性视界传媒

Religious Observances Academic Year 2026

Please note that individual practices may vary.
鈥�*鈥� denotes holidays that start sundown the day before

** These holidays are calculated on a lunar calendar and are approximate.

Summer 2026 Semester

June 7 –聽 All Saints Day: Eastern Orthodox Christian observance on the first Sunday after Pentecost, it commemorates all known and unknown Christian saints.

June 16 – *Islamic New Year (Awal Muharram): Awal Muharram or Hijri New Year is celebrated by Muslims as the day symbolizes two important events in the Islamic year.

June 19 – Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat) Festival: Chinese holiday that commemorates Qu Yuan and is celebrated by holding dragon boat races and eating sticky rice dumplings called zongzi.

June 21 – Litha or Midsummer: A Pagan holiday to celebrate the sun’s peak power, fertility, and abundance, often marked by rituals, bonfires, and connection with nature.

June 25 – Ashura: Islamic day of fasting observed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram to celebrate Moses鈥� exodus from Egypt.

July 9 – Martyrdom of the B脕B Bah谩鈥櫭�: Bah谩鈥櫭� Faith observance of the anniversary of the execution by a firing squad in Tabr铆z, Persia, of the 30-year-old Siyyid 鈥楢l铆- Muhammad, the B谩b, the prophet-herald of the Bah谩鈥櫭� Faith.

July 22-23 – Tish’a B’av: Jewish mourning of the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem in 586 BCE and 70 CE.

July 29 – Dharma Day: Buddhist observance also known as Asalha Puja, it commemorates the historical Buddha’s first discourse following his spiritual awakening.

Fall 2026 Semester

August 4 – *Arba’in: In Shia Islam, Arba’in marks forty days after Ashura, which is the martyrdom anniversary of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam.

August 25 鈥� Mawlid Al-Nabi: (Also known as MILAD AL-NABI) Islamic (Sunni) observance of the birthday of Islam founder Prophet Muhammad.

August 27 鈥� Ullambana: (also known as Obon) is a Buddhist observance that honors the spirits of past ancestors and strives to relieve aching souls from suffering.

September 4 – Krishna Janmashtami: (Also known as JAYANTI) Hindu Celebrates Krishna鈥檚 birthday, Vishnu鈥檚 eighth incarnation on earth. Southern Asia

September 11-13 鈥� *Rosh Hashanah: Marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year and first of the High Holy Days, which marks the beginning of a ten-day period of penitence and spiritual renewal.

September 11-14 – Boun Hor Khao Padap Din: Buddhist observance intended to honor the dead and the spirits.

September 14鈥� Ganesh Chaturthi: A Hindu celebration of the birthday of Ganesha, the elephant-deity.

September 21 鈥� *Yom Kippur: Jewish 鈥淒ay of Atonement鈥� marks the end of the Ten Days of Penitence that begin with Rosh Hashanah.

September 25 鈥� Chuseok: South Korean observance also known as Hangawi, it is a major mid-autumn harvest festival and a three-day holiday.

September 25鈥� *Sukkot: The Jewish week-long 鈥淔east of Booths鈥� commemorates the 40-year wandering of the Israelites in the desert on the way to the Promised Land.

October 2 鈥� *Shemini Atzeret: 鈥淭he Eighth [Day] of Assembly鈥� is a Jewish observance on the day immediately following Sukkot.

October 3 *Simchat Torah: 鈥淩ejoicing in the Torah鈥� a Jewish celebration marking the conclusion of the public reading of the Pentateuch (first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and its beginning anew.

October 11-20 *Navaratri: A Hindu nine-day festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil.

October 18 鈥� Chung Yeung Festival: A Hong Kong observance where people climb up high mountains, clean their ancestors鈥� graves, and eat cleansing foods to flush away stagnant energy.

October 20th 鈥� Dussehra/Das Sera: Hindu anniversary of the day when Rama killed the evil demon Ravana.

November 1 鈥� All Saints Day: Christian observance commemorating all known and unknown Christian saints.

November 2 鈥� All Soul鈥檚 Day: Christian observance commemorating all the faithful Christians who are now dead. In Mexican tradition it is celebrated as Dia de los Muertos between October 31 and November 2, and is an occasion to remember dead ancestors and celebrate the continuity of life.

November 8 鈥� *Diwali: The Hindi 鈥淔estival of Lights,鈥� it celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance.

November 8 鈥� Bandi-Chhor Diwas: A Sikh commemorative occasion having no fixed date which occurs in October or November and celebrates the release of the Sixth Guru Har Gobind Sahib from imprisonment and coincides with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

November 10 – *Birth of the B谩b: This Bah谩’铆 holy day commemorates the birth of the B谩b in 1819 in Shiraz, Persia, and is one of the Twin Holy Birthdays, celebrated alongside the Birth of Bah谩’u’ll谩h.

November 11 – Birth of Bah谩始u始ll谩h: This important Bah谩始铆 holy day commemorates the founder of the Faith, with celebrations typically including prayer, community gatherings and reflecting on unity.

November 24 鈥� Guru Nanak Dev Ji鈥檚 Birthday: (Guru Nanak Jayanti) A very important Sikh holiday as Guru Nanak Dev鈥檚 was the First Guru of the Sikhs and the Founder of Sikhism.

November 26 鈥� Day of the Covenant: A Bah谩鈥櫭� faith festival observed to commemorate Bah谩鈥檜鈥檒l谩h鈥檚 appointment of His son, Abdu鈥檒-Bah谩, as His successor.

December 5鈥� *Hanukkah: Jewish Eight-day 鈥淔estival of Lights鈥�, also known as Chanukah, celebrating the rededication of the Temple to the service of God in 164 BCE.

December 8 鈥� Bodhi Day: Buddhist observance, also known as Rohatsu, commemorating the day that the Buddha, Siddharta Gautama, experienced enlightenment or spiritual awakening (bodhi).

December 12 鈥� Our Lady of Guadalupe: Christian celebration of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (by her title, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of Mexico and the Americas) before Juan Diego, an indigenous convert to Roman Catholicism, on the Mexican hill of Tepeyac in 1531.

December 21 鈥� Yule: A Pagan time for reflection, celebration, and to honor the return of light, often marked by rituals, feasts, and the lighting of candles or bonfires. Marks the first day of the season of winter.

December 24 鈥� Christmas Eve: Christian Celebration of the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.

December 25 鈥� Christmas Day: Western Christian observance commemorating the birth of Jesus.

December 26 鈥� Kwanzaa: A seven-day celebration honoring African American heritage and its continued vitality. 鈥淜wanzaa鈥� means 鈥渇irst fruits (of the harvest)鈥� in Swahili.