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The colour calendar

147 days of the year that have colours of their own: festivals, national days, remembrances and causes, with what is worn and shown on each. Dates are worked out afresh every day.

TraditionAllHinduMuslimChristianJewishBuddhistSikhJainOther traditions
KindReligious daysNational daysSeasonal daysNew yearHarvestRemembranceCauses and awareness

November 2026

30 Nov 2026St Andrew's DayA white diagonal cross on blue, the Saltire of Scotland, and tartan in every clan’s colours.

December 2026

12 Dec 2026Jamhuri DayBlack, red and green, edged with white, and a Maasai shield: the Kenyan flag on shirts, beads and bracelets. 16 Dec 2026Victory Day (Bangladesh)Red and green: a red disc on a green field, worn as saris, panjabis and painted cheeks.

January 2027

26 Jan 2027Australia DayGreen and gold, the national colours, and for many the black, red and yellow of the Aboriginal flag on a day of mourning. 26 Jan 2027Republic Day (India)Saffron, white and green everywhere, from the parade in Delhi to tricolour sweets, kites and school uniforms.

February 2027

6 Feb 2027Waitangi DayRed, black and white: the colours of Māori carving, weaving and the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, flown beside the national flag.

March 2027

1 Mar 2027St David's DayYellow daffodils and green leeks pinned to coats in Wales, with the red dragon and the gold cross of St David on black. 2 Mar 2027Adwa Victory DayGreen, yellow and red, the Ethiopian tricolour that later gave many African flags their colours, over crowds in white. 6 Mar 2027Ghana Independence DayRed, gold and green with a black star, and kente cloth woven in the same strong colours. 17 Mar 2027St Patrick's DayGreen clothes, green shamrock, green rivers and green lights around the world for Ireland’s patron saint. 23 Mar 2027Pakistan DayDark green and white: the flag of Pakistan on buildings, badges and painted faces, and a military parade in Islamabad. 25 Mar 2027Greek Independence DayBlue and white flags, schoolchildren in blue and white, and guards in white pleated kilts and red caps.

April 2027

23 Apr 2027St George's DayA red cross on white for England, and in Catalonia red roses and books under red and yellow stripes. 27 Apr 2027King's DayA whole country in orange, for the royal House of Orange-Nassau: shirts, wigs, cakes and canal boats.

May 2027

17 May 2027Norwegian Constitution DayBunad, the embroidered regional dress, in black, red, blue and green wool with silver, under red, white and blue flags. 25 May 2027May Revolution Day (Argentina)Sky blue and white: flags, and the round ribbon cockade that Argentines pin to the chest all week.

June 2027

6 Jun 2027National Day of SwedenBlue and yellow: the flag, the folk dress with its yellow apron, and summer flowers in the same colours. 19 Jun 2027JuneteenthRed food and red drink on the table, and two flags: red, white and blue with a star, and red, black and green.

July 2027

1 Jul 2027Canada DayRed and white, the national colours, with the red maple leaf on faces, shirts and flags. 4 Jul 2027Independence Day (United States)Red, white and blue on bunting, clothes, cakes and fireworks for the Fourth of July. 14 Jul 2027Bastille DayBlue, white and red: the tricolour on every town hall, and jets trailing the three colours over Paris. 28 Jul 2027King Vajiralongkorn's BirthdayYellow shirts and yellow flags across Thailand: the king was born on a Monday, and Monday’s colour is yellow.

August 2027

12 Aug 2027Mother's Day in ThailandLight blue, the Friday colour of Queen Sirikit, whose birthday became Thai Mother’s Day, and white jasmine for mothers. 15 Aug 2027Independence Day (India)The tricolour raised at the Red Fort, and saffron, white and green on kites, clothes and sweets across the country. 17 Aug 2027Independence Day (Indonesia)Red and white on every gate, lane and bicycle: the Merah Putih, with village games under strings of small flags.

September 2027

7 Sept 2027Independence Day (Brazil)Green and yellow, with the blue globe of the flag: military parades and painted faces on Sete de Setembro. 15 to 16 Sept 2027Mexican Independence DayGreen, white and red on flags, lights and food, from the midnight shout in the Zócalo to a stuffed chilli in the three colours. 23 Sept 2027Saudi National DayGreen everywhere: flags, lights, scarves and towers, for the day the kingdom was unified in 1932. 24 Sept 2027Heritage Day (South Africa)Every community in its own dress: Zulu beadwork, Xhosa white and ochre, Ndebele stripes, indigo shweshwe, and a six-colour flag.

October 2027

1 Oct 2027National Day of ChinaRed flags with five yellow stars on every street, and a huge basket of flowers in Tiananmen Square. 1 Oct 2027Independence Day (Nigeria)Green, white, green: the flag, and the same colours in head ties, caps and flowing gowns. 3 Oct 2027German Unity DayBlack, red and gold: the colours of German democracy since the nineteenth century.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.