Religious Holidays and Observances
2014 - 2017 Calendar
| AUGUST 2014 |
*4-5 Tisha B’av (Jewish) 10 Raksha Bandhan (Hindu) 15 Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic) |
| SEPTEMBER 2014 |
*24-26 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)** 28-Oct 3 Navaratra Dashara (Hindu) |
| OCTOBER 2014 |
*3-4 Yom Kippur (Jewish)** 4 Dusshera/Dasera (Hindu) 4 Eid-al-Adha (Islam) *8-10 Sukkot (Jewish)** *15-16 Shemini Atzeret (Jewish)** *16-17 Simchat Torah (Jewish)** 19-20 Birth of the B’ab (Baha’i) 23 Divali/Diwali (Hindu) 24-25 Al Hijra (New Year) (Islam) |
| NOVEMBER 2014 |
1 All Saints Day (Christian) 11-12 Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) 26 Day of Covenant (Baha’i) 27-28 Ascension of Abdul’l-Baha (Baha’i) |
| DECEMBER 2014 |
8 Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary (Catholic) 8 Rohatsu - Bodhi Day (Buddhist) *16-24 Hanukkah (Jewish) 23 Day of Remembrance, birth of Joseph Smith (Latter Day Saints) 25 Christmas (Christian) 26-Jan 1 Kwanzaa (African-American) |
| JANUARY 2015 |
1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Christian) 5 Mahayana Buddhist (New Year) (Buddhist) 6 Epiphany (Christian) 7 Christmas (Orthodox Christian) 14 Maghi (Hindu) |
| FEBRUARY 2015 |
4 Vasant Panchami (Hindu) 15 Nirvana Day (Buddhist) 17 Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) 18 Ash Wednesday (Christian) 19 Chinese New Year (Confucianism/Taoism/Buddhism) 23 Beginning of Lent (Orthodox Christian) |
| MARCH 2015 |
5 Purim (Jewish) 5 Magha Puja Day (Buddhist) 6 Holi (Hindu) 21 Naw Ruz (Baha'i) 21 Ramayana Begins (Hindu) 28 Ramanavami (Hindu) 29 Palm Sunday (Christian) |
| APRIL 2015 |
3 Good Friday (Christian, Orthodox Christian) 4-5 Pesach-Passover (First 2 Days) (Jewish)** 4 Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu) 4 Theravadin Buddhist New Year (Theravadin Buddhist) 5 Palm Sunday (Orthodox Christian) 5 Easter (Christian) 10-11 Pesach-Passover (Last 2 Days) (Jewish) 12 Easter (Orthodox Christian) 16 Yom Ha’Shoah (Jewish) 21 1st Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) 24 Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Jewish) 29 9th Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) |
| MAY 2015 |
2 12th Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) 4 Visakha Puja-Buddha Day (Buddhist) 5 Pentecost (Christian) 23 Declaration of the B’ab (Baha’i) 24-25 Shavout (Jewish) 29 Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) 31 Pentecost (Orthodox Christian) |
| JUNE 2015 |
18 1st Day of Ramadan (Islam) |
| JULY 2015 |
2 Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist) 9 Martyrdom of the B’ab (Baha’i) 13 Obon (Buddhist) 18 Eid-al-Fitr (Islam) 25 Tisha B’av (Jewish) 31 Guru Purnima (Hindu) |
| AUGUST 2015 |
15 Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic) 29 Raksha Bandhan (Hindu) |
| SEPTEMBER 2015 |
*14-15 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)** 23 Eid-al-Adha (Islam) *23Yom Kippur (Jewish)** *28-29 Sukkot (Jewish)** |
| OCTOBER 2015 |
*5 Shemini Atzeret (Jewish)** *6 Simchat Torah (Jewish)** 13 Navaratra Dashara (Hindu) 14 Al Hijra (New Year) (Islam) 20 Birth of the B’ab (Baha’i) 22 Dusshera/Dasera (Hindu) |
| NOVEMBER 2015 |
1 All Saints Day (Christian) 11 Divali/Diwali (Hindu) 11-12 Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) 26 Day of Covenant (Baha’i) 28 Ascension of Abdul’l-Baha (Baha’i) |
| DECEMBER 2015 |
*7-14 Hanukkah (Jewish) 8 Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary (Christian) 8 Rohatsu - Bodhi Day (Buddhist) 25 Christmas (Christian) 26-Jan 1 Kwanzaa (African-American) |
| JANUARY 2016 |
1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Christian) 6 Epiphany (Christian) 7 Christmas (Orthodox Christian) 14 Maghi (Hindu) 24 Mahayana Buddhist (New Year) (Buddhist) 24 Vasant Panchami (Hindu) |
| FEBRUARY 2016 |
8 Chinese New Year (Confucianism/Taoism/Buddhism) 10 Ash Wednesday (Christian) 12 Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) 15 Nirvana Day (Buddhist) 23 Beginning of Lent (Orthodox Christian) |
| MARCH 2016 |
14 Beginning of Lent (Orthodox Christian) 15 Good Friday (Christian) 20 Palm Sunday (Orthodox Christian) 21 Naw Ruz (Baha’i) 23 Magha Puja Day (Buddhist) 23 Holi (Hindu) *24 Purim (Jewish) 27 Easter (Christian) |
| APRIL 2016 |
8 Ramayana Begins (Hindu) 15 Ramanavami (Hindu) 21 1st Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) 22 Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu) 22 Theravadin Buddhist (New Year) (Theravadin Buddhist) *23-24 Pesach-Passover (First 2 Days) (Jewish) 24 Palm Sunday (Orthodox Christian) 29 9th Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) 29-30 Pesach-Passover (Last 2 Days) (Jewish) |
| MAY 2016 |
1 Easter (Orthodox Christian) 2 12th Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) 5 Yom Ha’Shoah (Jewish) 12 Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Jewish) 15 Buddha Day-Visakha Puja (Buddhist) 23 Declaration of the B’ab (Baha’i) 24 Pentecost (Christian) 29 Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) |
| JUNE 2016 |
6 1st Day of Ramadan (Islam) 12-13 Shavout (Jewish) 19 Pentecost (Orthodox Christian) |
| JULY 2016 |
7 Eid-al-Fitr* (Islam) 9 Martyrdom of the B’ab (Baha’i) 13 Obon (Buddhist) 19 Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist) 19 Guru Purnima (Hindu) |
| AUGUST 2016 |
13 Tisha B’av (Jewish) 15 Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic) 18 Raksha Bandhan (Hindu) |
| SEPTEMBER 2016 |
11 Eid-al-Adha (Islam) |
| OCTOBER 2016 |
1 Navaratra Dashara (Hindu) 2 Al Hijra (New Year) (Islam) *3-4 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)** 11 Dusshera/Dasera (Hindu) *12 Yom Kippur (Jewish)**
*17-18 Sukkot (Jewish)** 20 Birth of the B’ab (Baha’i) *24 Shemini Atzeret (Jewish)** *25 Simchat Torah (Jewish)** 30 Divali/Diwali (Hindu) |
| NOVEMBER 2016 |
1 All Saints Day (Christian) 12 Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) 26 Day of Covenant (Baha’i) 28 Ascension of Abdul’l-Baha (Baha’i) |
| DECEMBER 2016 |
8 Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary (Catholic) 8 Rohatsu - Bodhi Day (Buddhist) 25 Christmas (Christian) *25-Jan 1 Hanukkah (Jewish) 26-Jan 1 Kwanzaa (African-American) |
| JANUARY 2017 |
1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Christian) 2 Vasant Panchami (Hindu) 6 Epiphany (Christian) 7 Christmas (Orthodox Christian) 13 Maghi (Hindu) 28 Chinese New Year (Confucianism/Taoism/Buddhism) |
| FEBRUARY 2017 |
25 Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) 15 Nirvana Day (Buddhist) |
| MARCH 2017 |
14 Beginning of Lent (Orthodox Christian) 1 Ash Wednesday (Orthodox Christian) 12 Magha Puja Day (Buddhist) 13 Holi (Hindu) *12 Purim (Jewish) 21 Naw Ruz (Baha’i) 27 Beginning of Lent (Orthodox Christian) 28 Ramayana Begins (Hindu) |
| APRIL 2017 |
2 Palm Sunday (Orthodox Christian) 5 Ramanavami (Hindu) 9 Palm Sunday (Christian) 11 Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu) 11 Theravadin Buddhist (New Year) (Theravadin Buddhist) *11-12 Pesach-Passover (First 2 Days) (Jewish) 14 Good Friday (Christian) 16 Easter (Christian) 16 Easter (Orthodox Christian) 17-18 Pesach-Passover (Last 2 Days) (Jewish) 21 1st Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) 24 Yom Ha'Shoah* (Jewish) 29 9th Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) |
| MAY 2017 |
2 12th Day of Rivdan (Baha’i) 2 Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Jewish) 10 Buddha Day-Visakha Puja (Buddhist) 23 Declaration of the B’ab (Baha’i) 29 Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) 31 - Jun 1 Shavout* (Jewish) |
| JUNE 2017 |
4 Pentecost (Christian) 4 Pentecost (Orthodox Christian) 26 Eid-al-Fitr* (Islam) |
| JULY 2017 |
8 Guru Purnima (Hindu) 9 Martyrdom of the B’ab (Baha’i) 9 Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist) 13 Obon (Buddhist) |
| AUGUST 2017 |
1 Tisha B’av (Jewish) 7 Raksha Bandhan (Hindu) 15 Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic) |
(*) Denotes Holidays beginning at sunset of that day.
(**) Denotes Holidays for which labor is suspended.
Each Friday 12:40 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. Jumma Prayer (Islam).
This time for worship occurs each Friday and would be comparable to Christian worship on Sunday. (This prayer time is considered mandatory for Muslims).
*Please notify your instructor in advance if you are required to attend Jumma Prayer.
Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown each Friday and concludes at dark on Saturday.
Please Note: Native American Spiritual Ceremonies should be given the same consideration as the above religious occasions.
Information taken from:
Jewish Holiday Calendar - http://www.hebcal.com/
Interfaith Calendar - www.interfaithcalendar.org.
Global Islamic Calendar - http://www.moonsighting.com/calendar.html
Hindu Festivals - www.hinduism.co.za/hindu.htm