Explore Our March 2025 Diversity Calendar

The March 2025 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) Calendar is attached. Please print to share with the people you serve, post it in a communal area, and keep it handy to refer to on your own.

We love providing a monthly calendar to track days that may have special meaning for Karis’s team members and people who use services, all in one space: religious and spiritual days of significance, cultural celebrations, awareness days, and health promotion days. We encourage you to take some time to explore the calendar and learn more about diversity. Staying aware of these days and scheduling activities around them will help us create an inclusive environment for everybody!

Embracing diversity and inclusion is not just about recognizing our differences but celebrating the strength and beauty they bring to our world. This Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, let’s honor the incredible women who have paved the way and continue to inspire us to build a future where everybody, regardless of gender, can thrive and succeed.

In March, we celebrate and remember:

• Women‘s History Month: Highlighting contributions that women have made in history and in society. It is celebrated every March to correspond with International Women’s Day on March 8.
• Irish Heritage Month: Irish Canadians have greatly contributed to the story of our country, and this month is an opportunity to learn more about their history and positive impact. After the Irish first arrived in Canada in the 17th century, they often faced extreme poverty and discrimination. In the 19th century, many more arrived on famine ships. Despite many challenges, they thrived, and today, almost 4.6 million Canadians in towns and cities across Canada can trace their ancestry back to Ireland.
• Zero Discrimination Day on March 1: Celebrating the right to live a full and productive life—and live it with dignity. This day highlights how people can become informed about and promote inclusion, compassion, peace, and a movement for change to end all forms of discrimination.
• Ash Wednesday on March 5: A holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent, the six weeks of penitence before Easter, which is a period of fasting, increased prayer, personal improvement, and participating in charity.
• International Women’s Day on March 8: A global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
• Puri m on March 13-14: The festival of Purim commemorates the heroism of Esther, and the salvation of the Jewish people from annihilation at the hands of Haman in the Achaemenid Empire. It is celebrated with Megillah readings, gifts of food, charity, feasting, and merriment.
• Holi on March 13: A spring festival celebrated predominantly in India by both Hindu and non-Hindu people, also known as the “festival of colours” or the “festival of love.” Holi represents the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil, and on this one day, the usual rankings of caste, gender, status, and age are ignored in favour of celebrating together by throwing colored water and powders on one another.
• Neurodiversity Celebration Week from March 17 to 23: A worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organizations with the opportunity to recognize the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.
• St. Patrick’s Day on March 17: A global celebration of Irish culture and the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years.
• International Day of Happiness on March 20: Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated this day as a way to recognize the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. At this time of uncertainty and conflict, this year’s ‘Happier Together’ theme reminds us that lasting happiness comes from feeling connected to others and being part of something bigger.
• World Down Syndrome Day on March 21: A day to raise public awareness of Down Syndrome and the effective and meaningful inclusion and participation of all people with Down Syndrome in spaces where decisions are being made about matters relating to or affecting their lives. The theme this year is a call on all Governments to “Improve Our Support Systems.”
• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21: Declared by the UN, this day remembers the damaging effects of racial discrimination and is a reminder to continue building a world with justice and equality. Raising awareness and gaining support for global action on racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and other intolerances.
• Purple Day/Epilepsy Awareness on March 26: Originating in Canada, Purple Day was invented by the incredible Cassidy Megan, a young girl motivated by the struggles she had with epilepsy. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of the central nervous system, specifically of the brain. It is characterized by the tendency to have recurrent seizures. Epilepsy can affect anyone, anytime, anyplace, and can change lives in a moment.
• Eid al-Fitr on March 30-31: A Muslim celebration to mark the end of Ramadan, the holy month of dawn to sunset fasting. This day is celebrated with feasts, gifts, and prayers in honour of God. Begins at previous sundown.
• Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31: Recognizing the struggles, sacrifices, and achievements of those who fought, and continue to fight, for gender equity. This day highlights our friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours who contribute to the diversity in Canada, and it encourages us to recognize that transgender and non-binary individuals continue to resist oppression by simply being exactly who they are.