Interfaith Calendar

The 2015 climate survey reminds us that campus community members hold a wide variety of beliefs and practice many faiths (see sample data here). While the majority of campus identifies as Christian, spiritual or non-religious, significant numbers of faculty, staff, and students are adherents of other faiths, with the largest minority religious communities being Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist.  The Campus Interfaith Resources Calendar reflects the information received from representatives of each faith regarding Holy Days that, in their view, would require (or recommend) an observant's absence from (or suspension of) work for religious observance purposes (can also be in the form of special worship). It is also important to note that there are many holy days associated with various faiths and that the absence of such dates on this list should not be interpreted to mean that there should be no accommodation for students who observe those holy days.  We encourage you to check course and event calendars soon to make alternative arrangements, if needed.

For a more exhaustive list of religious holidays you can look at this multifaith calendar.  

Holidays

Semester Holiday Start Date End Date Tradition Description
Summer 2019 Eid-Al-Adha 08/11/2019 08/11/2019 Islam Also called the Festival of Sacrifice, this day is the concluding act of pilgrimage and is observed even when not on pilgrimage. As Abraham offered his son, Ishmael, to God, Muslims offer sheep, goats and camels. They distribute the meat to the poor. View
Fall 2019 Muharram 09/01/2019 09/01/2019 Islam Celebrates the Hijra (migration) of Muhammad and his followers in 622 CE from Mecca to Medina, where they established the first Islamic community.  View
Fall 2019 Ashura 09/10/2019 09/10/2019 Islam For Shi'ite Muslims, Ashura has special importance as it commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. View
Fall 2019 Navratri 09/29/2019 10/09/2019 Hinduism Navaratri is a nine night festival that honors the Mother Goddess in all her manifestations, including Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. It is a festival characterized by worship and dance. The festival culminates with Dussehra, the victory of good over evil, on the tenth day. View
Fall 2019 Rosh Hashanah 09/30/2019 10/01/2019 Judaism New Year's Day and anniversary of the creation of the world. The first of the Ten Days of Awe (or Repentance). View
Fall 2019 Yom Kippur 10/07/2019 10/08/2019 Judaism The Day of Atonement is the year's holiest day, a day of fasting, and is meant to re-establish oneness with God. View
Fall 2019 Dussehra 10/08/2019 10/08/2019 Hinduism Celebrates the victory of good over evil of Lord Rama over the demon Ravan and the Goddess Durga over a demon. It follows the nine-day celebration of Navaratri (nine nights) and Durga Puja (worship), when other Goddesses are worshiped. View
Fall 2019 Diwali 10/27/2019 10/27/2019 Hinduism Diwali (Deepavali) is dedicated to the Goddesses Kali in Bengal and Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth) in the rest of India. Diwali is associated with a story about the destruction of evil by Lord Vishnu in one of his many manifestations. View
Fall 2019 Bodhi Day 12/08/2019 12/08/2019 Buddhism Bodhi Day honors the anniversary of the historical Buddha's awakening. View
Fall 2019 Christmas 12/25/2019 12/25/2019 Christianity Christmas celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Jesus. Christmas is a Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics. View
Winter 2021 Bodhi Day 01/02/2020 01/02/2020 Buddhism Bodhi Day honors the anniversary of the historical Buddha's awakening. View
Winter 2020 Holi 03/09/2020 03/09/2020 Hinduism A religious spring festival celebrated by people throwing colorful powder and coloured water at each other. Holi is dedicated to Krishna or Kama. View
Winter 2020 Passover 04/08/2020 04/16/2020 Judaism Passover commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It isthe first of the three major festivals with both historical andagricultural significance (the other two are Shavuot and Sukkot). View
Winter 2020 Good Friday 04/10/2020 04/10/2020 Christianity Good Friday commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ, or his submission to death by crucifixion. View
Winter 2020 Easter 04/12/2020 04/12/2020 Christianity Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. It initiates the fifty-day period culminating in Pentecost. View
Winter 2020 Pascha 04/19/2020 04/19/2020 Eastern Orthodox Christianity The main focus of Easter Sunday is on traditional Greek Easter foods. At dawn, the spits are set to work and grills are fired up. The customary main attraction of the day is whole roasted lamb or goat to represent the Lamb of God. Many prefer oven and stovetop lamb or kid dishes. View
Spring 2020 Ramadan 04/23/2020 05/23/2020 Islam Ramadan is the month of fasting during which physically able Muslims do not eat or drink from the first sign of dawn until sunset. It is a time of self-examination and religious devotion. View
Spring 2020 Vesak 05/07/2020 05/07/2020 Buddhism Coming on the full moon, Vesak commemorates the birth, awakening, and passing away (paranibbana) of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. View
Spring 2020 Eid-Al-Fitr 05/23/2020 05/23/2020 Islam Literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations (the other occurs after the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca). View
Summer 2020 Eid-Al-Adha 07/30/2020 08/03/2020 Islam Also called the "Festival of Sacrifice," this day is the concluding act of pilgrimage and is observed even when not on pilgrimage. As Abraham offered his son, Ishmael, to God, Muslims offer sheep, goats and camels. They distribute the meat to the poor. View
Fall 2020 Muharram 08/21/2020 08/21/2020 Islam Celebrates the Hijra (migration) of Muhammad and his followers in 622 CE, from Mecca to Medina, where they established the first Islamic community.  View
Fall 2020 Ashura 08/28/2020 08/28/2020 Islam For Shi'ite Muslims, Ashura has special importance as it commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. View
Fall 2020 Rosh Hashanah 09/18/2020 09/20/2020 Judaism New Year's Day and anniversary of the creation of the world. The first of the Ten Days of Awe (or Repentance). View
Fall 2020 Yom Kippur 09/27/2020 09/28/2020 Judaism The Day of Atonement is the year's holiest day, a day of fasting, and is meant to re-establish oneness with God View
Fall 2020 Navratri 10/17/2020 10/26/2020 Hinduism Navaratri is a nine night festival that honors the Mother Goddess in all her manifestations, including Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. It is a festival characterized by worship and dance. The festival culminates with Dussehra, the victory of good over evil, on the tenth day. View
Fall 2020 Dussehra 10/25/2020 10/25/2020 Hinduism Celebrates the victory of good over evil; of Lord Rama over the demon Ravan, and the Goddess Durga over a demon. It follows the nine-day celebration of Navaratri (nine nights) and Durga Puja (worship), when other Goddesses are worshiped. View
Fall 2020 Diwali 11/14/2020 11/14/2020 Hinduism Diwali (Deepavali) is dedicated to the Goddesses Kali in Bengal and Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth) in the rest of India. Diwali is associated with a story about the destruction of evil by Lord Vishnu in one of his many manifestations. View
Fall 2020 Christmas 12/25/2020 12/25/2020 Christianity Christmas celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Jesus. A Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics. View
Winter 2021 Passover 03/27/2021 04/03/2021 Judaism Passover commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavuot and Sukkot). View
Winter 2021 Holi 03/28/2021 03/28/2021 Hinduism A religious spring festival celebrated by people throwing colorful powder and coloured water at each other. Holi is dedicated to Krishna or Kama. View
Winter 2021 Good Friday 04/02/2021 04/02/2021 Christianity Good Friday commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ, or his submission to death by crucifixion. View
Winter 2021 Easter 04/04/2021 04/04/2021 Christianity Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. It initiates the fifty-day periodculminating in Pentecost. View
Spring 2021 Ramadan 04/12/2021 05/11/2021 Islam Ramadan is the month of fasting during which physically able Muslims do not eat or drink from the first sign of dawn until sunset. It is a time of self-examination and religious devotion. View
Spring 2021 Pascha 05/02/2021 05/02/2021 Eastern Orthodox Christianity The main focus of Easter Sunday is on traditional Greek Easter foods. At dawn, the spits are set to work and grills are fired up. The customary main attraction of the day is whole roasted lamb or goat to represent the Lamb of God. Many prefer oven and stovetop lamb or kid dishes. View
Spring 2021 Eid-Al-Fitr 05/12/2021 05/21/2021 Islam Literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations (the other occurs after the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca). View
Spring 2021 Vesak 05/26/2021 05/26/2021 Buddhism Coming on the full moon, it commemorates the birth, awakening, and passing away (paranibbana) of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. View
Summer 2021 Eid-Al-Adha 07/19/2021 07/19/2021 Islam Also called the Festival of Sacrifice, this day is the concluding act of pilgrimage and is observed even when not on pilgrimage. As Abraham offered his son, Ishmael, to God, Muslims offer sheep, goats, and camels. They distribute the meat to the poor. View

Page last modified October 18, 2019
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