religions (1993), attended by members of all the world's religions. A Global Ethic was adopted that condemns hatred, aggression, oppression, and environmental abuses committed in the name of religion. [Text of Global Ethic] [See also website for the Parliament of the World's Religions.]
* 9/3: Day gender discrimination was outlawed world-wide (1981); day to mourn all manifestations of sexism. [Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women: adopted by U.N. General Assembly 12/18/1979; signed 3/1/1980; entered into force 9/3/1981.] [Text of Convention] [For more information, see WomenWatch: United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women website; Feminist Majority Foundation website; Human Rights Watch website.] [Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Text of Declaration) and Article 2 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Text of Covenant) also prohibit discrimination on account of gender.]
* 9/21: International Day of Peace--Day to demonstrate for peace with justice throughout the world. [Peace can be realized where there is recognition of sovereignty/autonomy, compliance with just law, respectful behavior, responsible sharing of resources, cooperation to attain common goals, and reasonable compromise to enable all to meet lawful goals.] [a/k/a U.N. International Day of Peace] [For more information on the International Day of Peace, see International Day of Peace website; International Day of Peace Vigil website.]
* 9/23: Taoist festival honoring the Shen of Winds, West, and Autumn; thanksgiving is made for the harvest. Taoists believe the unity of Yin (Eternal Feminine) and Yang (Eternal Masculine) make up the psyche-matter-energy of the eternal all-encompassing Ch'i.
* 9/23: Shuki-Korei-Sai--Shinto rite honoring ancestral spirits. [a/k/a Shuki-Sorei-Sai, Shubun-no-Hi, Shubun-Sai, Aki-no-Higan]
* 9/28: Birthday of Confucius (K'ung Fu-Tzu) (551 BCE). He taught that societal harmony could be realized when individuals acted with loving care for family, concern for friends and neighbors, benevolence to strangers, and respect for all. [Founder of Confucianism.] [Death day 11/29/479 BCE]
* 10/17: Shukaku Matsuri--Shinto rite offering thanks and first fruits of the rice harvest to the Kami. [a/k/a Aki Matsuri, Kannamesai, Harvest Festival]
* 10/18: Day the Clean Water Act was enacted (1972); day to give thanks for the water we drink. [Pub. L. 92-500, 86 Stat. 896, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.] [Text of statute] [See also EarthJustice website.]
* 11/1: World Community Day--Day for celebrating the unity behind diversity and remembering we are all one people - all children of the one universal Deity of many names and aspects.
* 11/16: Tolerance Day--Day to promote harmony in diversity through mutual respect and understanding of all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, nationality, or economic status. [Despite international and domestic laws providing for equal rights, freedoms, and protections, members of minority groups are still harassed and discriminated against because of societal intolerance arising from fear and ignorance.] [Intolerance often results from projection of "collective guilt": it is immoral to blame an entire group for the acts of a member unless the entire group empowered the member who acted or endorsed the acts.] [See U.N. website on International Day for Tolerance; Wikipedia article on Declaration of Principles on Tolerance.] [a/k/a International Day for Tolerance]
* 11/21: Fast for an Abundant World Harvest--Day to fast and commit to action to help prevent deaths from malnourishment world-wide. [a/k/a Fast for a World Harvest] [For more information, see the Oxfam America website.]
* 11/28: Thanksgiving Day--Day to give thanks for the abundance of our land and for our food, clothes, shelter, and health.
* 12/1: Suijin-Matsuri--Shinto rite honoring the Kami of Water. [a/k/a Water Kami Festival]
* 12/1: World AIDS Day--Day to pray for healing of all those suffering with AIDS and HIV. [For information on World AIDS Day, see World AIDS Day website. For information about the global fight against AIDS, see UNAIDS website.] [For information on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, see Human Rights Watch website.]
* 12/7: National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day--Day to commemorate the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and remember the innocent who died in the 1941 attack. [While Emperor Hirohito's Japanese government bombed Pearl Harbor, few Japanese authorized it. Virtually all Japanese alive today disapprove of the unprovoked attack, and many Japanese at the time disapproved as well. While it is appropriate to expect atonement from the Japanese government, it is immoral to blame all Japanese today for the acts of the Japanese government in 1941.] [a/k/a Pearl Harbor Day]
* 12/10: Day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, and fundamental rights were recognized world-wide (1948). [The U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (U.D.H.R.) in Resolution 217 A(III). See Text of Declaration. For more information on the history of the U.D.H.R., see Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute website. The U.D.H.R. is generally recognized as binding customary international law. In 1966, the concepts of the U.D.H.R. were expanded and drafted into two binding international treaties with enforcement mechanisms. The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Text of Covenant) is enforced by the Human Rights Committee (see Human Rights Committee website; University of Minnesota Human Rights Library website) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (see Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights website; Human Rights Watch website). The Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (Text of Covenant) is enforced by the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (see Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights website).] [a/k/a International Human Rights Day]
* 12/15: Day the Bill of Rights became part of the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental rights to all (1791). [Text of Bill of Rights] [For more information about the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution, see U.S. National Archives & Records Administration website and the Bill of Rights Institute website. For information on organizations that advocate for enforcement of rights and liberties in the Bill of Rights, see Center for Constitutional Rights website; American Civil Liberties Union website.] [a/k/a Bill of Rights Day]
* 12/17: Day the Clean Air Act was enacted (1963); day to give thanks for the air we breathe. [Pub. L. 88-206, 77 Stat. 392, 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.] [Text of statute] [See also EarthJustice website.]
* 12/22: Taoist festival honoring Wang-Mu/Empress Mother, Mother of Compassion and Wisdom, and manifestation of the Tao (Cosmic Power of Creation and Destruction). Also celebrates the peak of the feminine Yin half of the year and the Shen of Earth, North, and Winter; prayers are made for rest and renewal, and offerings are made to the Cosmos.
* 12/22: Tohji-Taisai--Shinto rite honoring Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Storm God Susano-o angered Her, and She withdrew into a cave until enticed out with music and dance.
* 12/28: Day the Endangered Species Act was enacted (1973); day to mourn those creatures already extinct. [Pub. L. 93-205, 87 Stat. 884, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.] [Text of statute] [See also EarthJustice website.]
* 12/31: Oharai/Grand Purification Festival--Shinto rite exorcising evil from the world. Devotees are purified from offenses committed. [a/k/a Oh-Harai-Taisai, Great Purification Festival]
[Taoism (Daoism) was founded in 3rd Century BCE China by Lao-Tzu. Taoism is a philosophical and spiritual system grounded in Nature and its rhythms. Taoist holy scripture is called the Tao Tsang. It includes the Tao-Te Ching and over a thousand other writings. Taoist holidays and the Taoist calendar are based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. Chinese religion is a fusion of Taoism and Confucianism, and most Chinese also practice Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.]
[Confucianism was founded in 6th Century BCE China by Confucius (K'ung Fu-Tzu). Confucianism is a philosophical system focused on ethics and social structure.]
[Shinto (Shintoism) originated in Japan. Shinto is grounded in Nature and its rhythms. Shinto practitioners make daily offerings and prayers at home shrines and attend regional or national Shinto Shrines on annual festival days. Though Shinto holidays were previously based on a lunar calendar, the Shinto calendar is now based on the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted in Japan. Most Japanese practice both Shinto and a form of Mahayana or Tantric Buddhism.]
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Permission to use and distribute these excerpts is granted for non-commercial purposes, provided the following information is included:
Excerpted from
THE MYSTIC'S WHEEL OF THE YEAR 2002
A Multifaith Calendar Reflecting Eco-Egalitarian Spirituality
© 2001 Marija Miovski
www.WheeloftheYear.com
