Diversity Calendar - March, 2008

March 2008

Irish American Heritage Month. First proclaimed by Congress in 1995, Irish American Heritage Month celebrates the many achievements and contributions made to American culture by persons of Irish heritage. Each year the president of the United States issues a proclamation declaring the month of March to be Irish American Heritage Month.

National Women's History Month. This was established by presidential proclamation to draw attention to and rectify the limited focus on women in historical studies. For the theme for the Year 2008, and for educational materials, contact the National Women's History Project.

March 1, Saturday

Blanche K. Bruce (1841–1898) : African American. Legislator. Born into slavery, Bruce represented Mississippi in the United States Senate from 1875 to 1881. The only African American to serve a full term in the Senate during Reconstruction, Bruce opposed the exclusion of Chinese from the United States and fought for citizenship rights for American Indians.

Ralph Ellison (1914–1994) : African American. Writer. Introduced to literature by his mother, who worked as a domestic, Ellison attended Tuskegee Institute on a music scholarship. However, in 1936 he moved to New York City, where he began to write short stories while supporting himself as a freelance photographer and audio engineer. He served in the merchant marines during World War II. After seven years of effort, he published Invisible Man in 1952, which won the National Book Award. Since then, the book has become a classic of African American literature and has been translated into seventeen languages. He taught and lectured widely, was appointed to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, served on the National Council on the Arts and Humanities and the Carnegie Commission on public television, and was a trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He died on this day at his home in New York City.

Independence Movement Day (Sam’il-Jol) : South Korea. Known also as Three-One Day, or Sam’il-Jol, this day commemorates the March 1, 1919 movement of massive demonstrations against Japanese rule. Japan, which had annexed Korea in 1910, suppressed the movement, and it was not until the end of World War II that Korea became independent, and then only as the two separate states of North and South Korea, divided at the 38th parallel.

March 2, Sunday

Granting of citizenship to Puerto Ricans (1917) : United States. On this date the United States Congress passed the Jones Act, which conferred U.S. citizenship on Puerto Ricans and gave them the right to elect representatives to both houses of the territorial legislature. The act was opposed by some of the most prominent Puerto Rican leaders because they felt it was a poor substitute for full independence. (See entries for April 16 and July 17.)

March 3, Monday

Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri) : Japan. This is one of the major social festivals in traditional Japan. There is much visiting among family members and friends, and visitors bring gifts of dolls. The traditional holiday foods are red-bean-flavored rice, rice dumplings wrapped in cherry leaves, and a special sweet cake.

Butter Sculpture Festival : Tibet. Also known as the Butter Lamp Festival, this holiday is celebrated on the evening of the fifteenth day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar year. It is part of Monlam Chenmo, the Great Prayer Festival of Tibetan Buddhism held after the New year. People make pilgrimages to the monastery in Kumbum to witness a spectacular display of sculptures, all hand-sculpted from yak butter by the monks and painted in vibrant colors, depicting Buddhist deities, events from the stories of Sakyamuni's previous births, and various events in Tibetan folklore and religious history. These exquisite butter sculptures, some of which are thirty feet high, are illuminated on this special night by hundreds of butter lamps. As ephemeral as they are beautiful, all of the sculptures will be destroyed by the monks before dawn, a reminder of the Buddhist belief in the impermanence of all things. (m)

Great Lent begins : Coptic Orthodox Christian. Also known as the Great Fast, this begins the Lenten season for the Coptic Orthodox Christians, who follow the Julian calendar. It begins with a one-week preparatory fast, followed by a 40-day fast commemorating Christ’s fasting on the mountain. The fast of Great Lent, which includes Sundays, officially ends on the Saturday before Holy Week, known as Lazarus Saturday, although fasting continues during Holy Week (Pascha). During this time, no animal products, such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, or butter, are allowed. Moreover, no food or drink may be taken between sunrise and sunset.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Before inviting someone to lunch or hosting a meal, check to see whether invitee is observing the fast for this period. (m)

March 4, Tuesday

Kazimierz (Casimir) Pulaski (1748–1779) : Polish. Soldier. An aristocrat and patriot, Pulaski left Poland after participating in a failed uprising protesting the increasing dominance of foreign powers in Polish affairs. He then offered his services to the American Revolution. He fought in a number of engagements before being mortally wounded at the siege of Savannah, Georgia.

March 6, Thursday

Maha Shivaratri (ma-ha-sheevah-rahtree) (Shiva's Night) : Hindu. This festival honors Shiva who, along with Vishnu and Krishna, is one of the most important deities in Hinduism. It is observed in the spring and is celebrated with fasting, prayer, and meditation.

At the moment of death the sum of all the experiences of life on earth comes to the surface of the mind—for in the mind are stored all impressions of past deeds—and the dying man then becomes absorbed in these experiences.

—Srimad Bhagavatam (The Story of Krishna)

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Fasting is part of celebrating this holiday. Check before inviting someone to lunch or hosting a meal. Before arranging any event involving food, check to see if invitees are following a special Maha Shivaratri diet. See discussion under Days of Religious Observance.) (m)

Independence Day : Ghana. On this date in 1957, the British territories of the Gold Coast and Togoland became the independent nation of Ghana.

March 8, Saturday

International Women's Day : International. The movement to create an International Women's Day began as part of the socialist movement for greater women's rights, particularly the right to vote. First designated as the last Sunday in February by the Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1910, it was later changed to be uniformly celebrated on March 8 to honor women's role in the Russian Revolution. With the resurgence of feminism in the late 1960s, International Women's Day gained renewed interest as a day to celebrate women's lives and work.

March 10, Monday

Lorenzo da Ponte (1749–1838) : Italian American. Librettist, businessman, and teacher. Da Ponte immigrated to the United States at the age of 57, having won fame in Europe as the librettist for Mozart's operas Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte. After arriving in the United States, da Ponte worked as a grocer, impresario, and teacher of Italian at Columbia University. As one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Italian Opera House in New York in 1832, da Ponte helped to promote the appreciation of Italian culture in the United States.

Harriet Tubman (1820?–1913) : African American. Abolitionist. Tubman became the "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, a clandestine system for helping slaves escape to freedom in the North. An escaped slave, she earned the name "Moses" for her heroic work in leading some 400 slaves to freedom. She died on this date.

Beginning of Great Lent : Eastern Orthodox Christian. Also known as Clean Monday in Greece and Green Monday in Cyprus, this begins the Lenten season based on the Julian calendar followed by Eastern Orthodox Christians. Eastern Orthodox Lent, known as Great Lent, includes Sundays and officially ends on Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, although fasting continues during Holy Week. While many people no longer fast for forty days, most people observe the fast strictly for the two weeks preceding Easter. In Greece, a carnival season called apokria precedes the start of Lent. Apokria begins with a feast of roast kid or lamb, followed by two weeks of festivities including parades of masked figures. The third week begins with Tyrini—Cheese Sunday—when cheese, a food forbidden during Lent, is eaten in pies. The following day is Clean Monday, and is a national holiday when many children appear in their Carnival costumes. The pastime of the day is flying special hexagonal kites decorated with geometric designs. Traditionally, all animal foods including fish are forbidden during Lent and some people also eschew oil. Vegetables and legumes are therefore the main Lenten foods of Greece, with a little shellfish—permitted because, unlike fin fish, it lacks blood. This day is a national holiday in Greece and Cyprus.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Before inviting someone to lunch or hosting a meal, check to see whether invitee is observing a special diet for this period. (m)

March 11, Tuesday

Restoration of Statehood Day : Lithuania. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania regained its previous independence and on March 11, 1990 proclaimed its restoration of statehood.

March 12, Wednesday

Maha Ghosananda (full title Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda) (1929–2007) : Cambodia. Buddhist monk and peace activist. A highly revered Buddhist monk in the Theravada tradition and a devoted advocate for peace, Maha Ghosananda, whose monastic name means “great joyful proclaimer,” helped restore Buddhism in his native Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Maha Ghosananda’s philosophy of nonviolent direct action began to take root during his years in India, where he studied with Nichidatsu Fujii, founder of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist order and a protégé of Mahatma Gandhi. Maha Ghosananda lived in exile from 1975 to 1979 during the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal reign of terror under Communist dictator Pol Pot, who denounced Buddhism, executing Buddhist monks and destroying Buddhist temples. When Pol Pot’s regime was toppled by the Vietnamese in 1979, Maha Ghosananda was one of the first monks to return to Cambodia and train new Buddhist leaders, and in 1988 the monks elected him Supreme Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism. In the late 1980s, he moved to the town of Leverett in western Massachusetts at the invitation of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist order, which had recently finished building a Peace Pagoda. Cambodian Buddhist refugees in the United States often traveled to the Peace Pagoda to meet with him. Maha Ghosananda returned to Cambodia in 1991 to lead a cross-country pilgrimage for peace, in the first of what would become known as the Dhammayietra Walks for Peace and Reconciliation. Called “the Cambodian Gandhi” because of his commitment to nonviolence and peaceful activism, Maha Ghosananda had a profound influence upon peace movements around the world, and was nominated six times for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the day of his death.

Sun Yat-sen's Death : People's Republic of China. This commemorates the death of China’s revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), founder of the Republic of China. Sun Yat-sen was the leader of China’s 1911 revolution, which overthrew the Ch’ing Dynasty that had ruled China since 1644. The Republic of China (Taiwan) celebrates the anniversary of his birth on November 12.

March 14, Friday

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) : Jewish German American. Physicist. The leading theoretical physicist of the twentieth century, Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. When the Nazi government confiscated his property and deprived him of German citizenship in 1933, Einstein immigrated to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen and took a post at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.

New Year : Sikh. This begins the new year 540 of the Nanakshahi Era for the Sikhs, one of the largest religious groups in India. The first year of the Nanakshahi Era is 1469, the year of birth of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.

March 15, Saturday

Eusebio Francisco Kino (1645–1711) : Italian. Jesuit missionary and explorer. Kino is noted for his success in making converts among the Pima Indians while respecting their customs, and for the historical value of his letters, journals, and maps. From 1687 to the end of his life he worked in Pimeria Alta (now southern Arizona and northern Sonora in Mexico), where he founded a number of missions and introduced the Indians to cattle and to new crops. This day is the anniversary of his death.

National Day : Hungary. This marks the beginning of the 1848–49 Hungarian revolt against Austrian rule.

March 16, Sunday

Palm Sunday : Christian. On the Sunday before Easter, Christians remember Jesus' last entry into Jerusalem, when his way was strewn with palms by those gathered to see him. Churches, therefore, are decorated with palm. In England and Russia, where palm is unobtainable, pussy willow is used instead. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, the most important week of the Christian year. In Spain and Mexico many communities have penitential processions often lit by candles and people sometime flagellate themselves to reenact Jesus' suffering. Some communities perform traditional passion plays. The Lenten fast is strictest on Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. Holy Week or Semana Santa in Spanish, is Mexico's biggest holiday period with many cities holding candlelight processions. (m)

March 17, Monday

St. Patrick's Day : Ireland. Tradition holds that Ireland's patron saint died on this date in A.D. 493 at the age of 106. The anniversary of his death is celebrated in Ireland as a national holiday, with green, the color of the day, signifying undying gratitude to the memory of St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland. The shamrock is worn to commemorate its use by the saint as a symbol of the Trinity. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of Irish descent all over the world as an expression of pride in their heritage.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Although not an official holiday in the United States, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated throughout the country with parades to celebrate the contributions of people of Irish heritage throughout American history. Cities such as Boston, Chicago, and New York have very large parades. As part of the celebration, the city of Chicago turns the Chicago River green. For many Irish Americans, a meal of corned beef and cabbage is part of observing this holiday.

March 19, Wednesday

Feast of St. Joseph : Roman Catholic. This feast day honors St. Joseph, the husband of Mary. The celebration is especially important in Italy, because during the Middle Ages when Sicily was plagued with a horrible drought, St. Joseph (San Giuseppe) answered the people's prayers to him by ending the drought. A giant feast was held to honor San Giuseppe, a tradition that continues to this day. On the eve of March 19, bonfires are lit in the streets. The next day, an elderly carpenter is chosen to act the part of San Giuseppe, while a poor girl is chosen to play the part of Mary, and a young orphan boy plays the infant Jesus. A midday mass is held, followed by an outdoor banquet where crespoli di riso (rice made into sausages and fried in honey) and sfinci (cream-puff fritters with ricotta filling) are eaten. After the banquet, the Holy Family mounts richly adorned mules and leads a procession while being showered with gifts. The feast became widespread in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and in 1621 Pope Gregory XV made the Feast of St. Joseph a holy day of obligation.

March 20, Thursday

Now Rouz (now-rooz) (New Year) : Afghanistan, Iran. This is the traditional new year, coming at the time of the spring equinox and marking year 1387. The two days before Now Rouz are celebrated as holidays, as are the thirteen days following Now Rouz. Fireworks are set off on New Year’s Eve, symbolizing the victory of fire over darkness, a reenactment of the moment of Creation. On New Year’s morning, children are given gold coins, cakes, and decorated hard-boiled eggs, symbolizing fruitfulness and the renewal of the world. The number seven is considered a sacred number, linked to the idea of Creation. Afghans celebrate with special dishes, including miwa naurozee, a compote made of seven fruits. In Iran, families gather around a table set with seven symbolic foods—sprouted seeds, hyacinth, sweet wheat pudding, vinegar, sumac, apples, and olives, the names for all of these beginning with sen, the Iranian letter s. (m)

Maulid an-Nabi (Prophet Muhammad's Birthday) : Islam. This occurs on the 12th day of the Muslim month of Rabi ul-Awwal and marks the birth of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, in 570 A.C.E. (m)

Independence Day : Tunisia. This holiday commemorates the treaty of March 20, 1956, by which France recognized Tunisia as a sovereign nation.

Vernal Equinox Day (Shumbun No Hi) : Japan. This celebrates the beginning of spring and is a public holiday in Japan. It is a day to appreciate nature and pay respects to one’s ancestors by visiting their graves. The Japanese celebrate the start of spring with “nightingale cake,” made from sticky rice filled with a sweet white bean paste. Other springtime foods include raw squid and a special freshwater fish, ayu, grilled and eaten with green vegetables. Seaweed is especially popular in spring because it is tender and sweet. (m)

March 21, Friday

Good Friday : Christian. This is the day Christians commemorate Jesus' crucifixion. (m)

Holi (hah-lee) (3/21–22) : Hindu. Holi, the festival of colors, celebrates the coming of spring throughout India and the new harvest of the winter crop. It is celebrated over two days, Holi and Dhuleti, also known as chhoti holi and badi holi. Celebrations begin on the full moon night of the Hindu month of Phalgun, when large bonfires are lit to cleanse the air of evil spirits and to symbolize the destruction of Holika, for whom the festival is named. Newly harvested grains, coconuts, and sweets are thrown into the fire as offerings, followed by singing and dancing around the bonfire. When the fire dies down, water is splashed on the embers, and everyone applies the ash to their forehead. Some of the ash is kept in the home to apply to children’s foreheads to protect them against evil throughout the year. The following day is the festival of colors, a riotous and exuberant celebration of throwing colored powder, or gulal, on friends and spraying them with colored water, playing games, folk dancing, singing, feasting, and general merrymaking.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Hindus do not eat meat or drink alcoholic beverages. Most are strict vegetarians. “God bless you with prosperity and happiness” or “I wish you happiness and prosperity” are appropriate greetings for all Hindu holidays. (m)

Naw Ruz (New Year) : Baha'i. The Baha’i year consists of 19 months with 19 days in each month. The new year is preceded by a 19-day period of fasting beginning on March 2 and ending on March 20, during which Baha’is set time aside for prayer and meditation. Children under 15, the ill, and pregnant women and nursing mothers are exempt from the fast. Baha’i days begin at sunset, so the new year starts at sundown on March 20.

Naw Ruz (New Year) : Zoroastrian. Celebrated at the time of the vernal equinox, this is the beginning of the Zoroastrian new year according to the Fasli seasonal calendar. The most elaborate of the Gahambars, or feasts of obligation, observed during the Zoroastrian year, Naw Ruz celebrates Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom, and the holy fire symbolic of His divine light. The sixth day of Naw Ruz, called the Great Naw Ruz, is the most important day of celebration, since it is believed to be the birthday of the Zoroastrian prophet Zarathushtra. Patterned after the Gregorian calendar, the Fasli calendar keeps in harmony with the seasons by intercalculating one day every four years, with the date of Naw Ruz being fixed on March 21. According to the Shenshai, or Shahanshahi, calendar followed by Parsi Zoroastrians, Naw Ruz is observed on a different date. (See entry for Birthday of Prophet Zarathushtra.)

Purim (poor-îm) (Feast of Lots) : Jewish. This festive holiday celebrates the rescue of the ancient Persian Jews from a plot to destroy them. The king's advisor, Haman, cast lots to choose the day for carrying out his plan. Esther, the Jewish queen, persuaded her husband to spare the Jews. Fasting on the day before Purim commemorates Esther's fasting before seeing the king to plead for the Jewish people. The "Megillah," the story of Purim, is read in the synagogue. Children twirl gragers (noisemakers) to drown out Haman's name each time it is mentioned. Homentashen, special pastries in the form of Haman's hat, are eaten. Gifts are distributed to the poor as well as exchanged among family and friends.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: The traditional food, homentashen, is available at most bakeries. “Happy Purim” or simply “Happy Holiday” are appropriate greetings. (m)

Benito Pablo Juárez's Birthday : Mexico. This public holiday honors one of Mexico’s national heroes, Benito Pablo Juárez (1806–1872), who served his country as minister of justice, vice president, and president during the turbulent period from 1855 until his death. Among Juárez’s achievements are both the successful military resistance to the French emperor’s attempt to impose a puppet ruler, the archduke Maximilian of Austria, as emperor of Mexico, and the institution of a number of civil reforms.

Human Rights Day : South Africa. This day commemorates those Blacks who were killed at Sharpeville in 1960 and those who lost their lives in the struggle against apartheid.

Youth Day : Tunisia. Public holiday.

March 22, Saturday

Arab League Day : Lebanon.

Emancipation Day : Puerto Rico. On this day in 1873 the Spanish colonial government of Puerto Rico abolished slavery, fulfilling the commitment made after the Lares uprising of 1868. (See entry for September 23.)

March 23, Sunday

Easter : Christian. This is the holiest day for Christians. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after he was crucified and died in Jerusalem. It is Jesus' suffering and death on the cross, often referred to as the "passion," followed by his resurrection that is central to Christian faith. Easter culminates the penitential period that starts with Ash Wednesday. Palm Sunday, which marks the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, occurs one week before Easter. Easter is a joyous holiday, since it marks for Christians the fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. In addition to its religious significance, Easter is also celebrated as a spring holiday with themes of rebirth, gathering together with family and friends, and sharing special foods. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate this holiday. (m)

Republic Day : Pakistan. In its struggle for independence from Great Britain, India had an internal conflict as well between its Hindu and Muslim populations, each wanting a separate area over which it could rule. On this day in 1940, the All Indian Muslim League passed the Lehore Resolution, which called for a separate state for the Muslims of British India. In 1947, under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act from Great Britain, two states, a predominantly Hindu India and a predominantly Muslim Pakistan, were established. On this day in 1956, Pakistan declared itself an Islamic republic.

March 24, Monday

Easter Monday (observed as a public holiday in many countries) : Christian. The days from Good Friday through the Monday after Easter are public holidays in many countries. Governmental services and banks are closed, and most people have time off from work. Countries for which this is the case include England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, Australia, Austria, France, and Germany. When making plans, please check to see whether or not this holiday is observed. (m)

March 25, Tuesday

Arturo Toscanini (1867–1957) : Italian American. Orchestra conductor. Toscanini, one of the great virtuoso conductors of the early twentieth century, first came to prominence as a conductor of operas. After serving as musical director of La Scala, the opera house of Milan in his native Italy, and then of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, he became conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and finally of the NBC Symphony, sponsored by the radio network, which broadcast his performances to millions of homes across the nation. He was legendary for his phenomenal memory, his attention to detail, and his powers of interpretation, particularly in his performances of Verdi, Beethoven, and Wagner.

The Annunciation : Christian. Based on the gospel in Luke 1:26–56, this holy day celebrates the Angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary of Galilee that she would become the mother of Jesus.

Independence Day : Greece. During the early 19th century, Greeks throughout the world joined a secret society, the Philikê Hetairia (Friendly Association), whose purpose was to collect money and arms for a revolution to free Greece from Turkish rule. In March of 1821 the head of the organization, Alexander Ypsilanti, entered Turkish territory with a group of armed followers and declared the independence of Greece. Although his uprising was crushed, it is remembered as the first event in Greece's struggle for independence.

March 26, Wednesday

Henry O. Flipper (1856–1940) : African American. Military officer. Henry Flipper was the first Black West Point graduate. Although the fifth Black accepted to West Point, he was the first to graduate and in 1877 became the first Black commissioned officer in the United States Army. Flipper described his successful struggle against ostracism and prejudice in The Colored Cadet at West Point (1878). He joined the Tenth Cavalry, one of two all-Black army units. At Fort Sill in the Oklahoma territory, he perfected a system for draining mosquito-infested stagnant water that caused outbreaks of malaria at the fort. In 1881, he was court-martialed on charges of embezzlement. A review of the trial record at the time concluded that the charges were dubious, but President Chester Arthur refused to set the verdict aside. In 1976, the United States Army lifted Flipper's dishonorable discharge, recognizing that the conviction was racially motivated. On February 19, 1999, President Clinton granted a posthumous pardon to Flipper. Flipper has also been honored at West Point with an annual award given in his name to an outstanding cadet, and with a section of the library named after him.

Birthday of Prophet Zarathushtra (Khordad Sal) : Zoroastrian. This holiday, known as the Great Naw Ruz, celebrates the birth of the Persian prophet Zarathushtra, who founded Zoroastrianism. Known in Greece as Zoroaster, Zarathushtra is believed by scholars to have lived sometime between 1400 and 1000 B.C., although the Zoroastrian tradition teaches that he lived between the early 600s and the mid-500s B.C. Zoroastrianism originated in the Russian Steppes of Central Asia, along the northern border of the Persian Empire near the Aral Sea.

In a vision he received as a young man, Zarathushtra was called upon by God to proclaim His Manthra, or thought-provoking message, to humanity. Zarathushtra became the Manthran, or great thinker, the harbinger of God’s message to mankind. After the revelation, Zarathushtra composed the Gathas, hymns that were collected into a sacred book known as the Avesta. Zarathushtra propounded that the universe eminated through Global Wisdom and that the cosmos continues to be governed by the Supreme Divine Intellect of God, or Ahura Mazda.

Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion believing in one God who was the creator of all things and the source of all that is good. Zoroastrians believe that life is a constant struggle between the spirit of good, Spenta Mainyu, and the spirit of evil, Angra Mainyu. People must renounce evil and practice good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, for at their death Ahura Mazda will pass judgment upon them before they can enter the kingdom of everlasting joy. A Zoroastrian progresses toward God by choosing to do good—all mortals are equal before God, differing only in their degree of righteousness, and each individual is responsible for his or her own fate.

Zoroastrianism is based on the ethical values of truth and justice, and the universal message of the equality of all people. Modern Zoroastrians read from the Avesta, practice traditional purification habits, and attend rituals at fire temples. They are required to pray five times during the day, saying a special prayer for each part of the day. The prayers must be said in front of a fire or a symbolic replica of a fire, as fire represents the divine light and is a symbol for Ahura Mazda. Many concepts in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic religious traditions are rooted in Zoroastrianism. After King Nebuchadnezzar exiled the Jews to Babylon in the sixth century B.C., Babylon was conquered by Cyrus the Great, Emperor of Persia, who was a Zoroastrian. Thus Judaism came under the influence of Zoroastrianism and adopted many of its doctrines, doctrines that would pass from Judaism into Christianity and Islam. These include the beliefs in Monotheism, Heaven and Hell, Satan, the Resurrection, the coming of the Messiah, and the Last Judgment, and the practice of five daily prayers, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

The Muslim conquest of Persia in the mid A.D. 600s led to a decline in the practice of Zoroastrianism. However, several groups carried the faith into Iran and other countries. Some Zoroastrian refugees fleeing religious persecution in the seventh century settled in the Bombay area of India. Their descendants are called Parsis, to denote the region from where they had come—Pars, or Persia.

National Day : Bangladesh. Formerly the eastern part of Pakistan, Bangladesh is the world's 139th independent nation, having emerged as a sovereign, independent state on December 16, 1971. March 26, 1971 marks the day the newly formed Bangladesh government declared independence from Pakistan.

March 30, Sunday

Sean O'Casey (1880–1964) : Irish. Playwright. O'Casey is best known for his tragicomic dramas set in the poor neighborhoods of Dublin during the Irish uprising against the British and the subsequent civil war.

March 31, Monday

César Chávez (1927–1993) : Mexican American. Labor leader and activist. A migrant farm worker who became a nationally respected voice for social justice, Chávez spent his life combating the poverty and discrimination suffered by Mexicans and Mexican Americans, particularly agricultural laborers. In 1962 he began organizing farm workers into a union that three years later joined with a Filipino union in a strike against California grape growers for better wages and more humane working conditions. (The two groups later merged as the United Farm Workers.) Table grape producers held out for five years while Chávez focused national attention on the plight of farm workers. A national consumer boycott helped bring the strike to a successful conclusion in 1970.

Octavio Paz (1931–1998) : Mexican. Writer. Octavio Paz was Mexico's leading poet and essayist and one of the world's leading figures in literature. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Literature in 1990 and praised for "impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous intelligence and humanistic integrity." He was widely known for his essay "The Labyrinth of Solitude" and his epic poem " Sunstone." In addition to his writing, Octavio Paz had a distinguished diplomatic career, serving as Mexico's consul and ambassador to such countries as France, Japan, and India.

Malvinas Day (Falkland Islands) observed : Argentina. This day is a tribute to the fallen soldiers in the Falklands War, which broke out on April 2, 1982 when Argentine forces invaded and occupied the disputed islands, claiming them for Argentina. The United Kingdom retaliated, and the Argentine forces surrendered in June.