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-Orthodox| 2019 | DAYS | HOLIDAY | RELIGION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 10 Aug. 11 | Sundown-Sunday Sundown-Monday | Eid al-Adha (date can vary by a day) | Islam |
| Aug. 10 Aug. 11 | Sundown-Sunday Sundown-Monday | Tisha B’ Av | Judaism |
| Aug. 24 | Saturday | Sri Krishna Jayanti (date may vary) | Hinduism |
| Aug. 28 Sep. 3 | Wednesday Tuesday | Paryushana-Parva | Jainism |
| Sep. 29 Oct. 1 | Sundown-Sunday Sundown-Tuesday | Rosh Hashanah (first 2 days) | Judaism |
| Oct. 8 Oct. 9 | Sundown-Tuesday Sundown-Wednesday | Yom Kippur | Judaism |
| Oct. 13 Oct. 15 | Sundown-Sunday Sundown-Tuesday | Sukkot | Judaism |
| Oct. 20 Oct. 22 | Sundown-Sunday Sundown-Tuesday | Shemini Atzeret Simchat Torah | Judaism |
| Oct. 27 | Sunday | Diwali (Deepavali) | Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism |
| Oct. 27 | Sunday | Mahavira-Jayanti | Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism |
| Oct. 28 Oct. 29 | Sundown-Monday Sundown-Tuesday | Birth of the Báb | Bahá’í |
| Oct. 29 Oct. 30 | Sundown-Tuesday Sundown-Wednesday | Birth of Bahá’u’lláh | Bahá’í |
| Nov. 9 Nov. 10 | Sundown-Friday Sundown-Saturday | Mawlid al-Nabi (Sunni) (dates can vary by a day) | Islam |
| Dec. 22 Dec. 30 | Sundown-Monday Sundown-Monday | Chanukah | Judaism |
| Dec. 24 Dec. 25 | Tuesday Wednesday | Christmas | Christianity (RC, P, O) |
| Dec. 26 Jan. 1 | Thursday Wednesday | Kwanzaa | African American |
| 2020 | DAYS | HOLIDAY | RELIGION |
| Jan. 1 | Wednesday | Gantan-sai | Shinto |
| Jan. 7 | Tuesday | Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) | Orthodox Christian |
| Feb. 5 | Wednesday | Chinese New Year | Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist |
| Feb. 26 | Wednesday | Ash Wednesday, Lent begins | Christianity (RC, P) |
| Mar. 1 Mar. 20 | Sunday Friday | Alá’ (Loftiness) 19-day fast, sunrise to sunset each day. | Bahá’í |
| Mar. 2 | Monday | Great Lent begins-Clean Monday | Orthodox Christian |
| Mar. 9 Mar. 10 | Sundown-Monday Sundown-Tuesday | Purim | Judaism |
| Mar. 9 Mar. 10 | Sundown-Monday Sundown-Tuesday | Holi – Festival of Colors (date may vary) | Hinduism |
| Apr. 8-10 Apr. 15-16 | Sundown-Wednesday Sundown-Thursday | Passover | Judaism |
| Apr. 10 | Friday | Good Friday | Christianity (RC, P) |
| Apr. 12 | Sunday | Easter | Christianity (RC, P) |
| Apr. 12 | Sunday | Palm Sunday | Orthodox Christian |
| Apr. 17 | Friday | Holy Friday | Orthodox Christian |
| Apr. 19 | Sunday | Easter/Pascha | Orthodox Christian |
| Apr. 20 Apr. 21 | Sundown-Monday Sundown-Tuesday | Ridván (1st day) of Most Great Festival | Baha’is |
| Apr. 20 Apr. 21 | Sundown-Monday Sundown-Tuesday | Yom HaSho’ah | Judaism |
| Apr. 23 Apr. 24 | Sundown-Thursday Sundown-Friday | Ramadan begins | Islam |
| Apr. 28 Apr. 29 | Sundown-Tuesday Sundown-Wednesday | Ridván (9th day) | Bahá’í |
| May 1 May 2 | Sundown-Friday Sundown-Saturday | Ridván (12th day) | Bahá’í |
| May 22 May 23 | Sundown-Friday Sundown-Saturday | Declaration of the Báb | Bahá’í |
| May 23 May 24 | Sundown-Saturday Sundown-Sunday | Eid al-Fitr (date can vary by a day) | Islam |
| May 28 May 29 | Sundown-Thursday Sundown-Friday | Ascension of Baha’u’lláh | Bahá’ |
| May 28 May 30 | Sundown-Thursday Sundown-Saturday | Shavuot | Judaism |
| July 29 July 30 | Sundown-Wednesday Sundown-Thursday | Tisha B’ Av | Judaism |
| July 30 July 31 | Sundown-ThursdaySundown-Friday | Eid al-Adha (date can vary by a day) | Islam |
Sources: Williams College Chaplains’ Office, when-is.com, jewfaq.org, bbc.co.uk/religion