Religious Holidays

* Means that Holy days begin at sundown the day before this date. 

** Regional customs, group preference or moon sightings may cause a variation of this date.

APRIL 2008

• 6
  • New Year ** - Hindu
• 8
  • Birthday of Buddha ** - Buddhist - Mahayana
• 14
  • Ramanavami ** - Hindu
  • Baisakhi - Sikh
• 18
  • Mahavir Jayanti - Jain
• 19
  • Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian
• 20
  • Hanuman Jayanti ** - Hindu
  • Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
• 20-23
  • Theravadin New Year ** - Buddhist
• 20-21 *
  • Pesach (Passover) first two days *  - Jewish
• 21
  • First Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
• 23
  • St. George's Day - Christian
• 25
  • Holy Friday - Orthodox Christian
• 26-27
  • Pesach (Passover) final two days * - Jewish
• 27
  • Easter/Pascha - Orthodox Christian
• 29
  • Ninth Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
• 30
  • St. James the Great Day - Orthodox Christian

MAY 2008

• 1
  • Ascension of Christ - Christian
  • Beltane * - Wicca Northern Hemisphere
  • Samhain * - Wicca Southern Hemisphere
• 2
  • Yom HaSho'ah * - Jewish
  • Twelfth Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
• 8
  • Yom Ha'Atzmaut * - Jewish
• 11
  • Pentecost - Christian
• 18
  • Trinity Sunday - Christian
• 20
  • Buddha Day - Visakha Puja ** - Buddhist
• 22
  • Corpus Christi - Catholic Christian
• 23
  • Declaration of the Bab * - Baha'i
  • Lag B'Omer * - Jewish
• 29
  • Ascension of Baha'u'llah * - Baha'i
• 30
  • Sacred Heart of Jesus - Catholic Christian

JUNE 2008

• 5
  • Ascension of Jesus- Orthodox Christian
• 9
  • St. Columba of Iona - Christian
• 9-10
  • Shavuot * - Jewish
• 15
  • Pentecost - Orthodox Christian
• 16
  • Guru Arjan Dev martyrdom - Sikh
• 19
  • New Church Day - Swedenborgian Christian
• 20 Summer Solstice
  • Litha * - Wicca Northern Hemisphere
  • Yule * - Wicca Southern Hemisphere
• 21
  • First Nations Day - Canadian Native People
• 22
  • All Saints - Orthodox Christian
• 23
  • Sacred Heart of Jesus- Catholic Christian
• 29
  • Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul - Christian

JULY 2008

• 9
  • Martyrdom of the Bab * - Baha'i
• 11
  • St. Benedict Day - Catholic Christian
• 13-16
  • Ulambana - Obon ** - Buddhist
• 18
  • Asalha Puja Day - Dharma Day ** - Buddhist
• 19
  • Mandaen New Years ** - Mandaen
• 23
  • Birthday of Emperor Hailie Selassi I - Rastafaria
• 24
  • Pioneer Day- Mormon Christian
• 25
  • St. James the Great Day - Christian
• 31
  • Lailat al Miraj * - Islam

AUGUST 2008

• 1
  • Lammas - Christian
  • Fast in honor of Holy Mother of Lord Jesus - Orthodox Christian
• 2
  • Lughnassad * - Wicca Northern Hemisphere
  • Imbolc * - Wicca Southern Hemisphere
• 6
  • Transfiguration of Our Lord - Orthodox Christian
• 10
  • Tisha B'Av * - Jewish
• 15
  • Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary - Catholic Christian
  • Dormition of the Theotokos - Orthodox Christian
• 16
  • Raksha Bandhan ** - Hindu
• 18
  • Lailat al Bara'ah * - Islam
• 24
  • Krishna Janmashtami ** - Hindu
• 25
  • Assumption of the Virgin Mary - Catholic Christian
• 28
  • Paryushana - Jain
• 29
  • Beheading of John the Baptist - Christian
• 31
  • Lailat al Miraj * - Islam

SEPTEMBER 2008

• 1
  • Church year begins - Orthodox Christian
• 2
  • Ramadan begins * - Islam
• 3
  • Ganesa Chaturthi ** - Hindu
• 8
  • Nativity of Mary - Christian
• 14
  • Holy Cross Day - Christian
• 15
  • Moon Cake Festival - Chinese Taoist tradition
• 22 Autumnal Equinox
  • Mabon * - Wicca Northern Hemisphere
  • Ostara * - Wicca Southern Hemisphere
• 28
  • Laylat al Kadar - Islam
• 29
  • Michael and All Angels - Christian
• 30-Oct 1
  • Rosh Hashanah * - Jewish
• 30-Oct 8
  • Navaratri ** - Hindu

OCTOBER 2008

• 2
  • Eid al Fitr - Ramadan ends * - Islam
• 4
  • St Francis Day - Catholic Chrisian
• 9
  • Yom Kippur * - Jewish
• 9
  • Dasera ** - Hindu
• 13
  • Thanksgiving -  Interfaith - Canada
• 14-20 
  • Sukkot * - Jewish
• 20
  • Birth of the B'ab * - Baha'i
  • Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth - Sikh
• 21
  • Semini Atzeret * - Jewish
• 22
  • Simhat Torah * - Jewish
• 27
  • Reformation Day - Protestant Christian
• 28
  • Milvian Bridge Day - Christian
  • Diwali - Deepavali ** - Hindu - Sikh - Jain
• 31
  • All Hallows Eve - Christian
  • Reformation Day - Protestant Christian

NOVEMBER 2008

• 1
  • All Saints' Day - Christian
  • Samhain * - Wicca Northern Hemisphere
  • Beltane * - Wicca Southern Hemisphere
• 2
  • All Souls' Day - Christian
• 12
  • Birth of Baha'u'llah * - Baha'i
• 13
  • Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib - Sikh
• 15
  • Nativity Fast begins - Orthodox Christian
• 23
  • Christ the King - Christian
• 24
  • Guru Tegh Bahadur Martydrom - Sikh
• 26
  • Day of Covenant * - Baha'i
• 27
  • Thanksgiving - Interfaith - USA
• 28
  • Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha * - Baha'i
• 30
  • First Sunday of Advent - Christian
  • St. Andrew's Day - Christian

DECEMBER 2008

• 6
  • Saint Nicholas Day - Christian
• 6-9
  • Hajj - Islam
• 8
  • Bodhi Day  (Rohatsu) ** - Buddhism
  • Immaculate Conception - Catholic Christian
• 9
  • Eid al Adha * - Islam
• 12
  • Feast day - Our Lady of Guadalupe - Catholic Christian
  • Advent Fast begins - Orthodox Christian
• 16-25
  • Posedas Novidenas - Christian
• 21
  • Yule - Christian
• 21 Winter Solstice
  • Yule * - Wicca Northern Hemisphere
  • Litha * - Wicca Southern Hemisphere
• 22-29 
  • Hanukkah  * - Jewish
• 25
  • Christmas * - Christian
  • Feast of the Nativity ** - Orthodox Christian
• 26
  • Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra) -  Zoroastrian
• 28
  • Holy Innocents - Christian
  • Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic Christian
• 29
  • Muharram (first day of new year) * - Islam
• 31
  • Watch Night - Christian
    

* Calendar information taken from www.interfaithcalendar.org*

• Definitions of Religious Holy Days