August 2024

All Month

National Black Business Month

August is National Black Business Month, an annual celebration recognizing Black entrepreneurs and their contributions to America's economy.

1

Aug

Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh is a Gaelic festival, marking the beginning of the harvest season, and an official holiday in Ireland.

1

Aug

Guyana Emancipation Day

Emancipation Day commemorates the abolition of slavery in Guyana in 1834.

6

Aug

Dia de la Independencia de Bolivia

This holiday celebrates when Bolivia declared its independence from Spain on August 6, 1825.

9

Aug

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

This day both celebrates the achievements and resilience of indigenous people and raises awareness for a specific issue or challenge they face. Each year, a new issue is highlighted.

13-16

Aug

Obon

An annual Japanese holiday that commemorates and remembers deceased ancestors. Ancestral spirits are believed to temporarily return to this world to visit their relatives during Obon.

15

Aug

India Independence Day

Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 in India, commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on August15, 1947.

18-19

Aug

Tu B'Av

According to the Mishna, Tu B'Av was a joyous holiday in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the grape harvest.

19

Aug

Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is a popular and traditionally Hindu annual rite. On this day, sisters of all ages tie a talisman called the rakhi around the wrists of their brothers. They symbolically protect them, receive a gift in return, and traditionally invest the brothers with a share of the responsibility of their potential care.

23

Aug

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

This day was designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade.

25

Aug

Dia de la Independencia de Uruguay

The anniversary of the day Uruguay officially separated from Brazil to become an independent nation.

26

Aug

Women's Equality Day

The 19th Amendment,  which gave women the right to vote, was signed into law on this day in 1920. It's important to note that full electoral equality was still decades away for many women of color.

6-7

Aug

Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.

31

Aug

International Day for People of African Descent

This holiday was created by the United Nations to celebrate the diverse heritage and contributions of people of African descent.

31

Aug

African Traditional Medicine Day

This day honours the integral role of traditional medicine in the health and welfare of generations of people on the continent.