April 4, 2022
Weekly global religious, spiritual and nonreligious observance information
The President's Committee on Religion, Spirituality and Nonreligious Diversity presents the global observance information for April 4-10.
April 5, Qingming Festival, Taoist and traditional Chinese. Celebrated by Chinese throughout the world, it is also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. People go to the tombs of ancestors and sweep them clean. This day is an occasion to remember ancestors and also denotes the beginning of spring. In China, it is a public holiday.
April 6, Founding of the Church of Latter-day Saints. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on this day in 1830 by Joseph Smith and five others in upstate New York.
April 10, Palm Sunday, Christianity. Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, Christians celebrate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, five days before his crucifixion. It is referred to in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospel of Matthew describes how crowds lay their cloaks and tree branches on the path before the donkey Jesus was riding. It also marks the beginning of Holy Week and is the most important celebration in Christianity culminating in the resurrection, the rising of Jesus from the dead. From the early days of Christianity, followers have marked the holiday with processions in the streets and holding various types of greenery in bouquets.
April 10-16, Holy Week, Christianity, Western churches. This is the week preceding Easter.
April 10, Rama Navami, Hindu. Celebration of the birth of Lord Rama. This is part of the spring festival. Lord Rama is believed to be the seventh avatar of the Hindu Lord Vishnu. Although this day is declared a holiday in many Indian states, it is celebrated on different days. The Hindus celebrate this day by going to temples, observing fasts and seeking Lord Rama’s blessings. This spring festival clearly promotes the idea of the victory of good over evil.
The President's Committee on Religious, Spiritual and Nonreligious Diversity welcomes those of all global religious, spiritual and nonreligious commitments. Further, we welcome any suggestions, questions or other comments. Please contact the chair, Bev Earles.