Embracing the spirit of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the City of Goleta city wants to take a moment to highlight a few of the December 2023 and January 2024 awareness days and cultural holidays:
- International Day of People with Disabilities (December 3, 2023) – Celebrated yearly December 3, promotes the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development.
- Hanukkah (December 7, 2023) – Begins at sundown on December 7, 2023, and lasts for eight nights ending on December 15, 2023. The Jewish “festival of lights” is celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers, the game of dreidel, and tasty foods including latkes and sufganiyot (jelly donuts).
- International Human Rights Day (December 10, 2023) – Marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that sets universal values and a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations establishing equal dignity and worth of every person.
- Christmas Day (December 25, 2023) – Is both a religious holiday and a cultural event, with common gift exchanges, dinner, Christmas carols and other celebrations.
- Kwanzaa (December 26, 2023 – January 1, 2024) – A secular festival observed by many African Americans from December 26 to January 1 as a celebration of their cultural heritage and traditional values culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 15, 2024) – Observed annually on the third Monday in January, honors the legacy of Dr. King and focuses on the issue of civil rights, highlights the use of nonviolence to promote change, and calls people into public service.
We hope you can join the City of Goleta in acknowledging and learning more about the different cultural and awareness observances every month as we work to foster a more inclusive Goleta for all.