2020 - 2021 Interfaith 18-Month Calendar 18-MONTH INTERFAITH CALENDAR To foster and support inclusive communities, Diversity Awareness Partnership is pleased to present the 2020-2021 18-Month Interfaith Calendar. This publication is a handy guide to observances celebrated across 25 religious traditions in the St. Louis region. When planning your organization’s schedule, refer to our Interfaith Calendar to honor the holidays your friends, neighbors, and colleagues celebrate. CONSIDERATIONS In order to be more accommodating for people who practice different religions, consider the following: FOOD Food and drink are central to many traditions’ rituals and practices. Consider vegetarian, vegan, non-alcoholic, and decaf options, which can accommodate a wide variety of religious and ethical choices. HOURS Some holidays may require individuals to worship or pray during different hours than they may the rest of the year. Consider flexibility that takes into account the work and objectives of your student or employee, rather than the typical time frame when this is normally accomplished. TIME OFF Many organizations have standard holidays for all employees or students that are built around the worldview of a particular religion - Christianity, for example. Consider allowing practitioners of other religions to float these holidays or make shifts in their schedules. Again, the priority should be the quality of the work, not where or when it takes place. DEADLINES/WORK FLOW During holidays that require prayer at late/early hours or that require fasting, some individuals may experience decreased stamina. Examine project schedules or work deadlines to see if they can be adjusted, if need be. PRAYER Some religions require daily or periodic prayer that requires solitude and quiet. Consider designating a space for individuals to pray that is clean, well-furnished, and accessible. ATTIRE For some religions, dress is part of an outward and ongoing commitment to that faith tradition. Make sure that your organization’s attire policy is communicated clearly to employees. Page 2 ONLINE RESOURCE Interfaith Calendar of primary sacred times for world religions: www.interfaith-calendar.org NOTES This calendar strives to be as inclusive as possible. However, we are always open to adding more holidays and more religions. Please contact us directly if there’s something you’d like us to consider adding for next year’s calendar. All content in this calendar represents information that was available at the time of production. To the greatest extent possible, holidays based on lunar phases or other variables that change every Gregorian calendar year have been factored into observance dates. The spelling of certain observances may vary as well, based on different ways of representing words from other languages. All Baha’i, Jewish, and Muslim holidays begin at sunset unless otherwise noted. We encourage all places of worship to be accessible to persons with disabilities by making necessary accommodations. Contact DAP for additional information on how your organization can become more inclusive in this way. COLOR KEY Baha’i Muslim Buddhist Orthodox Christian Catholic Christian Pan-African Christian Protestant Christian Confucian Rastafarian Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Scientologist Hindu Seventh Day Adventist Hispanic Christian Shinto Interfaith Sikh Jain Swedenborgian Christian Jehovah’s Witnesses Taoist Jewish Unitarian Universalist The Church of Jesus Christ of Wiccan/Pagan Latter-day Saints Zoroastrian Page 3 JANUARY 2020 1 Wednesday 13 Monday 19 Sunday Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Maghi | Sikh World Religion Day | Bahá’í | Catholic Christian Commemoration of a battle in Day dedicated to the unity and Celebration of the Blessed Virgin which 40 Sikhs died for Guru oneness of the world religions Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ Gobind Singh 20 Monday Shogatsu/Gantan-sai | Shinto Seijin no Hi | Shinto Timkat | Ethiopian Orthodox New Year’s Day celebration Holiday honoring those who have Christian or will reach the age of twenty Commemoration of the baptism of 5 Sunday within the current year Jesus in the Jordan River by John Twelfth Night | Christian the Baptist Conclusion of the Twelve Days 15 Wednesday of Christmas and marking of the Makar Sankranti | Hindu 25 Saturday coming of the Epiphany Celebration marking the turning of Conversion of St. Paul | Christian the Sun toward the north; festival Honoring the conversion of The Birth of the Tenth Sikh Master in reverence to deity Surya, god of Paul the Apostle, after which he | Sikh the Sun became a follower of Jesus Honoring the birth of Guru Gobind Singh 17 Friday Lunar New Year | Confucian, Feast of St. Anthony the Abbot/ Taoist, Buddhist 6 Monday Blessing of the Animals | Hispanic New Year’s celebration marking Epiphany/Three Kings Day | Catholic the start of the lunar new year; Christian Observance of showing respect Begins a fifteen-day festival for Feast to celebrate the visit of the for domestic animals that are Chinese people of all religions, Three Wise Men to Baby Jesus significant to people who give thanks for family and remember ancestors 7 Tuesday 18 Saturday Orthodox Christmas | Orthodox Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 29 Wednesday Christian | Christian (until 1/25/20) Vasant Panchami | Hindu Celebration of the birth of Jesus Ecumenical observance focused Festival of spring honoring the Christ on prayer for church unity goddess of learning Ethiopian Christmas | Rastafarian A Primer on Important Terms Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ Ecumenical: Including or representing multiple denominations within Christianity. Relevant this month because of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, traditionally observed in St. Louis with a prayer service coordinated by Catholic and 8 Wednesday multiple Protestant groups. Mahayana New Year | Buddhist Buddhist New Year, as celebrated Interfaith: Including or representing multiple faiths or religions. in Mahayana countries Religious diversity: A characteristic of a group of people wherein a large number of religious identities are included compared to the group size. 12 Sunday Religious inclusivity: Intentional efforts to include those who would otherwise be Baptism of the Lord Jesus | excluded based on their religion (or lack thereof). Christian Commemoration of the baptism World religions: One of the most common ways that we describe the many systems of Jesus in the Jordan River by St. of religious belief that are practiced around the world. There are an estimated 4,200 John the Baptist religions in the world. This month, the Baha’i faith hosts World Religion Day, dedicated to illuminating the universal principles among the world’s religions. Page 4 FEBRUARY 2020 1 Saturday 14 Friday 25 Tuesday Imbolc | Wiccan/Pagan Race Relations Day | Christian Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) Halfway between the Winter Day recognizing the importance of | Christian Solstice and the Spring Equinox, interracial relations and learning Carnival day on the eve of Ash celebrates the passage from Wednesday winter to spring St. Valentine’s Day | Christian Feast day of St. Valentine, 26 Wednesday 2 Sunday celebrating love and affection Ash Wednesday | Christian Presentation of Christ in the Observance to begin the 40-day Temple | Christian 15 Saturday season of Lent; ashes are marked Remembrance of the infant Jesus Nirvana Day | Buddhist on worshippers’ foreheads as a being brought to the temple in Also known as Parinirvana Day, sign of repentance Jerusalem remembering the death of Buddha when he reached Nirvana. Nirvana Intercalary Days | Bahá’í (until Four Chaplains Sunday | Interfaith day is believed to be the festival 3/1/20) Commemoration of U.S. Army that marks the end of the cycle of Insertion of days into the calendar chaplains who gave their lives to birth and rebirth in order to maintain the solar save others during WWII calendar, considered ‘days outside 18 Tuesday of time’ 3 Monday National Founding Day United Setsubun-sai | Shinto States | Scientology 29 Saturday Celebration of the traditional Founding of the first Church of Nineteen Day Fast | Bahá’í (until beginning of spring and the end of Scientology in the U.S., the Church 3/19/20) winter of Scientology of Los Angeles in Fast to be observed by adults of 1954 the Bahá’í faith in good health 9 Sunday from sunrise to sunset Tu B’Shvat | Jewish (until 2/10/20) 22 Saturday Celebration of the coming of Maha Shivaratri | Hindu spring Festival honoring Lord Shiva and his marriage to the goddess 10 Monday Parvati Spring Lantern Festival | Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist Marks the final day of the Lunar New Year celebrations 12 Wednesday Triodion begins | Orthodox Christian Time period leading up to Lent Page 5 MARCH 2020 2 Monday 10 Tuesday 20 Friday Clean Monday | Orthodox Hola Mohalla | Sikh Ostara | Wiccan/Pagan Christian Created by Guru Gobind Singh as Welcoming of spring and Start of Lent for Orthodox an occasion for Sikhs to show their celebration of the goddess-as- Christians, refers to the leaving martial arts skills and host mock maiden (Vernal Equinox) behind of sinful attitudes and non- battles fasting foods 25 Wednesday 13 Friday Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin 8 Sunday L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday | Mary | Christian Orthodox Sunday | Orthodox Scientology Feast day commemorating Mary Christian Marks the birth of L. Ron being told by the angel Gabriel First Sunday of Lent, at which time Hubbard, founder of Scientology that she would be the mother of restoration of icons in the church Jesus, the