January 2018

Welcome to the first Equality and Diversity newsletter from the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The newsletter aims to raise awareness of the Equality and Diversity calendar and share events reflecting the diversity of our staff and patients including key events for persons with any of the nine protected characteristics. We want this newsletter to be as interactive as possible and would like to include your stories and photos in future editions. Please contact the author if you have anything you would like to share for the year of 2018.

Orthodox Christian New year starts 14th January Many Orthodox Christians who observe the New Year’s Day date from the Julian calendar may spend the day reflecting on the previous year and think about meaningful resolutions for the New Year. Many people celebrate the day with family or friends to welcome the New Year. Activities may include fireworks, large meals and music entertainment.

Chinese Year of the Dog starts 16th February For some people, wishing friends and family a Happy New Year begins later than the 1st of January. According to the Chinese 12-year animal zodiac cycle, the Chinese year beginning in 2018 is the Year of the Dog. Chinese New Year, also known as the "Spring Festival" in modern mainland China, is China's most important traditional festival, celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, which consists of both Gregorian and lunar-solar calendar systems.

What is Equality and Diversity? The nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act are: 1. Age 2. Disability 3. Gender Reassignment 4. Marriage and Civil Partnership 5. Pregnancy and Maternity 6. Race - including Nationality and Ethnicity 7. Religion or belief 8. Sex 9. Sexual orientation

Equality is ensuring individuals or groups of individuals are not treated differently or less favourably, on the basis of their specific protected characteristic. Promoting equality should remove discrimination in all of the aforementioned areas. Bullying, harassment or victimisation are also considered as equality and diversity issues

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Diversity aims to recognise, respect and value people’s differences to contribute and reach their full potential by promoting an inclusive culture.

Events

1st Jan 16th Jan . Mary, Mother of God - Catholic . Martin Luther King Day Christian . Feast Day of St Basil - Orthodox Christian . Gantan-sai (New Years) - Shinto . Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus - Orthodox Christian 2nd –4th Jan 17th Jan . Mahayana New Year - Buddhist . Blessing of the Animals - Hispanic Catholic Christian 4th Jan 18th –25th . World Braille Day . Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - Christian 5th Jan 19th Jan . Twelfth Night - Christian . Timkat - Ethiopian Orthodox Christian . Guru Gobindh Singh birthday - Sikhism . Theophany, Baptism of Christ – Orthodox Christian 6th Jan 21st Jan . Epiphany - Christian . World Religion Day - Baha'i . Feast of the Epiphany (Theophany) - . Triodion begins - Orthodox Christian Orthodox Christian . Saint Agnes Day – Christian . Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) - . Zacchaeus Sunday – Orthodox Christian Christian . Nativity of Christ - Armenian Orthodox 7th Jan 22nd Jan . Orthodox Christmas Day—Orthodox . Vasant Panchami, Saraswati Puja - . Feast of the Nativity - Orthodox Hinduism Christian . Baptism of the Lord Jesus - Christian 8th Jan 25th Jan . Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic . Conversion of St. Paul - Christian Christian . Seijin no hi (Coming of Age Day) – Shinto 10th Jan 27th Jan . Fast of Tevet 10 - Judaism . Holocaust Memorial Day 13th Jan 28th Jan . Maghi - Sikhism . Saint Thomas Aquinas Day – Christian . Saint Hilary’s Day – Christian . Triodion begins – Orthodox Christian 14th Jan 31st Jan . New Year – Orthodox Christian . Tu BiShvat - 15 Shevat ( (Arbor Day) - . Makar Sankranti/Pongal – Hinduism Judaism . Birthday of Guru Har Rai – Sikhism . Thaipusam - Hinduism

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Want to know more? 10th January - Tenth of Tevet Asarah BeTevet), the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, is a ,בטבת עשרה :Hebrew) fast day in Judaism. It is one of the minor fasts observed from before dawn until nightfall. The fasting commemorates the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia - an event that began on that date and ultimately culminated in the destruction of Solomon's Temple (the First Temple) and the conquest of the Kingdom of Judah (today central Israel). The day has no relationship to Hanukkah, but it happens to follow that festival by a week. The Tenth of Tevet falls seven or eight days after Chanukka, depending on if the preceding Hebrew month of Kislev has 29 or 30 days in the relevant year. 27th January - World Holocaust Day World Holocaust Day is the day for everyone to remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, and the millions of people killed in Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. It marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. 22nd January - Vasant Panchami, Saraswati Puja - Hinduism Vasant Panchami, also spelled Basant Panchami, is a Hindu spring festival. It is observed on the fifth day of the Indian traditional calendar month of Magha, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of January or February. The festival is celebrated in various ways depending on the region. Many revere the goddess Saraswati, the Hindu deity of learning, arts and music. She is celebrated with visits to her temples, by playing music, as well as the day when parents sit down with their children, initiate them into writing letters of alphabet or study together. Others mark it as the festival of god Kama, the Hindu deity of love, by remembering the loved one particularly one's spouse or special friend, celebrating it with spring flowers. Its link with the god of love and its traditions have led some scholars to call it "a Hindu form of Valentine's Day". Others wear yellow clothes and eat yellow rice to emulate the yellow mustard (sarson) flower fields, or play by flying kites. 8th January - EIJIN NO HI (Coming of Age Day)

Coming of Age Day (成人の日, Seijin no Hi) is a Japanese holiday held annually on the second Monday of January. It is held in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have reached the age of majority (20 years old) over the past year, and to help them realise that they have become adults.

Festivities include coming of age ceremonies (成人式, seijin-shiki) held at local and prefectural offices, as well as after-parties among family and friends.

Contact Hayley Aplin at [email protected] or on 01793 605426 if you would like to contribute to the next edition.

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