Holy Days
Embracing Sacred Traditions, Honoring Holy Days: We recognize and celebrate the rich tapestry of religious observances
With a commitment to fostering an environment of inclusivity and respect for all faith traditions, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life maintains a comprehensive religious holidays/holy days calendar. This resource, covering a broad range of religious holidays, is designed to serve as a convenient tool to assist both students and faculty in their planning and to promote understanding of our diverse community. Our aim is to make these observances as seamless as possible for everyone involved.
For example, our Muslim students will be observing Ramadan, a month of fasting from sunrise to sundown, expected to begin on February 8, 2027, and continuing until March 9, 2027. This is a significant period of spiritual observance, and we ask for your cooperation and understanding in ensuring our Muslim students are also accommodated during this time, which may include breaking their fast during evening classes and exams.*
Additionally, Passover for our Jewish students will begin at sunset on April 21, 2027 and conclude in the evening on April 29, 2027. Activity is not permitted on April 22-23 and April 28-29. We kindly request faculty members to consider these dates in their course planning.*
*The exact dates for Ramadan and Passover may vary slightly based on lunar sightings and local observance.
Other Scheduling Considerations:
- For Jewish and Bahá’í holy days, observance begins at sundown the evening before the dates listed.
- Saturdays may pose a conflict for our observant Jewish and Seventh Day Adventist students as they observe the Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday evening.
Religious Holidays
FALL 2026
August
Aug 1 – Lughnasadh / Lammas (Paganism)
Aug 15 – Assumption of Mary (Christianity)
Aug 28 – Raksha Bandhan (Hinduism)
September
Sept 4 – Krishna Janmashtami (Hinduism)
Sept 8-14 – Paryushana Parva (Jainism)
Sept 11-13 – Rosh Hashanah (Judaism)
Sept 14 – Ganesh Chaturthi (Hinduism)
Sept 15 – Samvatsari / Day of Forgiveness (Jainism)
Sept 20-21 – Yom Kippur (Judaism)
Sept 22 – Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Alban Elfed (Paganism)
Sept 25-Oct 2 – Sukkot (Judaism)
October
Oct 2-4 – Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah (Judaism)
Oct 4 – Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (Christianity)
Oct 11-19 – Sharada Navaratri (Hinduism)
Oct 12 – Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Public Holiday)
Oct 20 – Dussehra / Vijayadashami (Hinduism)
Oct 31-Nov 1 – Samhain / Samhuinn (Paganism)
November
Nov 1 – All Saints’ Day (Christianity)
Nov 2 – All Souls’ Day (Christianity)
Nov 8 – Diwali (Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism)
Nov 9 – Jain New Year & Day of Enlightenment (Jainism)
Nov 10 – Birth of the Bab (Bahai)
Nov 11 – Birth of Bahaullah (Bahai)
Nov 24 – Guru Nanak Gurpurab (Sikhism)
Nov 29 – First Sunday of Advent (Christianity)
December
Dec 4-12 – Chanukah/Hanukkah (Judaism)
Dec 8 – Bodhi Day (Buddhism)
Dec 12 – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Christianity)
Dec 21 – Winter Solstice / Yule / Alban Arthan (Paganism)
Dec 25 – Christmas (Christianity)
Dec 26 – Kwanzaa begins (Pan-African)
SPRING & SUMMER 2027
January
Jan 1 – Kwanzaa ends (Pan-African)
Jan 6 – Epiphany (Christianity)
Jan 7 – Orthodox Christmas / Nativity of Christ (Eastern Orthodox Christianity)
Jan 22-23 – Tu BiShvat (Judaism)
February
Feb 1-2 – Imbolc (Paganism)
Feb 6 – Lunar New Year (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism)
Feb 8 – Ramadan begins (Islam)
Feb 10 – Ash Wednesday (Christianity)
Feb 21 – Magha Puja / Sangha Day (Buddhism)
March
Mar 2-20 – Nineteen-Day Fast (Bahai)
Mar 6 – Laylat al-Qadr (Islam)
Mar 6 – Maha Shivaratri (Hinduism)
Mar 9-10 – Ramadan Ends / Eid al-Fitr (Islam)
Mar 20 – Spring Equinox / Ostara / Alban Eilir (Paganism)
Mar 21 – Naw-Ruz / Bahai New Year (Bahai)
Mar 21 – Palm Sunday (Christianity)
Mar 22 – Holi (Hinduism)
Mar 22-23 – Purim (Judaism)
Mar 26 – Good Friday (Christianity)
Mar 28 – Easter (Christianity)
April
Apr 14 – Vaisakhi / Sikh New Year (Sikhism)
Apr 19 – Mahavir Jayanti (Jainism)
Apr 21 – Passover begins (Judaism)
Apr 21 – First Day of Ridvan (Bahai)
Apr 29 – Passover ends (Judaism)
Apr 29 – Ninth Day of Ridvan (Bahai)
Apr 30 – Orthodox Good Friday (Eastern Orthodox Christianity)
May
May 1 – Beltane / Bealtaine (Paganism)
May 2 – Twelfth Day of Ridvan (Bahai)
May 2 – Pascha / Orthodox Easter (Eastern Orthodox Christianity)
May 6 – Ascension Day (Christianity)
May 16 – Pentecost (Christianity)
May 17 – Eid al-Adha (Islam)
May 20 – Vesak / Buddha Day (Buddhism)
May 24 – Declaration of the Bab (Bahai)
May 29 – Ascension of Bahaullah (Bahai)
June
June 6 – Hijri New Year / Islamic New Year (Islam)
June 10-12 – Shavuot (Judaism)
June 14-15 – Ashura (Islam)
June 21 – Summer Solstice / Litha / Alban Hefin (Paganism)
Questions? Please contact the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.