September dates to celebrate

Education is a core focus of our September dates to celebrate, with Early Childhood Educators’ Day and Indigenous Literacy Day kicking off the month closely followed by International Literacy Day.

We’ve also got some wonderful cultural celebrations including the start of America’s Hispanic Heritage Month, South East Asia’s Mooncake Festival and European Day of Languages.

All of these September dates to celebrate can be enhanced with a multicultural incursion that promotes intercultural understanding. Here are some of our top calendar picks for September dates to celebrate.

Early Childhood Educators’ Day

1 September

Held on the first Wednesday in September each year to recognise the contribution of Australian educators, Early Childhood Educators’ Day thanks educators for their role in the wellbeing and healthy development of future generations. Early education can improve children’s social skills and cultivate lifelong interests.

Around Australia, kindergarten and preschool teachers are supported by pre-primary incursions that help children discover different cultures and perspectives.

Jungle Shimmy is a dynamic music and dance adventure program, Victorian kids will learn easy-to-follow dances including Bollywood, Bhangra, Turkish, Egyptian, Gulf and Lebanese folk styles. 

Available in New South Wales, Queensland , Victoria and South Australia, Hip Hop Infusion allows students to discover the significance of hip-hop and urban dance culture through high-energy interactive programs. 

Victorian students can learn the values and qualities of tradition Japanese ink art forms through mindful brush strokes in Japanese Ink Painting. 

Middle Eastern Belly Dance is a workshop to explore Arabic culture through storytelling and dancing available in Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. 

Indigenous Literacy Day 

1 September

Since 2004, Indigenous Literacy Day has been celebrated on the first Wednesday of September. This day highlights the difficulties faced by Indigenous Australians and advocates equality.  Education and literacy are some of the most prominent challenges faced by Indigenous Australian, for example, large literacy gaps between Indigenous children and non-Indigenous children. 

Cultural Infusion’s Indigenous programs help children from all parts of society understand and appreciate the role of Our First Nations Peoples.

Students in Victoria can immerse themselves in Australian Indigenous culture through engaging in storytelling, sport, instrument, and dance in our Aboriginal Cultural for a Day program with our experienced Aboriginal presenters.

Students will be able to create their own story after learning Indigenous art symbols from our presenter of immersive storytelling in Aboriginal Storytelling Through Art available in Victoria and Queensland. 

Aboriginal Infusion is a dynamic program available in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. It aims to provide students a deeper understanding of Indigenous culture and is unique to each of our Indigenous presenters.

With many experienced Aboriginal presenters and Elder, they each share and teach about their Aboriginal heritage through different art forms and mediums. Our New South Wales presenter provides an entertaining and educational workshop showcasing traditional dance, music and storytelling. Our Victorian presenter’s interactive workshop includes didgeridoo, dances, storytelling, Indigenous artefacts and boomerang throwing. While another shares her culture with students through engaging and informative workshops about Aboriginal culture including storytelling, artefacts, traditional symbols, art, language and dance. 

Our Australia Capital Territory presenter’s program, Aboriginal Storytelling and Artefects is an engaging and interactive teaching style incorporates movement, history and artefacts.

International Literacy Day

8 September

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation proclaimed International Literacy Day 55 years ago. It aims to highlight the significance of literacy and raise awareness and concern for literacy problems in our communities. According to UNESCO, there are more than 700 million adults and 600 million children and adolescents lacking basic literacy skills or not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. Recently, the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the learning of global citizens on an unprecedented scale. Therefore, this year’s theme focuses on The right to literacy in times of COVID-19: The contribution of digital literacy and distance learning programs. 

Cultural Infusion works with a range of talented and educational multicultural presenters to create an array of storytelling programs for students. 

Australia Capital Territory, New South Wales, and Western Australian students can learn learn about different aspects of Aboriginal culture through storytelling, as well as an introduction to the history of Aboriginal tools and artefacts in Aboriginal Storytelling and Artefacts. 

Western Australian students can discover the mystical manipulation of shadow puppetry between the light and screen, creating a ‘living’ silhouette. In Wayang Kulit, the ancestral spirits which are said to dwell within the puppets are brought to life.

Aboriginal Storytelling Through Art presents a fun and engaging art workshop for Victorian and Queensland students where they can create and draw their own story using the symbols and techniques they have learned.

Also available in Victoria, Songs of Italia shares a musical journey of Italian folk music, while Mime Magnifique! is a theatre performance of France culture featuring charades, magic tricks, and comedy. 

National Hispanic Heritage Month

15 September to 15 October

This national month celebrates the contribution and influence of Hispanic heritage to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. The theme of 2021 is Be Proud of Your Past, Embrace the Future, which aims to encourage Hispanics to embrace their background, be proud of their identity and celebrate.

Available in Victoria, Spanish Fiesta introduces students to Spanish culture and follows with choreographed dance and folkloric music, inspired by the famous Spanish dance – Flamenco. In Spanish Fiesta, students will begin to explore Spanish culture through this colourful, vibrant and interactive program.

Also available in Victoria, as well as South Australia, and New South Wales, Latin American Dance will take you on a journey across Latin America, teaching students dances such as Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Merengue, Bachata and Tango.

Viva Mexico – A Cultural Journey provides an opportunity for students in New South Wales to learn folk dances and meanings of Spanish lyrics found in La Bamba and other popular songs.

Available in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, Fire of Flamenco incorporates dance, music, and singing and has a rich, multicultural history influenced by Roma, Arab, West African, and Spanish cultures, students will have the chance to learn some of the dance moves for themselves.

Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival

21 September

Mid-Autumn Festival is a Chinese festival that celebrates the full moon, symbolising family reunions. It is on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar when the moon is at its fullest throughout the year. During this day, people gather with their families to appreciate the moon and eat mooncakes together. The people of the town carry lanterns when they walk around on the street. 

Available in Victoria,  Cultural Infusion provides a DIY workshop where students will make their own colourful paper lanterns and practice Chinese calligraphy to decorate in Chinese Lantern Making and Calligraphy. Students can learn about the history, symbolism and uses of lanterns in festivals and celebrations across China while making their own to take home. 

Heritage Day 

25 September

National Heritage Day of South Africa celebrates the rich cultural heritage within their nation. South Africans’ celebrate this day by recognising the rich cultural heritage of the unique and diverse cultures that make up the population of South Africa. The importance of living heritage is promoted during this day. It plays a significant role in enhancing cultural diversity, social inclusion, reconciliation, peace as well as economic development within a nation.

European Day of Languages

26 September

In 2001, the European Year of Languages, the Council of Europe declared 26 September the European Day of Languages to celebrate linguistic diversity in Europe and promote language learning. The European Day of Languages aims to preserve the linguistic diversity in Europe, promote plurilingualism and intercultural understanding through recognising the need to diversify the range of languages people learn, and to raise the awareness of the need for people to learn two or more languages to play their full part in democratic citizenship in Europe.

Language learning opens up connections with people around the world and plays an important role in helping us overcome cultural barriers and embrace cultural differences.

At Cultural infusion, we provide interactive cultural programs and workshops designed to enhance students’ intercultural understanding across a range of languages. 

In Classic French Music, discover the ‘Viva the Trio’ formed by multi-instrumentalists Peter and Marie and French cabaret singer Corrine . The program contextualises the music by introducing the lyrics, instruments, and cultural context in French and English. 

Assyrian-Iraqi Band is one of the few professional bands in the world that performs in the Assyrian language, the native language of Iraq’s indigenous people. This band immerses audiences in Assyrian history and culture and promotes intercultural awareness through their performance of diverse styles of music.

We hope you enjoyed reading about September dates to celebrate. Next month, we’ll be taking a look at October celebration dates such as World Music Day, World Teachers’ Day and, of course, Halloween!