Followers of different faiths will be marking their calendars with their respective holy days for the academic year. The University’s 15 chaplaincies and numerous student groups are among the most vibrant centers of faith on campus with faiths represented by Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Unitarian Universalism et al. Our list of religious holidays is for the 2020/21 academic year and is from the Interfaith Calendar website. Please note that most Jewish holidays begin at sunset the night before their calendar listing below.
July 2020
Jul 5 Asalha Puja Day - Buddhist
Jul 9 Martyrdom of the Bab - Baha'i
Jul 11 St Benedict Day - Catholic Christian
Jul 15 St. Vladimir the Great Day - Orthodox Christian
Jul 23 Crowning of Haile Selasse I - Rastafarian
Jul 24 Pioneer Day- Mormon Christian
Jul 25 St. James the Great Day - Christian
Jul 30 Tish'a B'av - Jewish
Jul 31-Aug 3 Eid al Adha - Islam
August 2020
Aug 1 Lammas - Christian; Lughnassad - Imbolc - Wicca/Pagan;Fast in Honor of Holy Mother of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
Aug 3 Raksha Bandhan - Hindu
Aug 6 Transfiguration of the Lord - Orthodox Christian
Aug 10 Waqf al Arafa - Islam
Aug 12 Krishna Janmashtami - Hindu
Aug 13-15 Obon (Ulambana) - Buddhist/Shinto
Aug 15 Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary - Catholic Christian; Dormition of the Theotokos - Orthodox Christian
Aug 20 Hijra - New Year - Islam
Aug 22 Ganesh Chaturthi - Hindu
Aug 29 Beheading of St. John the Baptist - Christian; Ashura - Islam
September 2020
Sep 1 Ecclesiastical year begins - Orthodox Christian
Sep 8 Nativity of Virgin Mary - Christian
Sep 14 Elevation of the Life Giving Cross (Holy Cross) - Christian
Sep 19-20 Rosh Hashanah - Jewish
Sep 21 Paryushana Parva - Jain
Sep 23 Equinox, Mabon - Ostara - Wicca/Pagan
Sep 27 Meskel - Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
Sep 28 Yom Kippur - Jewish
Sep 29 Michael and All Angels – Christian
October 2020
Oct 3-9 Sukkot - Jewish
Oct 4 St Francis Day - Catholic Christian; Blessing of the Animals - Christian
Oct 10 Shemini Atzeret - Jewish
Oct 11 Simchat Torah - Jewish
Oct 12 Thanksgiving - Canada - Interfaith
Oct 17-24 Navaratri - Hindu
Oct 18 St. Luke, Apostle & Evangelist - Christian
Oct 20 Birth of the Báb - Baha'i; Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth - Sikh
Oct 22 Christ the King - Christian
Oct 25 Reformation Day - Protestant Christian; Dasara - Hindu
Oct 28 Milvian Bridge Day - Christian
Oct 29 Reformation Day - Protestant Christian; Mawlid an Nabi - Islam
Oct 31 All Hallows Eve – Christian; Samhain - Wicca/Pagan
November 2020
Nov 1 All Saints Day - Christian
Nov 2 All Souls Day - Catholic Christian
Nov 12 Birth of Baha'u'llah - Baha'i
Nov 13 Jain New Year - Jain
Nov 14 Diwali (Deepavali) - Hindu-Jain-Sikh
Nov 15 Nativity Fast begins - ends Dec. 24 - Orthodox Christian; Vikram New Year - Hindu
Nov 22 Christ the King - Christian
Nov 24 Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahdur - Sikh
Nov 26 Thanksgiving - Interfaith USA; Day of the Covenant - Baha'i
Nov 28 Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha - Baha'i
Nov 29-Dec 24 Advent begins- Christian
Nov 30 St. Andrew's Day - Christian; Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib – Sikh
December 2020
Dec 6 Saint Nicholas Day - Christian
Dec 8 Immaculate Conception of Mary - Catholic Christian; Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) - Buddhism
Dec 11-18 Hanukkah - Jewish
Dec 12 Feast day - Our Lady of Guadalupe - Catholic Christian
Dec 16-25 Posadas Navidenas - Hispanic Christian
Dec 21 Solstice; Yule - Christian; Yule - Litha - Wicca/Pagan
Dec 24 Christmas Eve - Christian
Dec 25 Christmas - Christian; Feast of the Nativity - Orthodox Christian
Dec 26 St Stephen's Day - Christian; Zarathosht Diso - Zoroastrian
Dec 27 Saint John - Apostle and Evangelist - Christian; Holy Family - Catholic Christian
Dec 28 Holy Innocents - Christian
Dec 31 Watch Night – Christian
January 2021
Jan 1 Mary, Mother of God - Catholic Christian; Feast Day of St Basil - Orthodox Christian; Shogatsu/Gantan-sai (New Years) - Shinto; Baptism of the Lord Jesus - Christian
Jan 5 Twelfth Night - Christian; Guru Gobindh Singh birthday - Sikh
Jan 6 Epiphany - Christian; Feast of the Epiphany (Theophany) - Orthodox Christian; Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) - Christian
Jan 7 Feast of the Nativity - Orthodox Christian
Jan 13 Maghi - Sikh
Jan 17 Blessing of the Animals - Hispanic Catholic Christian
Jan 18 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins - Christian
Jan 19 Timkat - Ethiopoian Christian
Jan 25 Conversion of St. Paul - Christian
Jan 28 Tu B'Shvat - Jewish
February 2021
Feb 2 Candlemas - Presentation of Christ in the Temple - Christian; Imbolc-Lughnassad - Wicca/Neo Pagan
Feb 3 St. Blaze Day - Christian; Setsebun - Shinto
Feb 5 Four Chaplains Sunday - Interfaith
Feb 8 Nirvana Day - Buddhism
Feb 12 Triodion - Orthodox Christian; Chinese New Year - Chinese traditional
Feb 14 St. Valentine's Day - Christian; Transfiguration Sunday - Christian
Feb 15 Nirvana Day - Buddhist - Jain
Feb 16 Vasant Panchami - Hindu; Shrove Tuesday - Christian
Feb 17 Lent begins - Christian
Feb 21 Triodion Begins - Orthodox Christian
Feb 26 Purim - Jewish
March 2021
Mar 1 St. David of Wales - Christian
Mar 2 – 20 Nineteen Day Fast - Baha'i
Mar 7 Meatfare Sunday -Orthodox Christian
Mar 10 Lailat al Miraj - Islam
Mar 12 Orthodox Sunday - Orthodox Christian; Maha Shivaratri - Hindu
Mar 14 Cheesefare Sunday - Orthodox Christian
Mar 15 Clean Monday (Great Lent begins) - Orthodox Christian
Mar 17 St. Patrick's Day - Christian
Mar 18 Waqf al Arafa - Islam
Mar 19 St. Joseph's Day - Christian
Mar 21 Norooz (New Year) - Persian/Zoroastrian; Naw-Rúz (New Year) - Baha'i; Ostara - Mabon - Wicca/Neo Pagan; Orthodox Sunday - Orthodox Christian
Mar 25 Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Catholic Christian; Mahavir Jayanti - Jain
Mar 26 Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zaranthushtra) Zoroastrian
Mar 28 Lailat al Bara'ah - Islam; Lord's Evening Meal - Jehovah's Witness Christian; Magha Puja Day - Buddhist
Mar 28 - Apr 8 Pesach - Jewish
Mar 28 Palm Sunday - Christian
Mar 29 Holi - Hindu
April 2021
Apr 1 Maunday Thursday - Christian
Apr 2 Good Friday - Christian
Apr 4 Easter Sunday - Christian
Apr 8 Yom HaShoah - Jewish
Apr 13 Hindi New Year - Hindu
Apr 13-21 Ramayana - Hindu
Apr 13 Ramadan begins - Islam
Apr 14 Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) - Sikh
Apr 15 Yom Ha'Atzmaut - Jewish
Apr 16 First Day of Ridvan - Baha'i
Apr 21 Ramanavami - Hindu
Apr 23 St. George's Day - Christian
Apr 24 Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian
Apr 25 Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
Apr 27 Hanuman Jayanti - Hindu; Mahavir Jayanti Jain
Apr 30 Holy Friday - Orthodox Christian; Lag B'Omer - Jewish
May 2021
May 1 Beltane - Wicca/Neo Pagan
May 2 Last day of Ridvan - Baha'i; Pascha (Easter) - Orthodox Christian
May 3 Saints Philip & James - Christian
May 4 National Day of Prayer - USA - Interfaith
May 8 Laylat al Kadr - Islam
May 14-16 Eid al Fitr - Ramadan ends - Islam
May 17-18 Shavuot - Jewish
May 23 Pentecost - Christian; Declaration of the Bab - Baha'i
May 29 Ascension of Baha'u'llah - Baha'i
May 30 Trinity Sunday - Christian
June 2021
Jun 3 Corpus Christi - Catholic Christian
Jun 9 St. Columba of Iona - Celtic Christian
Jun 11 Sacred Heart of Jesus - Catholic Christian
Jun 15 Saint Vladimir Day - Christian
Jun 16 Guru Arjan martyrdom - Sikh
Jun 19 New Church Day - Swedenborgian Christian
Jun 20 Pentecost - Orthodox Christian
Jun 21 World Humanist Day - Materialism
Jun 22 First Nations Day - Canadian Native People; Litha - Yule - Wicca/Neo Pagan
Jun 24 Saint John the Baptist - Christian
Jun 29 Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul - Christian