Gung Hay Fat Choi! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Welcome to the Year of the Horse. The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, begins on January 31, according to the Gregorian Calendar in 2014.
Millions of Canadians, particularly those of Chinese heritage, and people all over the world will bring in the New Year. People of diverse religious, ethnic and political backgrounds come together to celebrate the common bonds of Chinese culture.
For more on Chinese New Year:
Chinese Historical and Cultural Project
India is sometimes described as “the world’s largest democracy.” With over a billion people, India is second only to China in population, and although it is certainly troubled, it has a more democratic system than its Asian neighbour. People in India and Indians around the world celebrate on January 26th of each year, commemorating the establishment of the Republic of India with the passing of the Constitution in 1950.
For more on Republic Day in India:
From the Government of Canada: “During World War II, millions of Jews perished in the Holocaust. Some, however, were saved by the efforts of courageous groups and individuals, such as Raoul Wallenberg who is credited with saving more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews.” (Read more.) Raoul Wallenberg disappeared on January 17, 1945. In 2001 the Canadian Government designated January 17 to be Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada.
For more on Wallenberg:
Buddhists of the Mahayana tradition celebrate a New Year’s Festival on the first full moon of January. In 2014 this event takes place January 16. The Mahayana form of Buddhism spread north from India into the countries of East Asia.
Find out more about Buddhism:
On this day Sikhs in Canada, India and around the world celebrate Maghi. This is a holy day for Sikhs in honour of the Chali Mukte, the “Forty Liberated Ones,” who died in defence of the 10th Guru of the Sikh Faith, Guru Gobind Singh.
For more information on Sikhism, check out some of the following links:
In the United States, the 3rd Monday in January is a National Holiday in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. While it is not a holiday in Canada, Canadians and people all over the world will take some time today to acknowledge the tremendous legacy of Dr. King as a champion of freedom, equality and peace. 
In the school library we will be taking the opportunity to view footage of Dr. King’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech from the 1963 March on Washington. Please be sure to join us!
Learn more:
The family is where literacy begins. Parents, you can give your children the greatest gift by reading with them regularly. “Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.” (ABC Life Literacy Canada)
For more information:
Sikhs in Canada and around the world observe the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh who was born on this day in 1666 in Patna, India. He was the 10th and last of the (human) Gurus of Sikhism. He established the Khalsa, the organization of men and women baptized into the Sikh faith. He also established the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, as the final Guru for the Sikh people. For more on Guru Gobind Singh and the Sikh faith, check out some of the following links:
Happy New Year 2014!
Today is the first day of the year on the Gregorian Calendar and the first day of 2014 according the Anno Domini reckoning of years.
Of course, a “New Year’s Day” is an arbitrary notion and is celebrated at various times according to the traditions of different religions, cultures and nationalities. January 1st was adopted as the start of the year sometime during the era of the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, most European countries celebrated the New Year in the Spring. However, by the time the Gregorian Calendar began to be adopted by most Western nations, January 1st became the standard for celebrating the New Year.
Happy New Year! We hope that 2013 was good and that 2014 will be better!
Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language. ”
(From the Official Kwanzaa Website)
Christians in Canada and around the world celebrate the Nativity, the birth of the Christ. Christians believe that Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, in Roman occupied Israel roughly 2000 years ago, was the Messiah, the long awaited saviour promised by God.The Hebrew word Messiah translates to Greek as Khristos, from which we get the anglicized form, Christ. Christians believe that God became one of us in the person of Jesus, or Emanuel, literally “God With Us.”Over the course of the last century, Christmas has grown from a strictly Christian festival to become a secular holiday celebrated by people of many different religions, cultures and worldviews from all over the planet. For some, Santa Claus, stockings and gift-giving are central to Christmas. To others, it is a much needed rest at the coldest and darkest time of year. Some may agree with the Grinch, who simply hated Christmas, or with Ebenezer Scrooge when he said it was a “Humbug” — although both of them changed their positions in the end!
Whether you are celebrating the birth of the Christ with your family and friends, or observe Christmas as a strictly secular event, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 