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 2021/22 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 2021
Jul 9 Martyrdom of the Bab - Baha'i
Jul 11 St. Benedict Day - Catholic Christian
Jul 13 Obon (Ulambana) - Buddhist/Shinto
Jul 15 St. Vladimir the Great Day - Orthodox Christian
Jul 18 Tisha B’av - Judaism
Jul 20-23 Eid al Adha - Sacrifice Day - Islam
Jul 23 Birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie - Rastafarian
Jul 24 Pioneer Day – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Asalha Puja Da - Buddhist
Jul 25 St. James the Great Day - Christian
August 2021
Aug 1 Lammas - Christian; Lughnassad - Imbolc - Wicca/Neo Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
Aug 6 Transfiguration of the Lord - Orthodox & Catholic Christian
Aug 10 Hijra - New Year begins - Islam
Aug 15 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Catholic Christian; Dormition of the Theotokos - Orthodox Christian
Aug 18 Ashura - Islam
Aug 22 Raksha Bandhan - Hindu
Aug 29 Beheading of St. John the Baptist – Christian
Aug 30 Krishna Janmashtami - Hindu
September 2021
Sep 1 Religious year begins - Orthodox Christian
Sep 7-8 Rosh Hashanah - Judaism
Sep 8 Nativity of Virgin Mary - Christian
Sep 10 Ganesh Chaturthi - Hindu
Sep 11 Ethiopian New Year - Rastafaria; Paryushana Parva - Jain
Sep 14 Elevation of the Life Giving Cross (Holy Cross) - Christian
Sep 16 Yom Kippur - Judaism
Sep 21-27 Sukkot - Judaism
Sep 21 Paryushana Parva - Jain
Sep 22 Mabon - Imbolc - Wicca/Pagan
Sep 27 Meskel - Ethiopian Eritrean Orthodox Christian
Sep 28 Shemini Atzeret - Judaism
Sep 29 Michael and All Angels - Christian; Simchat Torah - Judaism
October 2021
Oct 4 St. Francis Day - Catholic Christian; Blessing of the Animals - Christian
Oct 7-14 Navaratri - Hindu
Oct 15 Dasara - Hindu
Oct 18 Luke, Apostle & Evangelist - Christian; Mawlid an Nabi - Islam
Oct 20 Birth of the B'ab - Baha'i; Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth - Sikh
Oct 28 Milvian Bridge Day - Christian
Oct 31 All Hallows Eve - Christian; Reformation Day - Protestant Christian; Samhain - Wicca/Neo Pagan; Deep Diwali - Jain
November 2021
Nov 1 All Saints Day - Christian
Nov 2 All Souls Day - Catholic Christian
Nov 4 Diwali (Deepavali) - Hindu - Jain
Nov 5 Vikram New Year - Hindu
Nov 12 Birth of Baha'u'llah - Baha'i
Nov 13 Jain New Year - Jain
Nov 15 - Dec 24 Nativity Fast - Orthodox Christian
Nov 21 Christ the King – Christian
Nov 23 Yud Tet Kislev - Judaism
Nov 24 Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahdur - Sikh
Nov 26 Day of the Covenant - Baha'i; Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic Christian
Nov 28 Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha - Baha'i
Nov 28 - Dec 24 Advent - Christian
Nov 28 - Dec 6 Hanukkah - Judaism
Nov 30 St. Andrew's Day - Christian
December 2021
Dec 6 Saint Nicholas Day - Christian
Dec 8 Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) - Buddhism; Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Catholic Christian
Dec 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Catholic Christian
Dec 14 Asarah B'Tevet Fast - Judaism
Dec 16-25 Posadas Navidenas - Hispanic Christian
Dec 21 Yule - Christian
Dec 22 Yule/Winter Solstice - Wicca/Neo Pagan
Dec 24 Christmas Eve - Christian
Dec 25 Christmas - Christian; Feast of the Nativity - Orthodox Christian
Dec 26 Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra) - Zoroastrian; St Stephen's Day - Christian
Dec 28 Holy Innocents - Christian
Dec 30 Holy Family - Catholic Christian
Dec 31 Watch Night - Christian
January 2022
Jan 1 Mary, Mother of God - Catholic Christian; Feast Day of St Basil - Orthodox Christian; Shogatsu/Gantan-sai (New Year’s) - Shinto; Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus - Orthodox 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; Nativity of Christ - Orthodox Christian; Christmas Day - Rastafarian
Jan 8 Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic Christian
Jan 9 Baptism of the Lord Jesus - Christian
Jan 13 Maghi - Sikh
Jan 17 Blessing of the Animals - Hispanic Catholic Christian; Tu B’Shevat - Judaism
Jan 18 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - Christian
Jan 21 Chinese New Year - Chinese
Jan 25 Conversion of St Paul – Christian
Jan 28 St. Thomas Aquinas Day — Catholic Christian
Jan 30 Mahayana New Year 3 days - Buddhism
February 2022
Feb 2 Candlemas - Presentation of Christ in the Temple - Christian; Imbolc (Candlemas) - Wicca/Neo Pagan; St. Brigid of Kildare - Christian
Feb 3 St. Blaze Day - Christian; Setsebun (beginning of Spring) - Shinto
Feb 5 Vasant Panchami – Hindu
Feb 11 World Day of the Sick & Our Lady of Lourdes — Catholic Christian
Feb 14 St. Valentine's Day - Christian
Feb 15 Nirvana Day - Buddhist
Feb 24 St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist - Christian
Feb 27 Meatfare - Orthodox Christian; Transfiguration Sunday - Christian
March 2022
Mar 1 St. David of Wales - Christian; Maha Shivaratri - Hindu; Shrove Tuesday - Christian
Mar 2 Ash Wednesday / Lent Begins - Christian
Mar 6 Cheesefare Sunday - Orthodox Christian
Mar 7 Great Lent - Clean Monday - Orthodox Christian; Lent Begins - Orthodox Christian
Mar 16 Taanit Esther - Judaism
Mar 17 St. Patrick's Day - Christian; Purim - Judaism
Mar 18 Holi - Hindu
Mar 19 St. Joseph's Day - Christian
Mar 20 Ostara - Vernal Equinox - Wicca/Neo Pagan
Mar 21 Norooz (New Year) - Persian/Zoroastrian; Naw-Rúz (New Year) - Baha'i; Ostara - Wicca/Neo Pagan
Mar 25 Feast of the Annunciation — Catholic Christian
Mar 26 Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zaranthushtra) - Zoroastrian
Mar 30 Magha Puja Day - Buddhism
April 2022
Apr 2 Hindi New Year - Hindu; Ramayana Begins - Hindu
Apr 3 - May 3 Ramadan - Islam
Apr 10 Ramanavami - Hindu; Palm Sunday - Christian
Apr 14 Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) - Sikh; Maundy/Holy Thursday - Christian
Apr 15 Good Friday - Christian
Apr 16 Theravadin New Year (3 days) - Buddhism; Hanuman Jayanti - Hindu; Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian
Apr 16-23 Passover - Judaism
Apr 17 Easter - Christian; Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
Apr 21 First Day of Ridvan - Baha'i
Apr 22 Holy Friday - Orthodox Christian
Apr 23 St. George's Day - Christian;
Apr 24 Easter (Pascha) - Orthodox Christian
Apr 25 St. Mark, Apostle and Evangelist - Christian
Apr 28 Yom HaShoah - Judaism
Apr 29 Ninth Day of Ridvan - Baha'i
Apr 30 St. James the Great Day - Orthodox Christian
May 2022
May 1 Beltane - Wicca/Neo Pagan
May 2 Twelfth Day of Ridvan - Baha'i
May 3 Saints Philip & James - Christian; Eid al Fitr - Islam
May 4 National Day of Prayer - USA – Interfaith; Yom HaZikaron - Judaism
May 5 Yom Ha'Atzmaut – Judaism
May 13 Feast of Our Lady of Fatima — Catholic Christian
May 19 Lag B'Omer - Judaism
May 24 Declaration of the Bab - Baha'i
May 26 Ascension of Jesus - Christian
May 27 Visakha Puja - Buddha Day - Buddhism
May 29 Ascension of Baha'u'llah - Baha'i
June 2022
Jun 2 Ascension of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
Jun 5 Pentecost - Christian
Jun 5-6 Shavuot - Judaism
Jun 9 St. Columba of Iona - Celtic Christian
Jun 12 Pentecost - Orthodox Christian; Trinity Sunday - Christian
Jun 15 St. Vladimir - Christian
Jun 16 Guru Arjan martyrdom - Sikh; Corpus Christi - Catholic Christian
Jun 19 New Church Day - Swedenborgian Christian; All Saint's Day - Orthodox
Jun 21 Litha - Summer Solstice - Wicca/Neo Pagan
Jun 22 First Nations Day - Canadian Native People;
Jun 24 Sacred Heart of Jesus - Catholic Christian; Saint John the Baptist - Christian
Jun 29 Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul - Christian