Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International recognizes the following holidays and observances throughout the month of January, 2023.
Chapters and members are encouraged to reference this calendar when planning events, programming, and community service.
We wish happy and meaningful celebrations all month long to our P.A.D.s, your families, and communities. Please tag us and use #PADValues to share your holiday celebrations year-round.
NOTE: Observances highlighted in yellow indicate that the dates are subject to change annually. If a holiday is missing or in need of correction, please submit your addition or edit to info@pad.org.
DATE
HOLIDAY
Observed By
DESCRIPTION
January 1
New Year's Day
The first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, commonly used for civil dating purposes.
January 6
Christmas
Armenian Orthodox Christian
Armenian Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on Epiphany, except for Armenians living in Israel, who celebrate Christmas on January 19th.
January 6
Epiphany
Christian
Known as Theophany in Eastern Christianity, it celebrates the manifestation of Jesus as Christ. In addition, the Western Church associates Epiphany with the journey of the Magi to the infant Jesus, and the Eastern Church with the baptism of Jesus by John.
January 7
Christmas
Eastern Christian
Commemorating the birth of Jesus, most Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas 13 days later than other Christian churches based on their use of the Julian rather than the Gregorian version of the Western calendar.
January 7
Mahayana New Year
Buddhist
In Mahayana countries the New Year starts on the first full moon day in January. The Mahayana New Year dates differ for each country based on their customs and traditions. While some Mahayana Buddhists observe the celebration on January 1 alongside the Gregorian New Year, others wait for the full moon of January.
January 14
New Year
Orthodox
Many Orthodox Christian Americans celebrate the New Year on January 1 in the Julian calendar, which pre-dates the more widely used Gregorian calendar. This date falls on or near January 14 in the Gregorian calendar.
January 15
Makar Sankranti
Hindu
Seasonal celebration marking turning of the sun toward the north.
January 15
World Religion Day
Bahá’í
Observance to proclaim the oneness of religion and the belief that world religion will unify the peoples of the earth. This holiday is observed on the third Sunday in January.
January 16
MLK Jr. Day
United States
The birthday of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is on January 15th but it is observed on the third Monday in January.
January 22
Lunar New Year
Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist
Also known as the Spring Festival, an important festival celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.
January 27
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Annual day of commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust coinciding with the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in 1945.
January 29
National Carnation Day
The red carnation is the official flower of Phi Alpha Delta. National Carnation Day was established in honor of William McKinley, the 25th U.S. President, who was assassinated in 1901 and always wore a red carnation on his lapel.
Phi Alpha Delta is the world’s preeminent law fraternity because of our dedication to service: service to the student, the school, the profession, and the community.
It is through devotion to the ideals of compassion, courage, diversity, innovation, integrity, professionalism, and service that we better both our profession and our community. Through accepting our differences we become not just a law fraternity, but a family.