We currently recognise a number of cultural, social, environmental and educational significant dates.

Dates of significance are recognised in a number of ways including a community event or program, promotion on social media, flag raising ceremony or support provided to a non-Council event (such as to the RSL on ANZAC Day).

The criteria for recognising a date of significance includes:

• alignment with the Council and Wellbeing Plan
• a public holiday or national/international observance
• alignment with a Council service or policy.

To ensure we recognise dates in a planned, coordinated and transparent and timely manner, we want to know if there are any dates of significance you think we should include. Any date suggested must align with the above criteria.

The United Nations defines specific days, weeks, years and decades as occasions to mark particular events or topics in order to educate the general public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.

We have a diverse community that celebrates a large range of cultural and religious dates. The proposed cultural and religious dates have been informed by demographic data on the City of Melton's largest faith groups and through consultation with the Melton Interfaith Network.

Date	Date of Significance	Description
7 January	Orthodox Christmas	Orthodox Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, focusing on religious customs, liturgies, and traditional rituals.
26 January	Australia Day	The official national day of Australia.
6 February	Safer Internet Day	To make the internet a safer and better place for all, especially for children and young people.
10 February	Chinese New Year	Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.
14 February	Library Lovers' Day	To celebrate the valuable roles libraries play in our lives and to re-engage with our libraries and 'show the love'.
21 February	International Mother Language Day	In recognition that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion.
3 March	Clean Up Australia Day	To inspire and empower communities to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment.
8 March	International Women's Day	To celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
16 March	National Close the Gap Day	To pledge support for achieving Indigenous health equality by 2030.
18-24 March	Neurodiversity Celebration Week	Neurodiversity refers to a world where neurological differences are recognised and respected as all other human variations.
18-24 March	Harmony Week	To celebrate Australia's cultural diversity. It's about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
26 March	Epilepsy Awareness Day	Purple Day is a global initiative dedicated to raising epilepsy awareness, dispelling myths, and increasing support for people living with epilepsy.
29 March	Good Friday	Good Friday is a religious and national holiday in Australia, and is held on the Friday before Easter Sunday.
31 March	Easter Sunday	Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ following his death by crucifixion. It is the most significant event in the Christian calendar.
31 March	Transgender Day of Visibility	An international celebration of trans pride and awareness, recognising trans and gender diverse experience and achievements.
March	National Playgroup Week	To celebrate and appreciate the many benefits of playgroups.
10 April	Eid al Fitr	The Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan, ends with the festival of Eid al Fitr. A celebratory meal breaks the fast, and good deeds have special significance during this time. Eid is also a time of forgiveness and making amends.
25 April	ANZAC Day	A national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations and the contribution and suffering of all those who have served.
April	Youth Week	To highlight the contributions and achievements of young people (aged 12-25).
6-11 May	National Family Day Care Week	To recognise and promote the important role family day care educators and services play in the development and wellbeing of children.
12 May	International Nurses Day	To mark the contributions that nurses make to society.
13-19 May	Education Week	An annual celebration of education in Victoria.
17 May	IDAHOBIT	International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) celebrates LGBTIQA+ people globally, and raises awareness for the work still needed to combat discrimination.
23 May	Buddha Day	Vesak or Buddha Day is an important day of celebration for Buddhists. The holiday is traditionally celebrated to commemorate Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death.
23 May	National Simultaneous Storytime	To promote the value of reading and literacy, every year an Australian picture book is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country.
26 May	National Sorry Day	To remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as 'The Stolen Generations'.
27 May - 3 June	National Reconciliation Week	A time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
May	Neighbourhood House Week	Neighbourhood House Week is an annual national celebration, recognising the important contribution of neighbourhood houses in local communities across Australia.
May	National Families Week	To celebrate the vital role that families play in Australian society.
May	Road Safety Week	To highlight the impact of road trauma and ways to reduce it.
May	National Volunteer Week	To celebrate and recognise the vital work of volunteers and to say thank you.
5 June	World Environment Day	To inspire positive environmental change.
15 June	World Elder Abuse Day	To raise awareness regarding the abuse and suffering inflicted on older people.
16-22 June	Refugee Week	To inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.
June	Men's Health Week	To highlight the importance of men's health and to promote and support the health and wellbeing of men and boys in our communities.
June	Pride Month	To celebrate the LQBTIQA+ community and reflect on how far civil rights have progresses in half a century and an opportunity to protest discrimination and violence.
31 July	National Tree Day	Australia's largest tree planting and nature care event.
July	NAIDOC Week	To celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living creatures on earth.
July	National Library and Information Week	To celebrate the work that library and information workers do all around Australia.
1-7 August	World Breastfeeding Week	To protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
4 August	National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day	A time for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities, and all Australians, to celebrate the strength and culture of their children.
18 August	Vietnam Veteran's Day	To commemorate the Battle of Long Tan in 1966.
30 August	Wear it Purple Day	An annual expression of support and acceptance to rainbow young people from the LGBTIQA+ community.
August	National Homelessness Week	To raise awareness of the impact of homelessness on Australia via national and local community events, including providing information on the importance of housing as a solution and educating communities on how they can make a difference.
August	Children's Book Week	To highlight the importance of reading books and shines a spotlight on Australian children's authors and illustrators.
2-8 September	National Child Protection Week	A national campaign to promote the message of a safe and healthy life for every child, now and into the future.
4 September	National Early Childhood Educators Day	To recognise and celebrate the work of Australia's educators in early learning services for their wonderful contribution to the wellbeing and healthy development of the young children in their care.
12 September	RU OK? Day	To encourage people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times in their lives.
17 September	Australian Citizenship Day	To reflect on the meaning and importance of Australian citizenship, and the responsibilities and privileges we have as citizens.
30 September	Anniversary of the findings of the Disability Royal Commission	A day to remember and raise awareness of people with disability who have experienced violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and what actions Council is taking in response to the Disability Royal Commission.
September	Adult Learners Week	To promote the benefits of learning.
1 October	International Day of Older Persons	To raise awareness about issues affecting older people. Council's recognition aligns with the Victorian Seniors Festival.
23-29 October	Children's Week	A national celebration that recognises the talents, skills, achievements and rights of children.
October	Community Safety Month	To remind us that we all have a role in making our communities safer.
October	Mental Health Week	To address and highlight the important connection between the social determinants of health and mental health; and promote effective prevention strategies to keep people mentally healthy.
October	Carers Week	To raise community awareness among all Australians about the diversity of carers and their caring roles.
October	Diwali	Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. It symbolises the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness.
October	National Water Week	To build awareness around the value of water.
11 November	Remembrance Day	To acknowledge those who died while serving in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
15 November	Birth of Guru Nanak	This day commemorates Guru Nanak Sahib, the founder of Sikhism and the first Sikh Guru. This day may also be called Guru Nanak Gurpurab, Guru Nanak's Prakash Utsav or Guru Nanak Dev.
19 November	International Men's Day	International Men's Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. Highlights positive role models and raise awareness of men's wellbeing.
20 November	Transgender Day of Remembrance	To honour the memory of the transgender people who lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
25 November - 10 December	16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence	To call for the elimination of gender-based violence.
November	National Recycling Week	To educate and empower people to do the right thing when they're at the bin.
3 December	International Day of People with a Disability	To increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability.
10 December	Human Rights Day	To proclaim the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
18 December	International Migrants Day	To raise awareness about the challenges and difficulties of international migration.
25 December	Christmas Day	An annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed by Christians as a religious and cultural celebration.