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Home , Islamic New Year

Guilford College Friends Center for Quaker Studies and Multifaith Collaboration MULTIFAITH 2020-2021

ISLAM JUDAISM CHRISTIANITY ZOROASTRIANISM BUDDHISM PAGANISM HINDUISM

AUGUST Sundown 7/31 – Sundown 8/1 Eid ul-Adha 14 Diwalli 29 Holi (Festival of Sacrifice) that honors the prophet The Festival of Lights, celebrating the goddess Kali A Spring festival celebrated by throwing colored Abraham’s faith demonstrated by his willingness and the destruction of the evil by Vishnu. It is often powder and water on other festival goers. to sacrifice his son. It also uplifts the end of yearly celebrated as a five day festival filled with light. pilgrimage to . 11/29-12/24 Advent APRIL 1 Lammas/Lughnasa A four week period where Christians prepare 1 Maundy Thursday - Protestant and Catholic Harvest Festival celebrating the fruits of the inwardly for the birth of Christ. Commemorates Jesus’ last night on Earth and the season’s harvest and marking the waning strength creation of the Eucharist during the last supper. of summer. DECEMBER 2 - Protestant and Catholic 11 Krishna Janmashtami 8 Bodhi Day Date honoring Jesus’s death on the cross. Celebrated by some Buddhists as the anniversary of Celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth 4 - Protestant and Catholic incarnation of the God Vishnu. Often worship of the day Buddha was Enlightened in 596 BCE. Celebration of Jesus’ resurrection after his death. Krishna involves dancing and singing. 10-18 It is one of the most holy days in the Christian Sundown 8/20 – Sundown 8/21 Al-Hijra The Festival of Lights. The eight day celebration calendar. Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on a The Islamic celebrating the first day honoring the rededication of the Second Temple in different day. of , which is the first in the 165 BCE, which symbolized their political and . This holiday observes the end of religious freedom after being occupied by the Syrians. 8 Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day, honoring the six Mohammed’s journey from Mecca to , where 20-21 Yule/Winter Solstice he and his followers developed the first Islamic million Jews killed during World War II, under Celebration of the Winter Solstice, the longest night community. Nazi rule. of the year as well as welcoming the return of the 22 Ganesh Chaturthi sun and longer days. Sundown 4/13 – Sundown 5/12 The month of , which honors the revelations Celebrates the birthday of Ganesh, the elephant 25 headed god of beginnings and success. given to the Prophet Mohammed. During Ramadan The celebration of the birth of Christ. only eat and drink after the sun has set. 29 This holiday commemorates the prophet Moses. JANUARY 25 - Christian Orthodox During Ashura some Muslims fast. 6 Epiphany A celebration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. It marks Day celebrating the 3 wise men’s arrival and visit the beginning of Holy Week. SEPTEMBER with Baby Jesus. It marks the end of the 12 days of 19-20 Christmas and is of particular importance to Roman 29 Holy Friday - Christian Orthodox The beginning of the Jewish New Year. It is also Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians. Date honoring Jesus’s death on the cross. the beginning of 10 days of penance which ends on 28 Tu B’Shevat . Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the The Jewish “New Year of the Trees,” celebrated with MAY holiest time of the year. observances that connect us to our environment and 1 Beltane 22 Mabon/Autumn Equinox the natural world. Fertility festival honoring the beginning of summer. This is the second of three yearly Wiccan festivals. It is often celebrated with bonfires and a Maypole Mabon celebrates the autumnal equinox (when FEBRUARY covered in flowers. the day and night last in equal measure) and the 1-2 Imbolc 2 Easter - Christian Orthodox beginning of autumn. The first fertility festival that also celebrates the Celebration of Jesus’ resurrection after his death. 28 Yom Kippur coming of Spring. One of the most holy days in the Christian calendar. The Day of Atonement. This is the holiest day of the 17 Ash Wednesday (Lent Begins) Sundown 12 – Sundown 13 Eid al-Fitr Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur is a communal day Beginning of Lent, a period of prayer and sacrifice, The Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. Eid al-Fitr, of repentance and reconciliation and is often filled where Christians give up something(s) of pleasure to is the most important festival and celebrates the with prayer and fasting. honor Jesus’s 40 days in the desert. Ash Wednesday end of Ramadan. is a time of prayer and repentance and is symbolized OCTOBER by a cross of ashes (often from last year’s palms 17-18 Shavuot 3-9 Sukkot from Palm Sunday) on the forehead. The feast of weeks, marking the end of the seven Festival of Booths and Fall harvest. This celebration 26 Purim weeks following and the God giving of the lasts 8 days. Its name derives from the structures Torah on Mt. Sinai. The festival of Lots, celebrates the Jews liberation the Israelis constructed during the harvest season. from ancient Persia. It is celebrated by wearing 23 Pentecost - Catholic and Protestant 10 Shemini Atzaret costumes, feasting, and the giving of gifts. Pentecost honors the coming of the Holy Spirit Literally the “8th day of assembly,” this holiday marks after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven and marks the the end of Sukkot with an annual prayer for rain. MARCH beginning of the Christian Church. 20 Ostra/Spring Equinox 11 Simchat Torah 26 Wesak Celebrates the beginning of Spring and the day The day marking the end and the beginning of the Date honoring the birth and enlightenment of when light and dark are balanced. annual Torah reading cycle. Buddha. 21 17-26 Nowruz celebrates the Spring Equinox and is also A festival lasting nine nights, where nine JUNE known as the Persian New Year, which is celebrated manifestations of the divine feminine (Shakti/Devi). 20 Pentecost - Christian Orthodox worldwide by various ethno-linguistic groups. Pentecost honors the coming of the Holy Spirit 28 at Sundown al-Nabi Nowruz has Iranian and Zoroastrian origins. after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven and marks the Celebrates the birth of the Prophet Mohammed 27-4/4 Passover beginning of the Christian Church. Passover is a remembrance of the Israelites 21 Litha 31 Samhain liberation from slavery in Egypt. It is an eight day Summer solstice - marks the longest day of the year. The New Year and the final harvest festival, celebration beginning with a Seder, a special meal celebrating the last gifts of the Earth before winter that commemorates the Israelites exodus from and the return of the spirits of the dead. Egypt to the desert under God’s guidance. Special JULY foods are eaten during Passover to mark and Sundown 19 – Sundown 22 Eid ul-Adha NOVEMBER remember the journey through the desert and (Festival of Sacrifice) that honors the prophet God’s provision. Abraham’s faith demonstrated by his willingness 1-2 All Saints Day & All Souls Day to sacrifice his son. It also uplifts the end of yearly Christian celebration of the lives of all the saints, 28 Palm Sunday - Protestant and Catholic pilgrimage to Mecca. especially those not having a special day; Orthodox A celebration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the churches observe the day in mid-summer. Catholic week before his death and resurrection. It marks Christian observance in memory of all the faithful the beginning of Holy Week. Eastern Orthodox who are deceased. In some Latin cultures, this day is Christians celebrate on a different date. known as “The Day of the Dead.” Please Note: are based on the , some of which are contingent upon the sighting of the . As such please be aware that many of the Islamic holidays listed here are tentative dates. Jewish holidays are based on the lunar calendar, and all holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the date specified. The Jewish holiday of Shabbat, the day of rest and weekly observance of God’s completion of creation, is celebrated weekly (approximately sundown every Friday night to sundown every Saturday.) The calendar does not cover every holiday, but tries to include the major holidays within various religious identities represented at Guilford College. If we are missing a holiday or the date or description of a holiday is not fully accurate please contact Wess Daniels at Friends Center [email protected]. Thank you. For information or to be in contact with faith leaders on campus, visit https://friendscenter.guilford.edu.

Multifaith_Calendar_Posters2020-21v3.indd 1 9/29/2020 2:26:24 PM