June 2024 - Intercultural calendar

The calendar provides an overview of public holidays, traditional and religious holidays and international commemoration days without intending to be exhaustive.

9 June: Father's Day - traditional

A day in honour of fathers, who receive small presents and flowers and spend time with their families, e.g. have a meal together.

12 to 13 June: Shavuot - Judaism

The Feast of Weeks is held in commemoration of the revelation of the Law on Mount Sinai, God's most important gift to His people: the Torah, the document establishing the covenant between God and His people.

13 June: Ascension Day (Orthodox) – Christianity

Ascension Day celebrates Christ’s return to heaven. It is customary to prepare lamb for a festive meal. Another custom for men is to not shave on that day and also to not sleep during the day as this would mean bad luck.

16 to 19 June: Festival of Sacrifice (Turkish: Kurban Bayrami, Arabic: Eid ul Adha) - Islam

This most important feast of Islam symbolises devotion to God and trust in His mercy. This festival is marked by a story in the Koran (which is paralleled in the Old Testament): God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael (that is Isaac in the Old Testament) in obedience to God's word. In the last moment God intercedes by replacing a ram for the child. In commemoration, Muslims eat a sheep or donate its equivalent value in cash to charity. Depending on the national calendar tradition, the date of the festival may vary by one day.

20 June: World Refugee Day - international

The Convention relating to the Status of Refugees was adopted in 1951. World Refugee Day is observed on 20 June and commemorates the signing of the Convention. Thanks to the Refugee Convention millions of people have found protection from persecution and have been able to start a new life in safety.

23 June: Pentecost Sunday (Orthodox) – Christianity

This day commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. It is also known as the "birthday of the church". Traditionally, churches are decorated with greenery and flowers.

24 June: Pentecost Monday (Orthodox) – Christianity

It is customary to avoid hard work on this day and for families to remember their deceased loved ones. Girls who wash their faces with water containing flowers are said to have a clean and beautiful face all year round.

24 June: Ghadir Khumm festival - Islam

With this festival, Shia Muslims commemorate a historical event in the town of Ghadir Khumm, where, according to Shia belief, the Prophet declared Ali as his successor. Depending on national tradition, the date can vary by one day.