Calendar of Religious Holidays at Colby
The list that follows is not exhaustive; it includes major festivals and holy days for many, though by no means all, religious traditions present in the Colby community. (If it does not include an important date in the religious calendar of your particular tradition, please let us know.)Every effort has been made to insure that this information is accurate. Note that some holidays in some traditions are tied to the lunar calendar or to particular cultural patterns that vary by region or by sect, which make their location in the calendar somewhat more fluid.
Dates marked with a double asterisk (**) denote occasions on which the precept of a particular tradition, and the practice of nearly all its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity.
A note on Islamic holidays
Regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of the date for Islamic holidays, which begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday. The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days begin at sunset, so there may be one-day error depending on when the new moon is first seen.
Notations for Christian holidays
For holidays associated with Christianity, the following notations are used to denote observance by particular strands of the Christian tradition: RC-Roman Catholic P-Protestant O-Orthodox2018 | DAYS | HOLIDAY | RELIGION |
|---|---|---|---|
Aug. 20 | Sundown-Monday | **Eid al-Adha (date can vary by a day) | Islam |
Sep. 9 | Sundown-Sunday | **Rosh Hashanah(first 2 days) | Judaism |
Sep. 18 | Sundown-Tuesday | **Yom Kippur | Judaism |
Sep. 19 | Sundown-Wednesday | Ashura | Islam |
Sep. 23 | Sundown-Sunday | **Sukkot (1st 2 days) | Judaism |
Sep. 30 | Sundown-Sunday | **Shemini Atzeret | Judaism |
Oct. 19 | Friday | Dassehra/Dasara | Hinduism |
Nov. 1 | Thursday | All Saints Day | Christianity (RC, P) |
Nov. 2 | Friday | All Souls Day | Christianity (RC, P) |
Nov. 7 | Wednesday | **Diwali | Hinduism -Jain – Sikh |
Nov. 8 | Sundown-Thursday | Birth of the Báb | Bahá’í |
Nov. 9 | Sundown-Friday | **Birth of Bahá’u’lláh | Bahá’í |
Nov. 19 | Sundown-Monday | Mawlid al Nabi | Islam |
Nov. 25 | Sundown-Sunday | Day of the Covenant | Bahá’í |
Nov. 27 | Sundown-Tuesday | Ascension of Abdul’l-Baha | Bahá’í |
Dec. 2 | Sunday | Advent begins | Christianity (RC, P) |
Dec. 2 | Sundown-Sunday | Hanukkah | Judaism |
Dec. 8 | Saturday | Bodhi Day | Buddhism |
Dec. 8 | Saturday | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | Christianity (RC, P) |
Dec. 25 | Tuesday | Christmas | Christianity (RC, P) |
Dec. 26 | Wednesday | Kwanzaa | African American |
2019 | DAYS | HOLIDAY | RELIGION |
Jan. 1 | Tuesday | **Gantan-sai | Shinto |
Jan. 6 | Sunday | Epiphany (Theophany) | Christianity (RC, P, O) |
Jan. 7 | Monday | Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) | Orthodox Christian |
Jan. 13 | Sunday | Maghi | Hinduism |
Feb. 5 | Tuesday | **Chinese New Year. | Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist |
Feb. 8 | Friday | Nirvana Day | Buddhism, Jain, Sikh |
Mar. 4 | Monday | Maha Shivaratri | Hinduism |
Mar. 5 | Tuesday | Shrove Tuesday | Christianity (RC, P) |
Mar. 6 | Wednesday | Ash Wednesday, Lent begins | Christianity (RC, P) |
Mar. 11 | Monday | Lent begins-Clean Monday | Orthodox Christian |
Mar. 20 | Sundown-Wednesday | Purim | Judaism |
Mar. 20 | Sundown-Wednesday Sundown-Thursday | Holi | Hinduism |
Mar. 20 | Sundown-Wednesday Sundown-Thursday | Naw-Rúz (New Year) | Bahá’í, Zoroastrian |
Mar. 21 | Thursday | Magha Puja Day | Buddhism |
Apr. 8 | Monday | Vesak (Buddha Day) | Buddhism |
Apr. 13 | Sunrise-Saturday | Ram Navami | Hinduism |
Apr. 16 | Sundown-Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti | Jainism |
Apr. 19 | Friday | Good Friday | Christianity (RC, P) |
Apr. 19-22 | Sundown-Friday | **Pesach (work restriction on first two and last two days) | Judaism |
Apr. 20 | Sundown-Saturday | Ridván (1st day) | Bahá’í |
Apr. 21 | Sunday | Easter | Christianity (RC, P) |
Apr. 21 | Sunday | Palm Sunday | Orthodox Christian |
Apr. 26 | Friday | Holy Friday | Orthodox Christian |
Apr. 28 | Sunday | Easter/Pascha | Orthodox Christian |
Apr. 28 | Sundown-Sunday | Ridván (9th day) | Bahá’í |
May 1 | Sundown-Wednesday | Yom HaSho’ah | Judaism |
May 1 | Sundown-Saturday | Ridván (12th day) | Bahá’í |
May 5 | Sundown-Sunday | **Ramadan | Islam |
May 8 | Sundown-Wednesday | Yom Ha’Atzmaut | Judaism |
May 18 | Saturday | Buddha Day- Visakha Puja | Buddhism |
May 23 | Sundown-Thursday | Declaration of the Báb | Bahá’í |
May 28 | Sundown-Tuesday | Ascension of Baha’u’lláh | Bahá’i |
May 30 | Thursday | Ascension of Jesus | Christianity (RC, P) |
Jun. 4 | Sundown-Tuesday | Eid al-Fitr (date can vary by a day) | Islam |
Jun. 6 | Thursday | Ascension of Jesus | Orthodox Christian |
Jun. 8 | Sundown-Saturday | **Shavuot | Judaism |
Jun. 9 | Sunday | Pentecost | Christianity (RC, O, P) |
Jun. 23 | Sunday | All Saints Day | Orthodox Christian |
Aug. 11 | Sundown-Sunday Sundown-Monday | **Eid al-Adha (date can vary by a day) | Islam |
Sources: Williams College Chaplains’ Office, when-is.com, jewfaq.org, bbc.co.uk/religion