HDS - Religious and Spiritual Life

Religious and Spiritual Life

Multifaith Calendar

2009-10 Holy Days and Seasons: A Religious Holidays Calendar

This calendar is offered by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life as a resource to the Harvard Divinity School community. As we seek to increase our awareness of and respect for the growing religious diversity among us, we hope it will facilitate thoughtful planning of our schedules and activities by drawing attention to some of the holy days and seasons that members of our campus may be observing. Administrators and faculty members may find the calendar helpful as a reminder of the occasional religious observances that may result in student absences.

This calendar is not an exhaustive list either of religious traditions or of the holidays observed in those traditions. If we have not included a religious tradition or major religious holiday of significance to you, please notify the Religious and Spiritual Life staff so that it might be included in future editions of this calendar.

While we have made extensive efforts to verify the accuracy of the information included here, some inaccuracies may remain. Please bring to our attention any you notice. The dates of some holidays, particularly those that are calculated according to a lunar calendar and rely on sightings of the New Moon (e.g., Islamic holidays), vary according to region; other observances and dates (e.g., Buddhist holidays) vary greatly across cultures and strands of a tradition.

See below for acknowledgments.

Religious Traditions Key

AI American Indian/Indigenous North American
Bi Baha'i
Bd Buddhism
C Christianity
- O Orthodox
- P Protestant
- RC Roman Catholic
Hd Hinduism
Is Islam
Ja Jain
J Judaism
LDS Latter Day Saints
Sk Sikhism
W/P Wicca/Pagan
Z Zoroastrianism

Holy Days and Seasons: 2009-10

August 2009

Glossary

Sun Dance (AI)

Green Corn Ceremony (or Stomp Dance) (AI)

Hopi Snake Dance (AI)

Iroquois Green Corn Ceremony (AI)

2 Sun. Lammas/Lughnasa (W/P)

7 Fri. Laylat al-Bara'ah (Is)

9 Sun. Das Laxana Festival (begins) (Ja)

14 Fri. Krishna Janmashtami (Hd)

15 Sat. Assumption of Mary (C) (RC)

15 Sat. Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God (C) (O)

16 Sun. Das Laxana Festival (ends) (Ja)

17 Mon. Paryusana Festival (begins) (Ja)

22 Sat. Ramadan (begins) (Is)

23 Sun. Ganesh Chaturthi (Hd)

24 Mon. Paryusana Festival (ends) (Ja)

24 Mon. Samvatsari (Ja)

September 2009

Glossary

Iroquois Green Corn Ceremony (AI)

Jicarilla Apache Ghost Dance (AI)

12 Sat. Ghambar Paitishem (begins) (Z)

16 Wed. Ghambar Paitishem (ends) (Z)

16 Wed. Laylat al-Qadr (Is)

18 Fri. Rosh Hashanah (begins at Sundown) (J)

19 Sat. Navaratri (begins) (Hd)

19 Sat. Rosh Hashanah (first day) (J)

20 Sun. Rosh Hashanah (second day) (J)

20 Sun. Eid al-Fitr (Is)

23 Wed. Mabon (W/P)

27 Sun. Navaratri (ends) (Hd)

27 Sun. Yom Kippur (begins at Sundown) (J)

28 Mon. Dusserah (Vijaya Dashami) (Hd)

28 Mon. Yom Kippur (J)

October 2009

Glossary

Cherokee Great New Moon Festival (AI)

2 Fri. Sukkot (begins at sundown) (J)

3 Sat. Sukkot (first day) (J)

4 Sun. Sukkot (second day) (J)

10 Sat. Simchat Torah (begins at sundown) (J)

11 Sun. Simchat Torah (J)

12 Mon. Ghambar Ayathrem (begins) (Z)

16 Fri. Ghambar Ayathrem (ends) (Z)

17 Sat. Diwali (Dipavali) (Hd)

17 Sat. Diwali/Mahavir Nirvana (Ja)

19 Mon. Birth of the Bab (begins at Sundown) (Bi)

20 Tue. Birth of the Bab (Bi)

20 Tue. Installation of Granth Sahib Ji as Guru (Sk)

31 Sat. Reformation Day (C- P)

31 Sat. Samhain (W/P)

November 2009

Glossary

1 Sun. All Saints Day (C-P, RC)

2 Mon. All Souls (C) (RC)

2 Mon. Guru Nanak's Birthday (Sk)

11 Wed. Birth of Baha'u'llah (begins at sundown) (Bi)

12 Thu. Birth of Baha'u'llah (Bi)

24 Tue. Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (Sk)

25 Wed. Day of the Covenant (begins at sundown) (Bi)

26 Thu. Day of the Covenant (Bi)

27 Fri. Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha (begins at sundown) (Bi)

28 Sat. Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha (Bi)

28 Sat. Eid al-Adha (Is)

29 Sun. Advent (first Sunday) (C)

December 2009

Glossary

Shalako Kachina Ceremony (AI)

8 Tue. Bodhi Day (Bd)

8 Tue. Conception of the Virgin Mary (C-O)

8 Tue. Immaculate Conception (C-RC)

11 Fri. Hanukkah (begins at sundown) (J)

12 Sat. Hanukkah (first day) (J)

18 Fri. First of Muharram (Is)

19 Sat. Hanukkah (last day) (J)

21 Mon. Yule (W/P)

25 Fri. Christmas (C)

26 Sat. Death of Prophet Zarathustra (Z)

27 Sun. 'Ashurah (Is)

31 Thu. Ghambar Maidyarem (begins) (Z)

31 Thu. Yule (W/P)

January 2010

Glossary

Iroquois Midwinter Ceremony (AI)

Hopi Holy Cycle (AI)

4 Mon. Ghambar Maidyarem (ends) (Z)

5 Tu. Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Sk)

6 Wed. Epiphany (C-P,RC)

6 Wed. Theophany (C-O)

20 Wed. Vasant Panchami (Hd)

February 2010

Glossary

Iroquois Midwinter Ceremony (AI)

Hopi Holy Cycle (AI)

2 Tue. Imbolc (W/P)

12 Fri. Mahashivaratri (Hd)

15 Mon. Lent (begins) (C-O)

15 Mon. Nirvana Day (Bd)

16 Tue. Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti (Hd)

17 Wed. Ash Wednesday (C-P,RC)

26 Fri. Mawlid al-Nabi (Is)

27 Sat. Purim (begins at sundown) (J)

28 Sun. Purim (J)

March 2010

Glossary

Eagle Dances (AI)

1 Mon. Holi (Hd)

16 Tue. Ghambar Hamaspathmaedem (begins) (Z)

16 Tue. Vaisakhi (Hd)

20 Sat. Ghambar Hamaspathmaedem (ends) (Z)

20 Sat. Naw-Ruz (begins at sundown) (Bi)

21 Sun. Naw-Ruz (Bi)

21 Sun. Naw-Ruz (Z)

21 Sun. Ostara (W/P)

24 Wed. Ramanavami (Hd)

26 Fri. Birthday of Prophet Zarathustra (Z)

29 Mon. Mahavira Jayanti (Ja)

29 Mon. Passover (Pesach) (begins sundown) (J)

30 Tue. Passover (first day) (J)

31 Wed. Passover (second day) (J)

April 2010

Glossary

Eagle Dances (AI)

1 Thu. Holy Thursday (C-P,RC)

2 Fri. Good Friday (C-P,RC)

2 Fri. Holy Friday (C-O)

3 Sat. Native American Church Easter Prayer Meeting (AI)

4 Sun. Easter (C-P,RC)

4 Sun. Pascha (C-O)

6 Tue. Anniversary of the Founding of the Church (LDS)

6 Tue. Passover (last day) (J)

11 Sun. Yom Hashoah (J)

14 Wed. Vaisakhi (Sk)

16 Fri. Yaqui Deer Dance (AI)

20 Tue. Ridvan (begins at sundown) (Bi)

21 Wed. Ridvan (first day) (Bi)

30 Fri. Ghambar Maidyozarem (begins) (Z)

May 2010

Glossary

Hopi Kachina Dances (AI)

1 Sat. Beltane (W/P)

2 Sun. Ridvan (last day) (Bi)

4 Tue. Ghambar Maidyozarem (ends) (Z)

13 Thu. Ascension of Jesus (C-P,RC)

13 Thu. Ascension of Jesus (C-O)

13 Thu. Wesak (Bd)

18 Tue. Shavuot (begins at sundown) (J)

19 Wed. Shavuot (first day) (J)

20 Thu. Shavuot (second day) (J)

22 Sat. Declaration of the Bab (begins at sundown) (Bi)

23 Sun. Declaration of the Bab (Bi)

23 Sun. Pentecost (C-P,RC)

23 Sun. Pentecost (C-O)

28 Fri. Ascension of Baha'u'llah (begins at sundown) (Bi)

29 Sat. Ascension of Baha'u'llah (Bi)

June 2010

Glossary

Hopi Kachina Dances (AI)

16 Wed. Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (Sk)

21 Mon. Litha (W /P)

27 Sun. Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his Brother Hyrum (LDS)

29 Tue. Ghambar Maidyoshem (begins) (Z)

July 2010

Glossary

Mescalero Apache Mountain Spirit Dances (AI)

Sun Dance (AI)

Green Corn Ceremony (Stomp Dance) (AI)

Hopi Snake Dance (AI)

3 Sat. Ghambar Maidyoshem (ends) (Z)

8 Thu. Laylat al-Isra'wa al-Mi'raj (Is)

8 Thu. Martyrdom of the Bab (begins at sundown) (Bi)

9 Fri. Martyrdom of the Bab (Bi)

24 Sat. Pioneer Day (LDS)

26 Mon. Dharma Day (Bd)

26 Mon. Laylat al-Bara'ah (Is)

August 2010

Glossary

Green Corn Ceremony (Stomp Dance) (AI)

Hopi Snake Dance (AI)

Iroquois Green Corn Ceremony (AI)

Sun Dance (AI)

2 Mon. Lammas/Lughnasa (W/P)

11 Wed. Ramadan (begins) (Is)

15 Sun. Assumption of Mary (C-RC)

15 Sun. Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God (C-O)

September 2010

Glossary

Iroquois Green Corn Ceremony (AI)

Jicarilla Apache Ghost Dance (AI)

2 Thu. Krishna Janmashtami (Hd)

5 Sun. Paryusana Festival (begins) (Ja)

6 Mon. Laylat al-Qadr (Is)

8 Wd. Rosh Hashanah (begins sundown) (J)

9 Thu. Rosh Hashanah (first day) (J)

10 Fri. Eid al-Fitr (Is)

10 Fri. Rosh Hashanah (second day) (J)

11 Sat. Das Laxana Festival (begins) (Ja)

11 Sat. Ganesh Chaturthi (Hd)

12 Sun. Ghambar Paitishem (begins) (Z)

12 Sun. Paryusana Festival (ends) (Ja)

12 Sun. Samvatsari (Ja)

16 Thu. Ghambar Paitishem (ends) (Z)

17 Fri. Yom Kippur (begins at sundown) (J)

18 Sat. Yom Kippur (J)

20 Mon. Das Laxana Festival (ends) (Ja)

22 Wed. Sukkot (begins at sundown) (J)

23 Thu. Mabon (W/P)

23 Thu. Sukkot (first day) (J)

24 Fri. Sukkot (second day) (J)

30 Th. Simchat Torah (begins sundown) (J)

October 2010

Glossary

Cherokee Great New Moon Festival (AI)

1 Fri. Simchat Torah (J)

8 Fri. Navaratri (begins) (Hd)

12 Tue. Ghambar Ayathrem (begins) (Z)

16 Sat. Dusserah (Vijaya Dashami) (Hd)

16 Sat. Ghambar Ayathrem (ends) (Z)

16 Sat. Navaratri (ends) (Hd)

19 Tue. Birth of the Bab (begins at sundown) (Bi)

20 Wed. Birth of the Bab (Bi)

20 Wed. Installation of Granth Sahib Ji as Guru (Sk)

31 Sun. Reformation Day (C-P)

31 Sun. Samhain (W/P)

November 2010

Glossary

1 Mon. All Saints Day (C-P,RC)

2 Tue. All Souls Day (C-RC)

5 Fri. Diwali (Dipavali) (Hd)

5 Fri. Diwali/Mahavir Nirvana (Ja)

11 Thu. Birth of Baha'u'llah (begins at sundown) (Bi)

12 Fri. Birth of Baha'u'llah (Bi)

16 Tue. Eid al-Adha (Is)

21 Sun. Guru Nanak's Birthday (Sk)

24 Wed. Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (Sk)

25 Thu. Day of the Covenant (begins at sundown) (Bi)

26 Fri. Day of the Covenant (Bi)

27 Sat. Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha (begins at sundown) (Bi)

28 Sun. Ascension of' 'Abdu'l-Baha (Bi)

28 Sun. Advent (first Sunday) (C)

December 2010

Glossary

Shalako Kachina Ceremony (AI)

1 Wed. Hanukkah (begins at sundown) (J)

2 Thu. Hanukkah (first day) (J)

7 Tue. First of Muharram (Is)

8 Wed. Bodhi Day (Bd)

8 Wed. Conception of the Virgin Mary (C-O)

8 Wed. Immaculate Conception (C-RC)

9 Thu. Hanukkah (last day) (J)

16 Thu. 'Ashurah (Is)

21 Tue. Yule (W/P)

24 Fri. Native American Church Christmas Prayer Meeting (first day) (AI)

25 Sat. Christmas (C)

25 Sat. Native American Church Christmas Prayer Meeting (second day) (AI)

26 Sun. Death of Prophet Zarathustra (Z)

31 Fri. Ghambar Maidyarem (begins) (Z)

31 Fri. Yule (W/P)

Acknowledgments

Some of the information herein is provided by The Multifaith Calendar, a publication of The Multifaith Action Society (used with permission). Additional thanks to the editors of The Interfaith Calendar, the Chicago and Illinois Regional Office of The National Conference for Community and Justice and their Interfaith Calendar; the Anti-Defamation League; Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary of Brookline, Massachusetts; Multifaith Resources, California; the New England Hindu Temple; the Bahá'í Community of Greater Boston; the New York Office of The National Conference for Community and Justice; The National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C; James Yellowbank and the Anawim Center; and several scholars of religion, who provided information and advice.