January marks the beginning of a new year and there are also many national and international important days for remembrance and awareness. We have listed the important days and dates in the month of January in India and around the world along with the significance and theme of each of these special days. It can help you for all competitive and government job exams. Check it out.

Most Important National and International Days and Dates in January with Themes and Significance:

Below we have listed some special days and dates to remember in January.

International Important Days and Dates in January:

Here are the International Special Dates in January

1. New Year’s Day – January 1:

Every year the English New Year or New Year’s Eve is celebrated on January 1, the first day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. It is celebrated all over the world.

2. World Braille Day – January 4:

Since 2019, World Braille Day has been celebrated on 4th January to commemorate Louis Braille’s birthday. Braille is a writing system invented by Louis Braille that enables partially and totally blind people to read with their fingers.

3. World Day of War Orphans – January 6:

World War Orphans Day is celebrated annually on January 6 to raise awareness about war orphans, the millions of children orphaned by wars around the world.

4. African National Congress Day – January 8:

African National Congress Day is observed on January 8 because the African National Congress, a South African political party, was founded on that date in 1912.

  • South Africa has three capital cities: Cape Town, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein.
  • Nelson Mandela was the country’s first president.
  • Cyril Ramaphosa, the 5th President of South Africa, is the current President.

5. World Hindi Day – January 10:

World Hindi Day is celebrated on January 10 to promote the Hindi language and to commemorate the First World Hindi Conference, which took place on that date in 1975.

6. International Day of Education – 24 January:

January 24 is celebrated as International Education Day.

The purpose of the day is to ensure that education is a human right, education is accessible to all children in the world and that education has a role in global peace and sustainable development.

Theme – “to invest in people, prioritize education.”

7. International Customs Day – 26th January:

International Customs Day is celebrated on January 26 to recognize the challenges customs officials face in their job and to commemorate the founding of the World Customs Organization (WCO) on January 26, 1953.

8. International Holocaust Remembrance Day – 27th January:

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed annually on January 27 to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.

9. World Leprosy Day – 30th January:

World Leprosy Day is observed every year on the last Sunday of January to raise awareness about leprosy or Hansen’s disease. It was founded on 30 January 1954 by French writer and humanitarian Raoul Follereau. But in India, World Leprosy Day is celebrated on January 30, commemorating the death of Mahatma Gandhi, who showed compassion to those suffering from leprosy.

10. Data Privacy Day – 28th January:

Data Privacy Day is celebrated on January 28 to create awareness about data privacy and data protection.

National Important Days and Dates in January:

1. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas – January 9:

January 9 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a national day celebrated in January. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day, is celebrated every two years on 9th January to mark the contribution of NRIs towards India’s development. The date of January 9th was chosen as NRI Day because Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa on that date in 1915.

The 2023 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, will be the chief guest.

The theme of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 is “Diaspora: Reliable Partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal”.

2. Death Anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri – 11th January:

11th January marks the death anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the 2nd Prime Minister and statesman of independent India. He served as the Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1966 (posthumously). Jai Jawan Jai Kisan is a famous slogan given by Lal Bahadur Shastri during the Indo-Pak war.

3. National Human Trafficking Awareness Day – 11 January:

This day is observed on January 11 every year to raise public awareness of human trafficking and to prevent the trafficking of persons for labor and illegal work.

4. National Road Safety Week – 11th – 17th January:

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways celebrates the National Road Safety Week in India from January 11 to January 17 every year to create public awareness among people about road safety rules and reduce the risk of road accidents.

5. Bikaner Camel Festival – January 11 – 12:

Bikaner Camel Festival is a two-day festival organized by Rajasthan Tourism in the city of Bikaner, Rajasthan in January every year. Decorated camels, processions and folk performances are here to attract tourists.

6. National Youth Day – 12th January:

National Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12th January to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, an inspirational figure and monk and founder of Ramakrishna Mission and Vedanta Society. He represented India at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago, his famous speech opening with “Sisters and Brothers of America”.

7. Lohri – 14th January:

Lohari is a harvest festival celebrated in North India and more importantly in Punjab. This festival marks the harvest of Rabi crops and the end of winter.

8. Makar Sankranti – 15th January:

Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival celebrated across the country. It is the main festival of Andhra Pradesh. It is a festival celebrated after harvest and on this day, Sun enters Capricorn (Makara Rasi) from Sagittarius (Dhanu Rasi).

9. International Kiet Festival – 14th January:

Every year on 14th January, the festival of Uttarayana, the day when winter turns into summer according to the Hindu calendar, all people celebrate the Festival of Kites. Since 1989, Ahmedabad International Kite Festival has been organized by Gujarat Tourism on Uttarayanam or Makar Sankranti, where various kite flyers and makers from around the world showcase their unique kites and amaze the crowd.

10. Pongal – 14th January to 17th January:

Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in January. Farmers celebrate a 4-day festival as the crops come home. It is a special festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu.

11. Thiruvalluvar Day – 16th January:

Thiruvalluvar Day is celebrated as part of Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu. Thiruvalluvar is a famous Tamil poet who is best known for Tirukkural. This day is celebrated for his contribution to Tamil literature.

12. Indian Army Day – 15th January:

Indian Army Day is celebrated on 15th January every year to commemorate the day K. M. Cariappa assumed charge as the first Indian Commander in Chief of the Indian Army.

13. National Startup Day – 16th January:

January 16 is celebrated as National Startup Day to encourage people to come up with innovative and creative ideas to establish new startups and create awareness about new startups. This day was chosen because Startup India was launched on this day in 2016.

14. Modhera Dance Festival – January 19 -21:

Modhera Dance Festival (Uttarardh Mahotsav) is a three-day festival organized by Gujarat Tourism every year at the end of the 3rd week of January at the ancient Sun Temple in Modhera, Gujarat. Musicians, classical and folk dancers from all over the world showcase their talents here as part of this festival.

15. Tripura, Manipur, and Meghalaya Foundation Day – 21 January:

Foundation Day is celebrated on 21st January every year to commemorate the formation of the states (Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya) on 21st January 1972.

16. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti / Parakram Divas – 23rd January:

We are celebrating Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti on his birth anniversary on January 23 to commemorate his contribution to India’s freedom struggle. He was the head of Azad Hind Fauz (Indian National Army). Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birthday is being celebrated as Parakram Divas (Day of Valour) in India from 2021 onwards.

17. National Girl Child Day – 24th January:

National Day of the Girl Child is celebrated every year on January 24 to raise public awareness of the inequalities and discrimination faced by the girl child. It was launched in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Government of India.

18. National Voters Day – 25th January:

National Voter’s Day is celebrated on January 25 to encourage more young voters to participate in the political process.

First National Voters Day was Celebrated on January 25 2011.

19. National Tourism Day – 25th January:

National Tourism Day is celebrated on January 25 to promote tourism in our country and create awareness about the importance of tourism in the economic development of our country.

20. India Republic Day – 26th January:

India Republic Day is celebrated on 26th January every year to commemorate the day when the Constitution of India came into force on 26th January 1950.

The Chief Guest of Republic Day 2023 is the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

21. Kala Ghoda Arts Festival:

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is India’s largest street art festival that attracts a large number of tourists and enthusiasts from all over the country and the world. It is a 9-day annual festival organized at the Kala Ghoda Arts District in South Mumbai to maintain and preserve the heritage of the Kala Ghoda region. This festival is celebrated every year from the first Saturday to the second Sunday of February in various categories like children, music, literature, heritage walks, cinema, art exhibitions etc.

This year Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is being held online from 20 to 28 January 2024.

22. Birth Anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai – 28th January:

Lala Lajapati Rai Jayanti is celebrated on January 28. Birthday of Lala Lajpat Rai, the great freedom fighter who contributed a lot in India’s freedom struggle. He is also known as Punjab Kesari and Punjab Lion.

His famous books

  1. The Arya Samaj
  2. Young India
  3. Unhappy India
  4. England’s Debt to India
  5. An Open Letter to the Right Honorable David Lloyd George: Prime Minister of Great Britain

We Hope, We have covered all the national and international important days in January which will help you. If we have missed any important days and dates in January, feel free to comment in the comment section.

1. Which international year is 2024?

The UN has declared 2024 the International Year of the Camelids including camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and guanacos. The year is meant to highlight the diverse contribution of Camelids to people’s lives around the world.

Saanvi

About Saanvi

Saanvi Sharma is an excellent web content writer in health and nutrition. Her expertise in the subject stems from in-depth research and knowledge that she gained over the years. Her interest in science coupled with a bachelor's degree in biotechnology proves as an added advantage and further adds value to her writing. She is highly interested in science, thus writing quality content became her virtue.
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