April 2025 - Intercultural calendar

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

8 April: International Roma Day - international

The International Roma Day was established in 1990 at a meeting in Poland by the World Roma Congress. The Romani anthem and flag were introduced at the meeting and the Congress made an appeal to strengthen the self-esteem and identity of the Roma. Since then, the International Roma Day has been marked worldwide on 8 April. It is a day to raise awareness on the historical and ongoing persecution and discrimination of Roma and Sinti. At the same time, it is a day to celebrate the culture and traditions of Roma and Sinti.

12 April: Memorial of Jesus Christ's Death (Jehovah's Witnesses) - Christianity

Memorial celebrations of Jesus Christ’s Death.

13 April: Palm Sunday (Catholic, Protestant) - Christianity

The first day of Holy Week commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Palm branches (which people waved to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem) or willow catkins are sanctified in the church and distributed to serve as decoration at home.

13 to 20 April: Pesah/Passover - Judaism

The feast of unleavened bread is dedicated to the celebration of the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. At the Seder, a unique ceremony, Jews commemorate the "pass over" when God would send the Angel of Death to kill the firstborn males but would see that the Israelites had marked their houses with lambs' blood and would command his angel to "pass over", to kill no one there.

14 April: Vaisakhi - Sikhism and Hinduism

For Sikhs Vaisakhi is the most important feast of the year and the anniversary of the founding day of the Khalsa. The day remembers the tenth Guru Gobind Singh who founded the Khalsa in 1699. People wear new clothes and give each other presents on Vaisakhi. Nishan Sahib is the name given to the flag outside every temple. It is a triangular piece of saffron coloured cloth with the Khanda emblem in the middle. The flag post also has a Khanda on top and is covered with a new cloth on Vaisakhi. In Hinduism Vaisakhi is a thanksgiving festival.

16 April: Yazidi New Year - Yazidi

Carsema Sor ("Red Wednesday") is the religious New Year’s festival of the Yazidi. It is celebrated on the first Wednesday in April in the Julian calendar. According to Yazidi tradition, the creation of the earth began on this day. Traditionally, on this day, houses are decorated with flowers, painted eggs are placed visibly in the windows or distributed to the children, and ribbons in the colours red, yellow, white and green are worn either on the hand or in a braid. On the day of the festival, the graves of the deceased are visited, food is placed on the graves and the whole procedure is accompanied by religious songs and music. The day before, sacrificial animals are slaughtered and the meat is used to prepare special dishes.

17 April: Holy Thursday / Maundy Thursday (Catholic, Protestant) - Christianity

Christians commemorate the anniversary of the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper and of the washing of the disciples' feet, which is symbolically re-enacted in many churches as a sign of humbleness.

18 April: Great and Holy Friday (Orthodox) – Christianity

This holiday focuses on the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Customs such as Holy Friday processions and wrapping the icon of Christ in white cloth are meant to recreate funeral ceremonies. Holy Friday is a strict day of fasting for many Orthodox Christians. On the day before Holy Friday, hard-boiled eggs are dyed. Often, they are dyed red as a symbol of Christ’s blood. Eggs are also a symbol for the renewal of life.

18 April: Good Friday (Catholic, Protestant) - Christianity

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus, when He sacrificed Himself for man's redemption.

19 April: Great and Holy Saturday (Orthodox) - Christianity

A mass without bells or organ music is celebrated on this day of silence. Bread (as a symbol of Christ’s body) and wine (as a symbol of Christ’s blood) are shared at church. People greet each other with "Good resurrection". The period of fasting ends in the evening of Holy Saturday.

19 April: Holy Saturday (Catholic, Protestant) - Christianity

The night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday is the highlight of the Christian Year. The Easter candle and Easter fire are lit before the Easter Vigil is celebrated.

20 April: Easter Sunday (Orthodox) - Christianity

Easter Sunday is a day of joyous celebrations. Children often enjoy a game of egg tapping where they crash two boiled Easter eggs against each other to see whose egg cracks first. The festive meal and celebrations often last till late at night.

20 April: Easter Sunday (Catholic, Protestant) - Christianity

The most holy of Christian sacred days. The day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and the victory of life over death. Customs: Easter fire, Easter bunny or Easter eggs.

20 April: Holiday on occasion of the Ridván festival - Bahá’i

The Ridvan Festival commemorates the anniversary of the garden sojourn where Bahá'u'lláh declared his mission in the Garden of "Ridván" (paradise) before his banishment to Istanbul (then called Constantinople) in 1863. The holidays of the Ridván are celebrated by the Bahá'i communities around the world with prayers and in a spiritual atmosphere. According to the holy script no work is done on these days.

21 April: Easter Monday (Orthodox) - Christianity

Easter Monday or Bright Monday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ through family visits, religious outdoor processions and bible readings. Regional customs include visiting the cemeteries and lighting candles for the deceased.

21 April: Easter Monday (Catholic, Protestant, public holiday) - Christianity

On this day, it is a tradition to visit family and go on day-trips together. Taking the family on an Easter walk commemorates the Walk to Emmaus, in which Jesus walks a part of the way with two disciples, who do not recognise him at first.

23 April: St. George's Day (Catholic, Orthodox) - Christianity

A spring festival, dating back to pre-Christian spring festivals, also celebrated by Muslim Roma. In Austria, St. George's Festival (Djurdjevdan) is mostly celebrated by Serbian Orthodox migrants (e.g. Roma). Saint George is the patron saint of the Roma. It is also a festival in Orthodox churches, which follow the Revised Julian or Gregorian calendars, e.g. the Romanian Orthodox Church.

23 April: Holocaust Remembrance Day - Judaism

Holocaust Remembrance Day or Yom HaShoah was established to remember the Holocaust and the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazi regime. Remembrance candles are lit and services are held on this day.