Religious Holy Days
A listing of the current semester's religious observances.
We continue to expand and update this list. We apologize for any dates we may have missed. Please email auinterfaith@adelphi.edu to request a date be added.
For a calendar of non-religious commemorative days, weeks and months, please visit our Calendar of Cultural Commemoration and Awareness.
Be mindful when scheduling programming, meetings, events or assignments.
Fall 2023
September
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 5-17 | Onam∗ | Hindu | The 10-day long festival marks the beginning of harvest season as well as the appearance of the Vaman avatar of Lord Vishnu along with the homecoming of King Mahabali. |
| September 6-7 | Krishna Janmashtami | Hindu | A Hindu festival celebrated annually in honor of the birth of Krishna. |
| September 14 | Exaltation of the Cross | Orthodox Christian | Feast day celebrating the cross itself, as the sign of salvation. |
| September 17 | Vishwakarma Puja | Hindu | Day of celebration for Vishwakarma, a Hindu god, the Divine architect. |
| September 15-16 | Rosh Hashanah* | Judaism | The Jewish New Year |
| September 18 | Fast of Gedaliah (fast begins at dawn)* | Judaism | The assassination of Gedaliah, remaining Jewish communities were driven into exile. |
| September 19 | Ganesh Chaturthi | Hindu | A Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of Lord Ganesh to earth from Kailash Parvat with his mother Goddess Parvati/Gauri. |
| September 23-October 27 | Mawlid al-Nabi | Muslim | Celebration of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammed. |
| September 24-25 | Yom Kippur** | Judaism | Day of Forgiveness |
| September 29-October 6 | Sukkot (first days)** | Judaism | Celebrating god’s protection in the desert. |
October
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 6-8 | Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah** | Judaism | Celebrating the completion and beginning anew of the Torah. |
| October 14 | Mahalaya Amavasya | Hindu | Day of paying homage to ancestors |
| October 15-23 | Navaratri | Hindu | Navaratri is the Hindu festival that celebrates the battle and victory of god Rama over the demon king Ravana. |
| October 16 | Birth of the Báb | Baha’i | Birth of the Báb, 1819–1850. The Báb (meaning “Gate” in Arabic) is considered to have paved the way for the incarnation of Bahá’u’lláh. |
| October 16-17 | Birth of Bahá’u’lláh | Baha’i | Celebration of the Birth Bahá’u’lláh (founder of Baha’i). |
| October 20 | Birth of the Guru Granth | Sikh | Celebration of the Birth of Guru Granth. |
| October 24 | Dusshera | Hindu | Festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. |
| October 28 | Sharad Purnima | Hindu | Harvest festival marking the end of the monsoon season. |
November
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1 | All Saint’s Day | Christian/Catholic | Christian festival celebrated in honor of all the saints |
| November 2 | All Soul’s Day | Christian/Catholic | A day of remembrance for all of the deceased |
| November 10 | Dhan Teras | Hindu | Marks the first day of Diwali |
| November 12 | Diwali | Hindu | Festival of lights celebrating victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. |
| November 12 | Bandi Chhor Divas | Sikh | Sikh holiday which coincides with the day of Diwali. |
| November 21 | Presentation of the Theotokos | Christian Orthodox | The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known in the East as The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, is a liturgical. |
| November 26 | Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe | Catholic | Feast Day in honor of Jesus Christ as Lord over all creation. |
| November 25-26 | Day of the Covenant | Baha’i | The Day of the Covenant is the day when Baháʼís celebrate the appointment of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá as the Centre of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant. |
| November 27-28 | Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá | Baha’i | Holy day commemorates the death of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. |
| November 27 | Guru Nanak Birthday | Sikh | Guru Nanak, also referred to as Baba Nanak, was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. |
December
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 3 | First Sunday in Advent | Christian/Catholic | Start of the Advent season |
| December 7-15 | Chanukah | Judaism | Celebrating the Miracle of lights, and the miraculous victory of Jewish independence over the Syrian-Greek invaders. |
| December 8 | The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Christian/Catholic | Day of celebration for belief in the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary. |
| December 25 | The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) | Christian/Catholic | Celebration of the Birth of Jesus |
Spring 2024
January
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God |
Christian/Catholic | The feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the aspect of her motherhood of Jesus Christ. |
| Not observed in 2024 | Fast of 10 Teves* | Judaism | Commemorating the siege laid to Jerusalem by the Babylonian King Nevuchadnetzar, leading ultimately to the destruction of the Temple and the exiling of the Jewish people from Israel. |
| January 7 | Christmas | Orthodox Christian | Celebration of the Birth of Jesus |
| January 13 | Lohri | Sikh | Lohri marks the end of winter and is a traditional welcome of longer days and the sun’s journey to the northern hemisphere. |
| January 25 | 15 Shevat-New Year for Trees | Judaism | New year for trees. Commonly known as Tu Bishvat, this day marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. Represents rebirth. |
February
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2 | Presentation of Jesus at the Temple | Orthodox Christian | The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (or in the temple) is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. |
| February 6-7 | Isra and Mi’raj | Muslim | The Israʾ and Miʿraj are the two parts of a Night Journey that, according to Islam, the Islamic prophet Muhammad took during a single night around the year 621. |
| February 14 | Ash Wednesday | Christian/Catholic | Marks the beginning of Lent |
| February 14- March 28 | Lent* | Christian/Catholic | Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. |
March
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 8 | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu | Celebrated annually in honor of Lord Shiva. This solemen festival marks a remebrance of overcoming darkenss and ignorance. |
| March 10-April 9 | Ramadan* | Muslim | A holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. |
| March 18-May 4 | Lent* | Orthodox Christian | A 40-day season of fasting, reflection, and preparation before Easter. To replicate the sacrifice and withdrawal of Jesus into the desert. |
| March 17 | St. Patrick’s Day | Christian/Catholic | Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron Saint of Ireland |
| March 19 | Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin Mary |
Christian/Catholic | Feast day for St. Joesph |
| March 21 | Fast of Esther (fast begins at dawn)* | Judaism | The fast commemorates two events in the Book of Esther: Esther and the Jewish community of Shushan having fasted for 3 days and 3 nights before she approached the king (Esther 4:16), and a fast which was observed on the 13th of Adar, when the Jews fought a battle against their enemies. |
| March 23-24 | Purim* | Judaism | Commemorates the (Divinely orchestrated) salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian empire from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews. |
| March 25 | The Annunciation of the Lord | Christian/Catholic | Feast Day celebrating angel Gabriel visit to Mary and Mary’s consent to give birth to Jesus. |
| March 25 | Holi | Hindu | Represents the arrival of spring and triumph of good over evil. |
| March 25 | The Annunciation | Orthodox Christian | Celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son through a virgin birth and become the mother of Jesus Christ. |
| March 28 | Holy Thursday | Christian/Catholic | Commemorates the Washing of the Feet and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. |
| March 29 | Good Friday | Christian/Catholic | Commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. |
| March 31 | Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord | Christian/Catholic | Commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. |
April
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 9-10 | Eid al-Fitr | Muslim | Religious holiday of Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. |
| April 13 | Vaisakhi | Sikh | commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. |
| April 23-25 | Pesach/Passover (First days) | Judaism | Celebrates our freedom and liberation from Egyptian slavery. |
| April 26-29 | Pesach/Passover (Intermediate days) | Judaism | Celebrates our freedom and liberation from Egyptian slavery. |
| April 28 | Palm Sunday | Orthodox Christian | The remembrance of the Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem |
May
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3 | Good Friday | Orthodox Christian | A day of remembrance of Jesus’s death on the cross. |
| May 5 | Easter (Pasha) | Orthodox Christian | On the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha, Orthodox Christians celebrate the life-giving Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. |
| May 12 | The Ascension of the Lord | Christian/Catholic | Celebration of the assent of Jesus into Heaven |
| May 19 | Pentecost | Christian/Catholic | Commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit onto the disciples. |
| May 21-22 | Pesach Sheni | Judaism | Second Passover. Customary to eat Matzah today. Marks the day when someone who was unable to participate in the Passover offering in the proper time would observe the mitzvah exactly one month later. |
| May 25-26 | Lag BaOmer | Judaism | Celebrates the life of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and the end of a plague which wiped out 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva. |
| May 26 | Trinity Sunday | Christian/Catholic | A feast in honor of the holy Trinity following the Sunday after Pentecost. |
| May 30 | Corpus Christi Sunday | Christian/Catholic | Is the celebration of the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist. |
Summer 2024
June
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 7 | Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus | Christian/Catholic | A movable feast, it is celebrated each year on a Friday in the spring on the nineteenth day after Pentecost. |
| June 8 | The Immaculate Heart of Mary | Christian/Catholic | The Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Marian devotion focuses on the Blessed Mother’s interior life, celebrating her joys and sorrows, her virtues, and her love for God. |
| June 11-13 | Shavuot** | Judaism | Celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. |
| June 16-17 | Eid al-Adha | Muslim | The Muslim festival marking the culmination of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorating the sacrifice of Abraham. |
| June 24 | Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist | Christian/Catholic | The Nativity of John the Baptist is a high-ranking liturgical feast, kept in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran churches. |
| June 29 | Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul | Christian/Catholic | The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of these apostles |
July
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 7 | Puri Rath Yatra | Hindu | Celebrated by devotees of the Hindu God, Lord Krishna, the Rath Yatra is the festival of chariots. |
| July 7-8 | Muslim New Year | Muslim | The Islamic New Year, also called the Hijri New Year or Arabic New Year, is the day that marks the beginning of a new lunar Hijri year and is the day on which the year count is incremented. |
| July 9 | Martyrdom of the Báb | Bahá’í | This holiday commemorates the 1850 execution of the co-founder of the Baha’i faith. |
| July 16-17 | Ashura | Muslim | Also known as Yawm Ashura, Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. It marks the day that Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, was martyred in the Battle of Karbala. |
| July 21 | Guru Purnima | Hindu | Guru Purnima is a day to pay ode to the selfless contributions of a Guru. |
| July 23 | Fast of 17 Tammuz* (begins at dawn) | Judaism | Commemorates the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls by the Babylonian King Nevuchadnetzar, leading ultimately to the destruction of the Temple and the exiling of the Jewish people from Israel. |
August
| Date | Observance | Religion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 6 | Transfiguration of the Lord | Christian/Catholic/Orthodox | The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus. |
| August 9 | Nag Panchami | Hindu | Nag Panchami is a day devoted to the Nag Devta or the snake god in the Hindu tradition. Every year, this day is celebrated during the auspicious month of Sawan, according to the Hindu calendar |
| August 12-13 | Tish’a B’Av* | Judaism | Marks the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem, as well as many other terrible things which happened on that calendar date. |
| August 15 | Dormition of the Theotokos | Orthodox Christian | It celebrates the “falling asleep” (death) of Mary the Theotokos (“Mother of God”, literally translated as God-bearer), and her being taken up into heaven (bodily assumption). |
| August 15 | Solemnity of the Assumption | Christian/Catholic | The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. |
| August 16 | Varalakshmi Vrat | Hindu | The worshipping the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi, many devotees come together to celebrate Varalakshmi Vratam every year. |
| August 19 | Raksha Bandhan | Hindu | Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi is an important Hindu festival, dedicated to brothers and sisters. On this auspicious day, sisters tie a thread on her brother’s wrist and pray for his long and prosperous life. In return, the brother gives a token of love to his loving sister. |
| August 22 | The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Christian/Catholic | Time to remember the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God. |
Please note that the Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the date listed, with the exception of some fast days which begin at dawn. These exceptions are noted on the applicable dates. Muslim holidays also begin at sundown on the date listed
*indicates observation may require practices that will impact daily schedules (such as needing to be at a house of worship, fasting, etc.)
** indicates observers may not be able to use electronics
Location
Ruth S. Harley University Center, 303
Hours
- Catholic Mass Tue: 6:00 pm Sun: 7:00 pm
- Muslim Services (Jummah) Fri: 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm
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