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 
• Maghi - Sikh
• 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 
• Tu BiShavat * - Jewish

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 
• Nirvana Day - Buddhism
• 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 
• Ramayana ** - Hindu
• 28 
• Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zarathushtra) ** - Zoroastrian

Definitions

April  2020

• 2 
• Ramanavami ** - Hindu
• 3 
• Laylat al Miraj * - Islam
• 5 
• Palm Sunday - Christian
• 8 
• Hanuman Jayanti ** - Hindu
• 9-11
• Theravadin New Year ** - Buddhist
• 9-15 
• Pesach * - Jewish
• 9 
• Mahavir Jayanti ** - Jain
• Maundy Thursday - Christian
• 10 
• Good Friday - Christian
• 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

• 21 
• Yom HaShoah - Jewish

• First Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
• Lailat al Bara'ah * - Islam
• Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
• 23 
• St. George's Day - Christian
• 24 
• Ramadan begins * - Islam
• 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
  
• Eid al Fitr * - Islam
  
• 
  
• 29
• Ascension of Baha'u'llah * - Baha'i
• Ascension of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
• 29-30 
• Shavuot * - Jewish
• 31
• Pentecost - Christian

Definitions

JUNE   2020

• 1 
• Laylat al Kadr * - Islam
• 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
• Tish'a B'av - Jewish
• 31-August3 
• Eid al Adha * - Islam

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 
• Waqf al Arafa * Islam
• 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 
• Rosh Hashanah * - Jewish
• 21 
• Paryushana Parva * - Jain
• 23 Equinox
• Mabon - Ostara * - Wicca/Pagan  Northern and Southern hemispheres 
• 27 
• Meskel - Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
• 28 
• Yom Kippur * - Jewish

• 29
  

• Michael and All Angels - Christian

Definitions

OCTOBER   2020

• 3-9 
• Sukkot * - Jewish
• 4 
• St Francis Day - Catholic Christian
• Blessing of the Animals - Christian

• 10 
• Shemini Atzeret * - Jewish
• 11 
• Simchat Torah * - Jewish
• 12 
• Thanksgiving - Canada - Interfaith
• 17-24 
• Navaratri ** - Hindu
• 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 
• Jain New Year - Jain
• 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 
• Advent begins- Christian
• 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 
• Hanukkah - Jewish
• 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 
• Watch Night - Christian

Definitions