January 2
Holidays
17 holidays recorded on January 2 throughout history
Quote of the Day
“Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.”
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Kaapse Klopse — the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival — fills the streets of Cape Town on January 2 every year.
Kaapse Klopse — the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival — fills the streets of Cape Town on January 2 every year. Tens of thousands of performers in bright satin suits march through the city playing banjos, guitars, and drums. The tradition dates to the mid-nineteenth century and has roots in both the Cape Malay community and American minstrelsy brought by visiting sailors.
Duplicate entry for Berchtold's Day in Switzerland.
Duplicate entry for Berchtold's Day in Switzerland. Named after the duke who founded Bern, January 2 is a public holiday in several Swiss cantons. Traditional celebrations include nut-cracking games and communal meals.
Haiti observes January 2 as Ancestry Day — Jour des Aieux — honoring the country's founders and the enslaved people w…
Haiti observes January 2 as Ancestry Day — Jour des Aieux — honoring the country's founders and the enslaved people who fought for independence. Haiti was the first nation founded by a successful slave revolt, winning independence from France in 1804. The holiday connects modern Haitians to that founding generation.
Carnival Day kicks off Saint Kitts and Nevis's annual Sugar Mas festival on January 2.
Carnival Day kicks off Saint Kitts and Nevis's annual Sugar Mas festival on January 2. The celebration features calypso competitions, masquerade parades, and steel band music. It runs from late December through early January and draws visitors from across the Caribbean. The carnival's roots trace to the end of the sugar harvest season.
January 2 is a feast day in the Christian calendar honoring several saints, including Basil the Great and Gregory of …
January 2 is a feast day in the Christian calendar honoring several saints, including Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus in the Catholic Church, Macarius of Alexandria, and Seraphim of Sarov. The Eastern Orthodox Church also observes liturgical commemorations on this date.
Scotland's Hogmanay celebration stretches across two days, and January 2 is a designated bank holiday.
Scotland's Hogmanay celebration stretches across two days, and January 2 is a designated bank holiday. The Scots have celebrated New Year more enthusiastically than Christmas for centuries — partly because the Church of Scotland suppressed Christmas festivities from the Reformation until the 1950s. Hogmanay filled the gap and never let go.
Colombia's Blacks and Whites' Carnival begins on January 2 and runs through January 7 in the city of Pasto.
Colombia's Blacks and Whites' Carnival begins on January 2 and runs through January 7 in the city of Pasto. On the Day of Blacks, people paint their faces with black grease. On the Day of Whites, they throw talcum powder. The festival is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and celebrates the region's mixed African, indigenous, and European roots.
January 2 is the ninth of the Twelve Days of Christmas in Western Christianity.
January 2 is the ninth of the Twelve Days of Christmas in Western Christianity. The twelve-day period between Christmas and Epiphany was historically the main holiday season in Christian Europe. Each day had its own traditions, though most have faded outside of the famous counting song.
Saint Defendens of Thebes was a member of the legendary Theban Legion, a unit of Christian soldiers in the Roman army…
Saint Defendens of Thebes was a member of the legendary Theban Legion, a unit of Christian soldiers in the Roman army who were supposedly martyred en masse for refusing to worship Roman gods. His veneration is centered in northern Italy, where he's invoked as a patron against plague.
January 2 is a bank holiday in Scotland, giving Scots an extra day off after Hogmanay.
January 2 is a bank holiday in Scotland, giving Scots an extra day off after Hogmanay. Scotland's New Year traditions run deeper than Christmas — the Kirk suppressed Christmas celebrations for four hundred years after the Reformation. The two-day holiday is non-negotiable north of the border.
Macarius the Younger — also called Macarius of Alexandria — was a fourth-century Egyptian monk known for extreme asce…
Macarius the Younger — also called Macarius of Alexandria — was a fourth-century Egyptian monk known for extreme asceticism. He reportedly slept standing up, ate only raw vegetables, and lived among desert monks for sixty years. His feats of endurance became legendary among early Christian communities.
Caspar del Bufalo was an Italian priest who founded the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in 1815.
Caspar del Bufalo was an Italian priest who founded the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in 1815. He spent years in prison for refusing to swear loyalty to Napoleon. After his release, he dedicated his life to mission work and preaching. He was canonized in 1954.
Hatsuyume is the first dream of the New Year in Japanese tradition, and it's taken seriously.
Hatsuyume is the first dream of the New Year in Japanese tradition, and it's taken seriously. A dream of Mount Fuji, a hawk, or an eggplant on the night of January 1 is considered the luckiest omen possible. Some Japanese people place pictures of treasure ships under their pillows to encourage good dreams.
Berchtold's Day is celebrated on January 2 in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Alsace.
Berchtold's Day is celebrated on January 2 in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Alsace. Named after Berchtold V, Duke of Zahringen, who founded Bern in 1191, it's a day for nut games and community gatherings. In many Swiss cantons it's a public holiday — an extra day to recover from New Year's.
January 2 marks the ninth day of the Twelve Days of Christmas in Western Christian tradition.
January 2 marks the ninth day of the Twelve Days of Christmas in Western Christian tradition. The period stretches from Christmas Day to Epiphany on January 6, originally a time of feasting and celebration. The "Twelve Days" carol assigns nine ladies dancing to this day.
New Zealand treats January 2 as a statutory public holiday — Day after New Year's Day.
New Zealand treats January 2 as a statutory public holiday — Day after New Year's Day. If it falls on a weekend, the following Monday becomes the observed holiday. The extra day gives Kiwis a guaranteed long weekend to start the year, a tradition dating to 1955.
Slovenia observes January 2 as a public holiday — the second day of New Year's celebrations.
Slovenia observes January 2 as a public holiday — the second day of New Year's celebrations. The tradition dates to the Yugoslav era and survived independence. For Slovenians, it's a day for family gatherings, leftover food, and bracing for the return to work.