September

12 (Wed.) Rosh Hashanah (begins at sunset)- Jewish

12 (Wed.) Ramadan (begins at sunset)- Islamic

13 (Thurs.) Rosh Hashanah (first day)

13 (Thurs.) First Day of Ramadan (30 days)- Islamic

14 (Fri.) Rosh Hashanah (second day)

21 (Fri.) Yom Kippur (begins at sunset)- Jewish

22 (Sat.) Yom Kippur

26 (Wed.) Sukkot (begins at sunset)- Jewish

27 (Thurs.) Sukkot (first day of seven days)

October

13 (Sat.) Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan)- Islamic

November

09 (Fri.) Diwali (Festival of Lights)- Hindu

12 (Mon.) Baha'u'llah's Birthday (Commemorates Founder's Birthday)- Bahá'í

December

04 (Tues.) Hanukkah (begins at sunset; first candle lighting)- Jewish

05 (Wed.) Hanukkah (first day of eight days)

08 (Sat.) Bodhi Day (Buddha's Enlightenment, Rohatsu)- Buddhist

20 (Thurs.) Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice at the end of Hajj)- Islamic

25 (Tues.) Christmas- Christian

January

10 (Thurs.) Al-Hijra/Muharram (New Year)- Islamic

February

06 (Wed.) Ash Wednesday- Christian

15 (Fri.) Nirvana Day (Commemorates the death of Buddha)- Buddhist

March

02 (Sun.) Nineteen Day Fast (through March 20)- Bahá'í

16 (Sun.) Palm Sunday- Christian

20 (Thurs.) Mawlid al-Nabi (Muhammad's birthday)- Islamic

20 (Thurs.) Purim (begins at sunset)- Jewish

21 (Fri.) Purim

21 (Fri.) Good Friday- Christian

21 (Fri.) Naw-Ruz (Baha'i New Year)- Bahá'í

22 (Sat.) Holi (Spring festival)- Hindu

23 (Sun.) Easter- Christian

April

19 (Sat.) Passover (Pesach; begins at sunset; first Seder)- Jewish

20 (Sun.) Palm Sunday- Orthodox Christian

20 (Sun.) Passover (first day of eight days; second Seder)

21 (Mon.) Passover (second day)

21 (Sat.) Ridvan (Declaration of Baha'u'llah; 12 days; begins at sunset 4/20)- Bahá'i

25 (Fri.) Good Friday- Orthodox Christian

27 (Sun.) Easter- Orthodox Christian

May

11 (Sun.) Pentecost- Christian

20 (Tues.) Buddha Day; (Birthday of Buddha,Visakha tradition)- Buddhist

Explanatory Notes

Ash Wednesday: Begins Christian observance of Lent; name derives from use of ashes to signify penitence.

Baha'u'llah's Birthday: Commemorates the birth of the founder of the Bahá'í faith in 1817.

Bodhi Day: Buddhist celebration of the Enlightenment of Buddha, ca. 596 B.C.E.

Christmas: Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Diwali: Festival of Lights; one of four seasonal celebrations in India.

Easter: The day Christians celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead.

Eid al-Adha: Islamic festival of sacrifice; commemorates Abraham's faith, and is also a memorial to the dead.

Eid al-Fitre: Islamic festival of the breaking of the fast of Ramadan.

Good Friday (Holy Friday): The day Christians commemorate Jesus' crucifixion.

Hanukkah: Jewish festival of lights; eight day commemoration of the rededication of the Second Temple in 165 B.C.E. A candle is lighted on each evening.

Holi: Spring festival; a Hindu carnival occasion featuring bright colors, pilgrimages, and bonfires.

Nirvana Day: Commemorates the death of Buddha.

Palm Sunday: Begins Christian Holy Week; palms recall the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Orthodox Christian observances are the same as those observed in the West, but are based on the Julian (Eastern) calendar rather that the Gregorian (Western) calendar.

Passover (Pesach): Eight day celebration marking the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt; Seder ceremonies retell the story of the "Exodus."

Pentecost: 50 days after Easter, when Christians celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus. Sometimes referred to as the "birthday of the Church."

Purim: Feast of Lots. Celebrates deliverance of Jews in ancient Persia from a plot to destroy them. The scroll of Esther is read.

Ramadan: The ninth month in the Islamic calendar; 30 days of strict fasting from sunup to sundown in honor of the first revelations to the Prophet Mohammed.

Ridvan: Commemorates the declaration of Baha'u'llah to his followers in 1863. Work is suspended for the Bahá'í faithful on the 1st, 9th, and 12th days.

Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year beginning 10 days of penitence concluded on Yom Kippur.

Sukkot: Jewish festival of booths (or tabernacles) and the fall harvest; takes its name from the booths used by Israelites during desert wanderings. First two days and last two days have special observances.

Yom Kippur: Jewish day of atonement; most solemn Jewish holy day, devoted to prayer, fasting and repentance.

For more information please contact Rev. Mark Duntley at 503-768-7082