📅 holiday

Kayin New Year

Friday, January 8, 2027

— days to go

The Kayin, also known as the Karen, are a people of Myanmar who constitute about seven percent of the population. In 2027, Kayin New Year Day falls on Friday 8 January. The holiday will be on Tuesday 28 December in 2027. They number approximately seven million, making them the third largest of Myanmar’s many ethnic groups. They reside in Kayin State and have long claimed the right to form an independent nation. When Burma became independent of Britain in 1948, they refused to sign “the Panglong Agreement,” by which Burma became a single, unified nation. There war of resistance is one of the longest in the world, and many of them are now displaced in neighboring regions of Thailand. Kayin New Year has been a public holiday in Myanmar since 2009, but it has been celebrated since 1938. The date of Kayin New Year varies because the Kayin use a lunar calendar. The New Year comes on the first day of Pyatho, the month that comes at the end of rice harvest time. The Kayin base the timing of New Year’s Day on their calendar on the beginning of their historic migration from Mongolia to Myanmar over 2,700 years ago. While they have never had independent status, they have long desired it and have kept up their distinctive traditions through the centuries. Kayin New Year is a time during which the Kayin celebrate this unique cultural heritage and promote the preservation of their language, literature, and other traditions. One tradition for Kayin New Year is consuming steamed, sticky rice to celebrate the new rice harvest. Another is wearing traditional clothing, consisting of woven tunics pulled over red “longyis”, and visiting friends and family throughout the local area. Yet another is holding dancing contests where Kayin dances and songs are performed. You will also see the flag of “Kawthoolei,” the dreamed-of independent Kayin state, prominently displayed. Especially in the Kayin capital, Hpa An, there will be an abundance of Kayin New Year events. The Kayin flag will be raised at dawn in Hpa An, and dancing, rice eating, speeches, student award ceremonies, and exhibits on Kayin history will all follow. The celebrations of Kayin New Year in Hpa An sometimes continue for days on end. While Kayin New Year is an ethnic-specific holiday, it is also a public holiday and is celebrated all over Myanmar. Kayin Christians and Buddhists both observe the day, and many tourists take part in the celebrations as well. There will be events, many of a similar nature, all over Kayin State for Kayin New Year. Some of the activities to look for include:

History

In 2027, Kayin New Year Day falls on Friday 8 January. There war of resistance is one of the longest in the world, and many of them are now displaced in neighboring regions of Thailand. Kayin New Year has been a public holiday in Myanmar since 2009, but it has been celebrated since 1938. The date of Kayin New Year varies because the Kayin use a lunar calendar. The New Year comes on the first day of Pyatho, the month that comes at the end of rice harvest time

How It's Celebrated

The holiday will be on Tuesday 28 December in 2027. Kayin New Year has been a public holiday in Myanmar since 2009, but it has been celebrated since 1938. While they have never had independent status, they have long desired it and have kept up their distinctive traditions through the centuries. Kayi

Other Years

2027 Fri

8 Jan

2028 Tue

19 Dec

2025 Fri

19 Dec

2024 Thu

4 Jan

Countries

🇲🇲 MM

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📅 holiday Feb 10

Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck

The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a holiday unique to Malta because it was on Malta that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked around the year A.D. 60. In 2027, Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck falls on Wednesday 10 February. The holiday will be on Thursday 10 February in 2028. The feast is kept on February 10th each year, and as Paul is the patron saint of Malta, it is a much-anticipated event. Out of dozens of “saint days” on the church calendar in Malta, the Feast of Saint Paul is one of only a handful that have the status of a national holiday. The account of Paul’s shipwreck and three-month, wintertime stay on Malta is found in the Bible’s Acts 27:27 through 28:11. He was being taken to Rome as a prisoner to eventually stand trial before Caesar. God let him know in advance he would be shipwrecked but would spare the lives of all on board, which promise was later kept and in answer to Paul’s prayers for their lives. The Bible says the storm was in the Adriatic Sea, though Malta borders the Ionian Sea, because in ancient times, the Adriatic’s boundaries were considered to extend much farther south. The ship broke up on the rocks near the shores of Malta, and all swam ashore. The local population greeted them, but thought he might be a murderer whom the “goddess of justice” had finally caught up with after he was bitten by a poisonous snake. After he lived, however, they supposed him to be, perhaps, a god. Paul, however, soon showed them it was God’s power at work in a mere man by healing the governor of the island, Publius, and many others who were sick or disabled among the island’s population. No doubt, Paul preached the Gospel to them as well, and when he left Malta, the inhabitants gave him all necessary supplies out of gratitude. The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is kept at the “Parish Church of Saint Paul Shipwrecked” in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. It is also a day of processions and family get-togethers. Three things to do should you visit Malta, though hopefully not be shipwrecked there, on February 10th are:

📅 holiday Feb 23

Defender of the Fatherland Day

Defender of the Fatherland Day is a public holiday in RU.

📅 holiday Mar 19

St Joseph's Day

Every 19 March is celebrated as Saint Joseph’s Day in Roman Catholic cantons of the Swiss Confederation. In 2027, St Joseph's Day falls on Friday 19 March. The holiday will be on Sunday 19 March in 2028. However, in recent years, people have paid it less and less mind, and many local businesses in these regions don’t even close on Saint Joseph’s Day like they used to. Interestingly, there are two different religious feast days dedicated to Joseph in Roman Catholicism. Saint Joseph’s Day focuses on his role as the husband of Mary and “step father” of the child Jesus. But on 1 May, Saint Joseph the Worker day focuses on his role as the patron saint of all carpenters. There aren’t many events in areas of Switzerland celebrating Saint Joseph’s Day on 19 March. For those who have the day off, it is often spent relaxing, shopping or getting outdoors in the Spring weather.

CHESVA +1

📅 holiday Mar 30

Seward's Day

Seward’s Day commemorates the signing of the treaty with the Russian Empire on 30 March 1867 that secured the purchase of Alaska. This holiday differs from Alaska Day, which commemorates the “formal actual transfer” of Alaska. In 2027, Seward's Day falls on Monday 29 March. The holiday will be on Monday 27 March in 2028. The treaty was single-handedly negotiated by Secretary of State William Seward, which arranged for the vast territory’s purchase at only $7.2 million. Russia was willing to sell because, at the time, Alaska was costing them more to maintain as a territory than it was producing in revenues. Thus, Seward was mocked by many and his purchase dubbed “Seward’s Folly” and, other times, “Seward’s Icebox.” However, in 1897, the discovery of gold in the Klondike River and the subsequent Alaska Gold Rush quelled the objections of “the doubters.” Seward, having passed away in 1872, never lived to witness his vindication. Later, the discovery of large oil, gas, and coal deposits and the development of the lumber and fishing industries proved once again how valuable Alaska was economically. Another factor to remember is that the removal of Russian influence from the North American continent was a significant political benefit the U.S. gained from the deal. Seward’s Day is observed every final Monday of March in Alaska, and many are off work or school. There are events held every year in Anchorage, Sitka, and Seward.