RELIGIOUS HOLY DAYS
of the major world religions, through December 31, 2020
For a more inclusive list of interfaith holidays, please go to interfaithcalendar.org. CMU's policy on accommodating religious obligations, Policy No. 3-16, can be found here.
Native American holy days: Though there are no set dates, major ceremonies tend to fall around the full moon and the solstices.
JANUARY 2020
- 1
- Mary, Mother of God - Catholic Christian
- Feast Day of St Basil - Orthodox Christian
- Gantan-sai (New Years) - Shinto
- Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
- 3
- Vasant Panchami ** - Hindu
- 5
- Twelfth Night - Christian
- Guru Gobindh Singh birthday - Sikh
- 6
- Epiphany - Christian
- Feast of the Epiphany (Theophany) - Orthodox Christian
- Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) - Christian
- Nativity of Christ - Armenian Orthodox
- 7
- Feast of the Nativity ** - Orthodox Christian
- 8
- Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic Christian
- 10-12
- Mahayana New Year ** - Buddhist
- 12
- Baptism of the Lord Jesus - Christian
- 13
- 17
- Blessing of the Animals - Hispanic Catholic Christian
- 18-25
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - Christian
- 19
- World Religion Day * - Baha'i
- 20
- Timkat - Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
- 25
- Conversion of St. Paul - Christian
- 28
Definitions
FEBRUARY 2020
- 2
- Candlemas - Presentation of Christ in the Temple - Christian
- Imbolc - Lughassad * - Wicca/Pagan - Northern and Southern hemispheres
- Saint Brighid of Kildare - Celtic Christian
- Four Chaplains Sunday - Interfaith
- 3
- St. Blaze Day - Christian
- Setsebun-sai (beginning of spring) - Shinto
- 5
- Chinese New Year - Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist
- 8
- 9
- Triodion begins - Orthodox Christian
- 12
- Triodion - Orthodox Christian
- 14
- St. Valentine's Day - Christian
- 15
- Nirvana Day ** - Buddhist - Jain
- 22
- Maha Shivaratri ** - Hindu
- 23
- Meatfare Sunday - Orthodox Christian
- Transfiguration Sunday - Christian
- 25
- Shrove Tuesday - Christian
- 26
- Intercalary Days begin - Baha'i
- Ash Wednesday - Lent begins - Christian
Definitions
MARCH 2020
- 1
- St. David of Wales - Christian
- Intercalary Days end - Baha'i
- Cheesefare Sunday
- Orthodox Christian
- 2
- Clean Monday - Great Lent begins - Orthodox Christian
- 2 - 20
- Nineteen Day Fast * - Baha'i
- 3
- Hindi New Year ** - Hindu
- 8
- Orthodox Sunday - Orthodox Christian
- 9
- Magha Puja Day ** - Buddhist
- 10
- Holi ** - Hindu
- Purim * - Jewish
- Hola Mohalla - Sikh
- 13
- Birthday of L. Ron Hubbard - Scientology
- 17
- St. Patrick's Day - Christian
- 19
- St. Joseph's Day - Christian
- Lord's Evening Meal - Jehovah's Witness Christian
- 20 Equinox
- Ostara - Mabon * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
- 21
- Norooz (New Year) - Persian/Zoroastrian
- Naw-Rúz (New Year) * - Baha'i
- 25
- Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Christian
- 25-April 2
- 28
- Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zarathushtra) ** - Zoroastrian
Definitions
April 2020
- 2
- 3
- Laylat al Miraj * - Islam
- 5
- 8
- Hanuman Jayanti ** - Hindu
- 9-11
- Theravadin New Year ** - Buddhist
- 9-15
- 9
- Mahavir Jayanti ** - Jain
- Maundy Thursday - Christian
- 10
- 12
- Easter - Christian
- Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
- Lag B'Omer - Jewish
- 14
- Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) - Sikh
- 17
- Holy Friday - Orthodox Christian
- 11
- Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian
- 19
- Pascha - Easter - Orthodox Christian
- First Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
- Lailat al Bara'ah * - Islam
- Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
- 23
- St. George's Day - Christian
- 24
- 27
- Mahavir Jayanti ** - Jain
- 29
- Ninth Day of Ridvan - Baha'i
- Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul - Christian
- Yom Ha'Atzmaut * - Jewish
- 30
- St. James the Great Day - Orthodox Christian
Definitions
MAY 2020
- 1
- Beltane - Samhain * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
- 2
- Last day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
- 3
- Saints Philip & James - Christian
- 7
- Visakha Puja - Buddha Day ** - Buddhist
- National Day of Prayer USA - Interfaith
- 21
- Ascension of Jesus - Christian
- 23
- Declaration of the Bab * - Baha'i
- 23-24
- 29
- Ascension of Baha'u'llah * - Baha'i
- Ascension of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
- 29-30
- 31
Definitions
JUNE 2020
- 1
- 7
- Pentecost - Orthodox Christian
- Trinity Sunday - Christian
- 9
- St. Columba of Iona - Celtic Christian
- 11
- Corpus Christi - Catholic Christian
- 14
- All Saints - Orthodox Christian
- 15
- Saint Vladimir Day - Christian
- 16
- Guru Arjan martyrdom - Sikh
- 19
- Sacred Heart of Jesus - Catholic Christian
- New Church Day - Swedenborgian Christian
- 21 Solstice
- Litha - Yule * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
- 22
- First Nations Day - Canadian Native People
- 29
- Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul - Christian
Definitions
JULY 2020
- 5
- Asalha Puja Day ** - Buddhist
- 9
- Martyrdom of the Bab * - Baha'i
- 11
- St Benedict Day - Catholic Christian
- 15
- St. Vladimir the Great Day - Orthodox Christian
- 23
- Crowning of Haile Selasse I - Rastafarian
- 24
- Pioneer Day- Mormon Christian
- 25
- St. James the Great Day - Christian
- 30
- 31-August3
Definitions
AUGUST 2020
- 1
- Lammas - Christian
- Lughnassad - Imbolc * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
- Fast in Honor of Holy Mother of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
- 3
- Raksha Bandhan ** - Hindu
- 6
- Transfiguration of the Lord - Orthodox Christian
- 10
- 12
- Krishna Janmashtami ** - Hindu
- 13-15
- Obon (Ulambana) ** - Buddhist/Shinto ?
- 15
- Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary - Catholic Christian
- Dormition of the Theotokos - Orthodox Christian
- 20
- Hijra - New Year * - Islam
- 22
- Ganesh Chaturthi ** - Hindu
- 29
- Beheading of St. John the Baptist - Christian
- Ashura * - Islam
Definitions
SEPTEMBER 2020
- 1
- Ecclesiastical year begins - Orthodox Christian
- 8
- Nativity of Virgin Mary - Christian
- 14
- Elevation of the Life Giving Cross (Holy Cross) - Christian
- 19-20
- 21
- Paryushana Parva * - Jain
- 23 Equinox
- Mabon - Ostara * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
- 27
- Meskel - Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
- 28
- Michael and All Angels - Christian
Definitions
OCTOBER 2020
- 3-9
- 4
- St Francis Day - Catholic Christian
- Blessing of the Animals - Christian
- 10
- Shemini Atzeret * - Jewish
- 11
- 12
- Thanksgiving - Canada - Interfaith
- 17-24
- 18
- St. Luke, Apostle & Evangelist - Christian
- 20
- Birth of the Báb * - Baha'i
- Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth - Sikh
- 22
- Christ the King - Christian
- 25
- Reformation Day - Protestant Christian
- Dasara ** - Hindu
- 28
- Milvian Bridge Day - Christian
- 29
- Reformation Day - Protestant Christian
- Mawlid an Nabi * - Islam
- 31
- All Hallows Eve - Christian
Definitions
NOVEMBER 2020
- 1
- All Saints Day - Christian
- Samhain - Beltane * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
- 2
- All Souls Day - Catholic Christian
- 12
- Birth of Baha'u'llah * - Baha'i
- 13
- 14
- Diwali (Deepavali) ** - Hindu-Jain-Sikh
- 15
- Nativity Fast begins - ends Dec. 24 - Orthodox Christian
- Vikram New Year ** - Hindu
- 22
- Christ the King - Christian
- 24
- Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahdur - Sikh
- 26
- Thanksgiving - Interfaith USA
- Day of the Covenant * - Baha'i
- 28
- Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha * - Baha'i
- 29-December 24
- 30
- St. Andrew's Day - Christian
- Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib - Sikh
Definitions
DECEMBER 2020
- 6
- Saint Nicholas Day - Christian
- 8
- Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) - Buddhism
- Immaculate Conception of Mary - Catholic Christian
- 11-18
- 12
- Feast day - Our Lady of Guadalupe - Catholic Christian
- 16-25
- Posadas Navidenas - Hispanic Christian
- 21 Solstice
- Yule - Christian
- Yule - Litha * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
- 24
- Christmas Eve - Christian
- 25
- Christmas * - Christian
- Feast of the Nativity ** - Orthodox Christian
- 26
- Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra) ** - Zoroastrian
- St Stephen's Day - Christian
- 27
- Saint John - Apostle and Evangelist - Christian
- Holy Family - Catholic Christian
- 28
- Holy Innocents - Christian
- 31
Definitions
