Multifaith Religious Holiday Calendar

The list that follows is not exhaustive. It includes notable festivals and holy days that may require appropriate accommodations for students and employees. (If this calendar does not include a significant date of your religious tradition, please contact [email protected]) Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate. Note that some holidays in some traditions are tied to the lunar calendar or to particular cultural patterns that vary by region, which make their location in the calendar somewhat more fluid.

Dates marked with a double asterisk (**) denote occasions on which the precept of a particular tradition and the practice of nearly all its adherents includes significant restrictions on academic activity.

Islamic Holidays: Regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of the date for Islamic holidays, which begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday. The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days begin at sunset, so there may be one-day error depending on when the New Moon is first seen.

For holidays associated with , the following notations are used to denote observance by particular denominations within the Christian tradition:

RC-Roman Catholic

P-Protestant

O-Orthodox

2020 HOLIDAY Jan. 1 Gantan-sai Shinto Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date (work holiday)

Jan. 7 Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) Orthodox Christian Religious accommodations: Many Eastern Orthodox employees will probably request this day off.

Feb. 5 **Chinese New Year Confucian, Daoist, Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important Buddhist academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date. Chinese employees may request this day off.

Feb. 26 Ash Wednesday, Lent begins Christianity (RC, P) (food accommodation as requested)

Mar. 1 **‘Alá’ (Loftiness) 19-day fast, sunrise to sunset each day. Bahá’í Mar. 20 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the date. Bahá’ís students and employees may be fasting.

Mar. 2 Great Lent begins-Clean Monday Orthodox Christian

Mar. 9 Purim Mar. 10 Recommended Accommodations: Purim is not subject to the restrictions on work that affect some other holidays; however, some sources indicate that Jews should not go about their ordinary business at Purim out of respect for the festival. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (kosher restrictions apply). Mar. 9 Holi – Festival of Colors (date may vary) Hinduism Mar. 10 Celebrated over 2 days by people throwing colored powder and colored water.

Apr. 8-10 **Passover (first two and last two days) Judaism Apr. 15-16 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on the first two and last two days of the holiday, provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply—the use of leavening is prohibited so, for example, matzah is eaten in place of bread.)

Apr. 9 5th of Shaban (Nisf Shaban) Religious Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this day. Be sensitive to the fact that students and employees celebrating may be fasting. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested.

Apr. 10 Good Friday Christianity (RC, P) Recommended Accommodations: Provide food accommodation as requested. Meat (fish not considered meat) is prohibited during meals for some.

Apr. 12 Easter Christianity (RC, P) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Christian employees that work on Sundays may ask for this day off.

Apr. 12 Palm Sunday Orthodox Christian Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Orthodox Christian employees that work on Sundays may ask for this day off.

Apr. 17 Holy Friday Orthodox Christian Recommended Accommodations: Great Friday is a strict day of fasting for many Greek Orthodox Christians in the United States. It is suggested to avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities.

Apr. 19 Easter/Pascha Orthodox Christian Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Orthodox Christian employees that work on Sundays may ask for this day off.

Apr. 20 Ridván (1st day) of Most Great Festival Baha’is Apr. 21 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the 1st day, 9th day, and 12th day of Ridván as work is suspended for Baha’is.

Apr. 20 Yom HaSho’ah Judaism Apr. 21 Recommended Accommodations: Academics and work are permitted. Provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply).

Apr. 23 **Ramadan begins Islam Apr. 24 Recommended Accommodations: Recommended Accommodations: If possible, avoid scheduling major academic deadlines during this time. Be sensitive to the fact that students and employees celebrating Ramadan will be fasting during the day (continuously for 30 days) and will likely have less stamina as a result. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (Islamic dietary restrictions apply).

Apr. 28 Ridván (9th day) Bahá’í Apr. 29 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the 1st day, 9th day, and 12th day of Ridván as work is suspended for Baha’is.

May 1 Ridván (12th day) Bahá’í May 2 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the 1st day, 9th day, and 12th day of Ridván as work is suspended for Baha’is.

May 22 Declaration of the Báb Bahá’í May 23 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Work is suspended for Baha’is.

May 23 Eid al-Fitr (date can vary by a day) Islam May 24 Recommended Accommodations: TBA

May 28 Ascension of Baha’u’lláh Bahá’ May 29 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Work is suspended for Baha’is.

May 28 **Shavuot Judaism May 30 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on the first two and last two days of the holiday. Provide food accommodation as requested. (Kosher restrictions apply—although it is customary to eat dairy).

July 29 **Tisha B’ Av Judaism July 30 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Jewish students and employees may be fasting all day.

July 30 **Eid al-Adha (date can vary by a day) Islam July 31 Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Employees will likely ask to take a vacation day on this day. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (Islamic dietary restrictions apply).

NOTE: this calendar is based on one provided by the Williams College Chaplains’ Office.