Of significant help to getting to know people from different faith and belief backgrounds is to learn something about their festivals. Here are some festivals being marked in February.
Pagan Imbolc 1st – 2nd February
The Festival of Imbolc, celebrating light and the first signs of spring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is__7nQr6cE
Jewish Tu B’Shevat 1st – 2nd February
Tu B’Shevat is considered the New Year of the Trees, and marks the start of spring in Israel, when trees begin to bloom after a long, cold winter.
Today, many people mark this holiday by planting saplings and participating in a meal that evokes the Pesach seder, where fruits, nuts, and wine or grape juice are on the menu. Besides the seder, many families spend Tu B’Shevat planting a tree, working in a garden, eating special fruit, or doing something else to show some love for trees and the earth.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3264/jewish/15-Shevat-2026.htm
Christian Candlemass 2nd February
Candlemas commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of her son Jesus. This day also marks the ritual presentation of the baby Jesus to God in the Temple at Jerusalem.
https://catholicstraightanswers.com/candlemas-day/
Muslim Lailat-ul-Bara’ah 3rd February
On the fourteenth of Sha’ban, the eighth month of the Muslim calendar and two weeks before Ramadan commences, Muslims seek forgiveness for their sins. Many Muslims believe that it is on this night that a person’s destiny is fixed by Allah for the coming year, and the night is often spent in prayer, asking for forgiveness and God’s guidance.
https://www.reonline.org.uk/festival_event/the-night-of-forgiveness-lailat-ul-baraah-14th-shaban/
Christian St. Valentines day 14th February
Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with “courtly love.”
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=159
Buddhist Mahayana Parinirvāṇa / Nirvana Day 15th February
Parinirvana Day is an annual festival, observed in some Mahayana countries, that remembers the death of the Buddha when he reached the age of 80. Buddhism teaches that when the Buddha died, he entered a state called Parinirvana which means Nirvana without end.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/holydays/parinirvana.shtml
Hindu Maha Shivratri 15th February
Maha Shivaratri is celebrated for the god Shiva, the god of the Hindu trinity that represents destruction. The festival has several religious and spiritual meanings. According to some beliefs, Maha Shivaratri is the night during which Shiva saved the world from destruction. He swallowed the poison that rose from the seabed in the pursuit of the nectar of immortality.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/mahashivratri.shtml
Christian Shrove Tuesday 17th February
Shrove Tuesday is the day before 40 days of Lent.
Lent is meant to be a time of sacrifice, in honour of Jesus who spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness.
https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/christenings/after-christening/things-do-children-spring/countdown-easter
Christian Ash Wednesday 18th February
Ashe Wednesday marks the start of Lent. Ashes made from palm crosses are blessed and are used to make crosses on people’s foreheads. The custom dates back to the middle ages.
https://www.cbcew.org.uk/ash-wednesday/
Muslim Ramadan 18th February (to 18th March)
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The exact dates of Ramadan change every year. This is because Islam uses a calendar based on the cycles of the Moon. Ramadan remembers the month the Qur’an (the Muslim holy book) was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims won’t eat or drink during the hours of daylight.
https://ing.org/resources/for-all-groups/calendar-of-important-islamic-dates/ramadan-information-sheet/
Buddhist Sonam Losar 18th February
Sonam Losar is the New Year festival of the Tamang people of Nepal and surrounding Himalayan regions.
https://himalayan-masters.com/lhosar/
With thanks to The Shap Calendar for the valuable information