This is, I hope, going to be a new monthly feature. My intention is that towards the end of each month to post a listing for the following month. The listings are likely to contain an eclectic mix of interesting anniversaries, historical events, red letter days and upcoming interesting (to me) “awareness events”, mostly UK-centric. As such this will replace the individual listings I’ve been posting erratically over the last year or more and allow me to add in days when traditional celebrations happen.
So let’s start off with what’s coming up for January 2014.
1 January
New Year’s Day. The first day of the new year and one of the important days for the wassailing of apple trees. Read more here >>>>
New Year’s Day has been a public holiday in the UK only since 1974. When I was young, before this was a public holiday, it always seemed daft to me that everyone went to celebrate and drink the New Year in, but we were then expected to be able to get up and go to work the following day.
First UK Shipping Forecast broadcast, 1924.
5 January
The Twelfth Day of Christmas and hence (in my book) Twelfth Night when all Christmas decorations have to be taken down, or left up until next year so as to avoid bad luck. The day is also sometimes known as Wassail Eve, being one of the occasions when we traditionally wassail our apple trees to encourage them to crop well this year.
6 January
Epiphany, the day the Western Christian Churches celebrate the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus.
Old Xmas Day. In the old Julian Calendar this was 25 December, Christmas Day.
This is also the day when most people, and most traditions, celebrate Twelfth Night and is thus an important day for wassailing apple trees.
7 January
Eastern Orthodox Christmas Day. Because the Eastern Orthodox Churches still follow the old Julian Calendar this is the day on which their Christmas now falls.
Marriage of Princess Matilda, 1114. 900 years ago today the 12 year old Princess Matilda, grand-daughter of William the Conqueror, was married to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V at Worms. Following the death of Henry V in 1125, Matilda married Geoffrey Plantagenet, heir to the Count of Anjou. Their son later became Henry II of England. Read more here >>>>

Daguerreotype of Louis Daguerre in 1844
by Jean-Baptiste Sabatier-Blot
9 January
Birth of the Daguerrotype, 1839. On this day Louis Daguerre introduced the first publicly announced photographic process, which was to be named after him. Read more here >>>>
11 January
Old New Year’s Eve.
Birth of Sir James Paget Bt, 1814. Surgeon and pathologist who is best remembered for Paget’s disease, a chronic disorder of bone mis-growth. Paget was born in Great Yarmouth and is today commemorated in the name of the local hospital. Read more here >>>>
Charing Cross Station opened, 1864. Read more here >>>>
13 January
Plough Monday is the Monday after Epiphany. It marks the resumption of agricultural work after the Christmas festivities. In some areas of England the farm labourers toured the villages with their plough in a money-raising trip, perhaps with singing, mumming plays and dancing. Read more here, here and here >>>>
18 January
Winnie the Pooh Day. The annual celebration of the birth in 1882 of AA Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh.
19 January
Birth of painter Paul Cezanne, 1839.
World Religion Day. Founded in 1950 the aim is to unite everyone, whatever their faith, by showing us all that there are common foundations to all religions and that together we can help humanity and live in harmony. Read more here >>>>
20 January
Blue Monday. At a time of year when we all need cheering up Blue Monday is a special day for people to focus on doing good for each other. Not necessarily presents and cards, just small (or large) acts of kindness.
24 January
Global Belly Laugh Day. Go on, cheer yourself up, have a good laugh. Read more here >>>>

Robert Burns by Alexander Nasmyth
25 January
Burns’ Night. The annual celebration of Scotland’s most famous poet, Robert Burns (1759–1796) held on his birthday. Celebration includes the eating of haggis and the drinking of whisky. Read more here >>>>
26 January to 1 February
Farmhouse Breakfast Week. Breakfast is, we are told, the most important meal of the day and what could be better than a full English farmhouse breakfast? This is a week to celebrate and indulge in just that! Read more here >>>>
31 January
Chinese New Year. 2014 is the year of the Horse.
More next month!