# Cultural Events Calendar

Food-relevant cultural events and celebrations for themed meal planning.

## How to Use

When planning a week, check upcoming events, personal to the user, cultural, historical etc. These provide excellent themes with built-in cultural context, traditional foods, and music associations.

## Major Events by Month

### January
- **New Year's Day** (1st) — Global, varies by culture
- **Orthodox Christmas** (7th) — Russia, Serbia, etc.
- **Lunar New Year** (varies, Jan/Feb) — China, Vietnam, Korea, etc.
- **Burns Night** (25th) — Scotland

### February
- **Lunar New Year** (if not January)
- **Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras** (varies) — UK pancakes, US/FR celebrations
- **Valentine's Day** (14th) — Romantic dinner themes

### March
- **St David's Day** (1st) — Wales
- **Holi** (varies) — India
- **St Patrick's Day** (17th) — Ireland
- **Nowruz** (20th/21st) — Persian New Year

### April
- **Easter** (varies) — Christian cultures worldwide
- **Passover** (varies) — Jewish
- **Songkran** (13th-15th) — Thai New Year
- **St George's Day** (23rd) — England

### May
- **Cinco de Mayo** (5th) — Mexico/Mexican-American
- **Vesak** (varies) — Buddhist
- **Eid al-Fitr** (varies) — Islamic

### June
- **Dragon Boat Festival** (varies) — China
- **Midsummer** (varies, ~21st) — Scandinavian
- **St Jean Baptiste** (24th) — Quebec/French Canadian

### July
- **Independence Day** (4th) — USA
- **Bastille Day** (14th) — France
- **Eid al-Adha** (varies) — Islamic

### August
- **Obon** (varies, mid-Aug) — Japan
- **Raksha Bandhan** (varies) — India
- **Krishna Janmashtami** (varies) — India

### September
- **Rosh Hashanah** (varies) — Jewish New Year
- **Mid-Autumn Festival** (varies) — China, Vietnam
- **Oktoberfest begins** (late Sept) — Germany

### October
- **Diwali** (varies) — India
- **Sukkot** (varies) — Jewish
- **Halloween** (31st) — Western

### November
- **Día de los Muertos** (1st-2nd) — Mexico
- **Guy Fawkes Night** (5th) — UK
- **Thanksgiving** (4th Thursday) — USA
- **St Andrew's Day** (30th) — Scotland

### December
- **Hanukkah** (varies) — Jewish
- **Christmas** (25th) — Christian/Western
- **Kwanzaa** (26th-Jan 1st) — African-American
- **New Year's Eve** (31st) — Global

## Using Events for Themes

When an event approaches:

1. **Research traditional foods** — What's eaten and why
2. **Understand the significance** — Don't be tone-deaf
3. **Find respected authentic recipes** — From native sources with good reviews
4. **Match music** — Traditional and contemporary
5. **Consider appropriateness** — Some events may not suit all users

## Notes

- Dates marked "varies" change yearly (lunar calendar, etc.)
- This is not exhaustive — add events as relevant to users
- Always research before planning — avoid stereotypes and mistakes
- Do not invent events or cuisines