All - Leep Calendar

The Santos Tour Down Under is Australia's greatest cycling race, with a rich history as the highest-regarded and most popular bike race in the southern hemisphere. The event was first staged in 1999 with local rider Stuart O’Grady taking the win. Since then, numerous internationally renowned cyclists have joined the Honour Roll. The event has grown year-on-year to become the biggest cycling race in the southern hemisphere.

Africa

Jan

Sapporo Snow Festival (JP): January 30 - February 11

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First run in 1950, the Sapporo Snow Festival is an annual event in Sapporo Japan which features activities related to snow, including a world class snow sculpture contest. Additional activities include light shows, food, music and beverages. The festival attracts two million people a year.

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Jan

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival (US-NY): January 31 - February 9

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The oldest winter carnival in the eastern United States, New York state’s Saranac Lake Winter Carnival first ran in 1897. The event features an ice castle, winter sports, food, music, parades, performances and fireworks. Each year has a different theme.

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Jan

Saraswati Puja (H): January 29

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Sarswati Puja is celebrated on Vasant Panchami in the Hindu faith. Saraswati Puja is dedicated to the goddess of music, art and knowledge, Sarswati. Yellow is the signature color of Sarswati Puja. Clothing is yellow, food is yellow and offerings are of yellow flowers, gulal, fruits, yellow colored sweets, roli and moli. Idols of goddess Sarswati displayed. Educational institutions celebrate this day with devotion and rituals. PLEASE NOTE: We use the Indian Civil Calendar, which is the official holiday calendar in India, the largest Hindu nation. The Hindu faith has many calendars, each specific to different regions and tribes with dates and celebrations marked by differing positions of the sun, moon and stars. Names of months and holidays, as well as the corresponding dates in the Gregorian Calendar, vary widely from one calendar to the next. Use our dates as a baseline. Find out which of the dozens of Hindu calendars is used in the region you live or plan to visit if you are looking to attend or witness a specific observance.

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Jan

School Choice Week, Ntl.: January 21 - February 1

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National School Choice Week, 2019 A Proclamation A great education provides students with a foundation to pursue the American Dream of a hopeful and prosperous future. During National School Choice Week, we reaffirm our commitment to enable all students to pursue the education that will best equip them for success in work and life. Every child deserves the chance to flourish in an educational environment that best leverages their unique learning style, cultivates their talent, and develops the skills needed to succeed in an ever-changing world. Likewise, teachers deserve the chance to innovate in the classroom and do their best work. Yet, today's system often falls short of what students and teachers need and deserve, and often makes it too hard for families and educators to create the best learning experience for each child. The results tell the unfortunate story: recent international surveys ranked the United States 24th in reading, 25th in science, and 40th in math. These results were not the result of incapable children; they were the consequence of the limitations imposed by a largely one-size-fits-all approach to education. Education should inspire wonder, stimulate curiosity, and spark a lifelong desire in our children to learn and grow. Increased educational options—including through out-of-zone public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, sectarian and secular private schools, home schools, and online education programs—have expanded opportunities for students regardless of background or economic status. We should all work to ensure all children receive great educations, regardless of where they live, how much their family makes, or how they best learn. My Administration knows that choice in education plays a vital role in the success of our children and our country. The number of students receiving a D.C. Opportunity Scholarship has increased by nearly 50 percent under my Administration. In last year's enactment of the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we improved 529 plans so that they may cover elementary and secondary school tuition. Family demand for public charter schools has continued to grow. And, importantly, we have encouraged States, local communities, and families to refocus education policy where it belongs—on what is best for each child. We commend our Nation's families, teachers, school leaders, and all those who nobly dedicate their lives to educating the next generation. My Administration will continue to stand with students and their families in the fight for the best educational opportunities for their children. As our Nation celebrates National School Choice Week, I encourage families to explore new educational opportunities; I urge educators to develop imaginative and innovative pathways to learning; and I challenge students to passionately pursue their goals and dreams with discipline, integrity, and unyielding determination. Lastly, I urge lawmakers in Congress and in the States to embrace and expand education choice, which will strengthen our students, families, educators, communities, and ultimately, our great Nation. Start Printed Page 362 NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20 to January 26, 2019, as National School Choice Week. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.

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Jan

Science Fiction Day (1920): January 2

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International Science Fiction Day is celebrated annually on January 2, the birthday of science fiction author Isaac Asimov in 1920. An American author and professor of biochemistry at the Boston University, Asimov is best known for his works of science fiction and popular science. Asimov has multiple awards, including 2 Nebula awards and 9 Hugo awards. Although Asimov is far from being the first author in the genre, he is viewed by many as the father of modern science fiction through his works including: The Foundation; I, Robot; Bicentennial Man; Azazel; The Edge of Tomorrow; The Fantastic Voyage; and many others.

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Jan

Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) Awards: January 26

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The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards are organized by the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). It recognizes outstanding performances in film and primetime television. The SAG Awards have been a major part of the awards season in Hollywood since 1995.

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Jan

Screenwriters Day, Ntl.: January 5

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If you live in Los Angeles, you know the joke: Everyone has either a business plan or screenplay in their back pocket. Screenwriters create the films and television programs we've come to love. National Screenwriters Day is set aside to encourage anyone interested, to use the month of January and produce your first screenplay. You can do it! Rocky was written in three days!

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Jan

Seed Swap Day, Ntl.: January 25

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Seed swapping is an ancient tradition going back thousands of years. It allows farmers to diversify their crops and saves money. Throughout the nation, seed swaps take place. See the website for a Seed Swapping Day location near you. Date may vary by location. Seed categories are as follows: woodies, edibles, herbs, perennials, annuals and exotics.

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Jan

Seeing Eye Dog Day, Ntl. (1929): January 29

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National Seeing Eye Dog Day celebrates seeing eye dogs. This day marks the anniversary of the creation of The Seeing Eye on January 29, 1929, the organization that pioneered seeing eye dogs. Usually seeing eye dogs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds, since these are some of the most intelligent breeds and capable of complex training. Additionally, these breeds tend to be calm and focused, as well as friendly and loyal. Dogs have been companions of humans with disabilities since ancient Roman times, and there are records of dogs leading the blind during that era. The first attempt to train a dog to be the eyes of a human being occurred in Paris in 1780 at the school for the blind. In 1788 Josef Riesinger, blind himself, successfully trained his Spitz to be his helper in Vienna, Austria. Guide dogs for the blind didn’t really take off until 1927 when an article was published in the Saturday Evening Post by Dorothy Eustis about her efforts training dogs for the blind. It was relayed to Morris Frank, himself blind. Together Eustis and Frank went to Switzerland and trained the first official seeing eye dog, Buddy. They established a school in Switzerland to train more dogs in 1928. Buddy was introduced to The Seeing Eye in Morristown New Jersey in 1929, and from there, seeing eye dogs grew in popularity and utility.

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Jan

Self-Defense Awareness Month, Ntl. Personal: January

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National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month in the United States kicks off the year, when people are most enthusiastic about training. It aims to encourage men and women to invest in themselves and acquire self-defense skills. Not only is doing so a great workout, it’s practical and adds to your life experience.

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Jan

Self-help Group Awareness Month: January

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Self-help Group Awareness Month in the United States kicks off the new year. After the exhausting winter holidays and as most people prepare their goals for the new year, Self-help Group Month encourages people who are in need of assistance to find the right group of people that will help them help themselves. Self-help groups support self-awareness, self-esteem, sobriety maintenance, and offer valuable community support to persons dealing with major life challenges, be it divorce, disease or just getting back on their feet. January is the perfect month of the year for people to start a new chapter of their lives and self-help groups can make that happen.

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Jan

Sh'vat (J): January 27 - February 24

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All Hebrew calendar months begin and end at sundown. LEEP Calendar marks Jewish months beginning the first full day. Observant people of the faith will begin marking the month sundown the day prior. Sh'vat or Shevat is the fifth month of the civil year and the eleventh month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. The name Shevat comes from the Akkadian language of the Babylonian Captivity of the Hebrew people. The meaning of the word in its original language is 'strike' and refers to the heavy rains of the season.

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Jan

Shape Up US Month: January

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January is the Shape Up United States Month. Organized and promoted by Shape Up United States, this month's goal is to build a healthy future for America. It encourages children to gain knowledge and healthy habits to insure a happy adults by building 'a circle of wellness' that integrates comprehensive health education in the existing curriculum in schools.

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Jan

Shattila Ekadashi (H): January 20

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Ekadashi is a Hindu observance that can fall into two categories: annually and monthly. Sattila or Tilda Ekadeshi falls on the 11th day of waning moon (Krishan Paksha) during the fortnight of the Hindu month of Magha. Devotees consider it highly auspicious to bathe in the water mixed with sesame seeds on this day and to offer donations to the needy. PLEASE NOTE: We use the Indian Civil Calendar, which is the official holiday calendar in India, the largest Hindu nation. The Hindu faith has many calendars, each specific to different regions and tribes with dates and celebrations marked by differing positions of the sun, moon and stars. Names of months and holidays, as well as the corresponding dates in the Gregorian Calendar, vary widely from one calendar to the next. Use our dates as a baseline. Find out which of the dozens of Hindu calendars is used in the region you live or plan to visit if you are looking to attend or witness a specific observance.

Africa