Religious Observances Calendar

Policy Statement

Embodying a culturally and spiritually diverse community, Drexel University recognizes that on the occasion of important or solemn religious days, certain of its members will observe practices that preclude them from attending to their regular duties whether as faculty members or students. On the occasion of such days, it is important for all who do not share in these same practices to accommodate their colleagues and peers.

Religious Holidays Comprehensive Calendar


2020	Days	Holiday	Religion

Jan 1	Wednesday	Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God	Roman Catholic
Jan 1	Wednesday	Oshogatsu	Shinto
Jan 2	Thursday	Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday	Sikh
Jan 6	Monday	Epiphany	Christian
Jan 7	Tuesday	Christmas	Coptic Orthodox Christian
Jan 7	Tuesday	Asara B’Tevet (The Tenth of Tevet)	Jewish
Jan 14	Tuesday	New Year	Eastern Orthodox Christian
Jan 14	Tuesday	Maghi	Sikh
Jan 15	Wednesday	Makar Sankranti	Hindu
Jan 19	Sunday	World Religion Day	Baha’i
Jan 25	Saturday	Chinese New Year	Buddhist
Feb 1	Saturday	Imbolc	Pagan and Wiccan
Feb 3	Monday	Setsubun	Shinto
Feb 10	Monday	Tu Bishvat	Jewish
Feb 10	Monday	Magha Puja	Buddhist
Feb 15	Sunday	Parinirvana or Nirvana Day	Buddhist
Feb 21	Friday	Maha Shivaratri (Shiva’s Night)	Hindu
Feb 25	Tuesday	Festival of Ayyam-i-Ha (2/25-2/29)	Baha’i
Feb 26	Wednesday	Ash Wednesday	Christian
Feb 26	02/26 – 04/09	Lent	Christian
Feb 29	02/29 – 03/19	Nineteen Day Fast	Baha’i
Mar 9	Monday	Purim (Festival of Lots)	Jewish
Mar 9	Monday	Holi	Hindu/ Sikh/ Jain/ Buddhist
Mar 10	Tuesday	Hola Mohalla	Sikh
Mar 13	Friday	Birthday of L. Ron Hubbard	Scientology
Mar 19	Thursday	Ostara	Pagan and Wiccan
Mar 19	Thursday	Feast of St Joseph	Roman Catholic
Mar 20	03/19 – 03/20	Naw Ruz (New Year)	Baha'i
Mar 20	Friday	Naw Ruz (New Year)	Zoroastrian
Mar 22	Sunday	Lailat al Miraj	Islam
Mar 25	Wednesday	The Annunciation	Christian
Apr 5	Sunday	Palm Sunday	Christian
Apr 6	Monday	Mahavir Jayanti	Jain
Apr 8	Wednesday	Buddha’s Birth	Buddhist
Apr 8	04/08 – 04/09	Mid-Sha’ban	Islam
Apr 9	Thursday	(Holy) Thursday	Maundy
Apr 9	04/09 – 04/16	Passover	Jewish
Apr 11	Saturday	Holy Saturday	Christian
Apr 12	Sunday	Easter	Christian
Apr 13	Monday	Vaisakhi (New Year)	Hindu/Sikh
Apr 19	Sunday	Ascension Day	Orthodox Christian
Apr 19	04/19 – 05/01	Ridvan	Baha’i
Apr 21	Tuesday	Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day)	Jewish
Apr 23	(4/23-5/23)	Ramadan	Islamic
Apr 28	Tuesday	Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day)	Jewish
Apr 29	Wednesday	Yom HaAtzma'ut (Israeli Independence Day)	Jewish
Apr 30	Thursday	Beltaine	Pagan and Wiccan
May 7	Thursday	Vesak	Buddhist
May 12	Tuesday	Lag B’Omer (33rd Day of Counting the Omer)	Jewish
May 19	Tuesday	Laylat al-Qadr	Islam
May 21	Thursday	Ascension Day	Christian
May 22	05/22 – 05/23	Declaration of the Bab	Baha'i
May 23	05/23 – 05/24	Eid al-Fitr	Islamic
May 27	05/27 – 05/28	Ascension of Baha’u’llah	Baha’i
May 28	05/28-05/30	Shavuot	Jewish
May 31	Sunday	Pentecost Sunday	Christian
Jun 14	Sunday	Race Unity Day	Baha'i
Jun 14	Sunday	All Saints Day	Orthodox Christian
Jun 16	Tuesday	Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib	Sikh
Jun 20	Saturday	Litha (Summer Solstice)	Pagan and Wiccan
Jul 10	Friday	Martyrdom of the Bab	Baha'i
Jul 22	Wednesday	Khordad Sal	Zoroastrian
Jul 23	Thursday	Birthday of Haile Selassie	Rastafarian
Jul 24	Friday	Pioneer Day	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Jul 28	(7/29-8/2)	The Hajj	Islamic
Jul 30	07/30 - 07/31	Eid al-Adha	Islamic
Aug 1	Saturday	Lughnasadh	Pagan and Wiccan
Aug 11	Tuesday	Krishna Janmashtami	Hindu
Aug 15	Saturday	Feast of Assumption	Roman Catholic
Aug 16	08/16 – 08/23	Paryushana	Jain
Aug 19	Wedensday	Islamic New Year	Islamic
Sep 1	09/01 – 09/17	Pitru Paksha	Hindu
Sep 11	Friday	Nayrouz	Orthodox Christian
Sep 12	Sunday	Leil Selichot (Prayers for forgiveness for the New Year)	Jewish
Sep 18	09/18 – 09/20	Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)	Jewish
Sep 21	Monday	Mabon	Pagan and Wiccan
Sep 21	Monday	Tzom Gedaliah (Fast of the Seventh Month)	Jewish
Sep 27	09/27 - 09/28	Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)	Jewish
Oct 2	10/02 – 10/09	Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)	Jewish
Oct 7	Wednesday	Arbaeen	Islamic
Oct 9	10/9 – 10/11	Shmini Atzeret (Eighth Day of the Feast of Tabernancles)	Jewish
Oct 10	10/10 – 10/11	Jewish: Simchat Torah (Beginning of the Annual Torah Reading Cycle)	Jewish
Oct 17	10/17 – 10/26	Navratri	Hindu
Oct 20	Monday	Birthday of the Bab	Baha’i
Oct 25	Sunday	Dussehra	Hindu
Oct 28	Wednesday	Mawlid	Islamic
Oct 31	Saturday	Samhain	Pagan and Wiccan
Nov 1	Sunday	All Saints Day – Day of the Dead	Christian
Nov 2	Monday	All Soul's Day	Christian
Nov 2	Monday	Anniversary of the Crowning of Haile Selassie	Rastafarian
Nov 12	Thursday	Birthday of Baha’u’llah	Baha’i
Nov 14	Saturday	Diwali	Hindu/Sikh/Jain
Nov 15	Sunday	New Year	Jain
Nov 24	11/24 – 11/25	Day of the Covenant	Baha’i
Nov 28	11/28 – 01/06	Christmas Fast	Orthodox Christian
Nov 29	11/29 – 12/24	Advent Bahadur	Christian
Nov 30	Monday	Martyrdom of Guru Bahadur	Sikh
Nov 30	Monday	Guru Nanak Ji’s Birthday	Sikh
Dec 8	Tuesday	Feast of the Immaculate Conception	Roman Catholic
Dec 8	Tuesday	Bodhi Day (Buddha’s Enlightenment)	Buddhist
Dec 10	12/10 – 12/18	Hanukkah (Festival of Lights)	Jewish
Dec 12	12/10 – 12/18	Our Lady of Guadalupe (Feast Day)16	Catholic Christian
Dec 16	Wednesday	Las Posadas
Dec 20	Sunday	Yule	Pagan and Wiccan
Dec 24	Thursday	Christmas Eve
Dec 25	Friday	Christmas	Christian
Dec 26	Saturday	St. Stephen’s Day	Christian
Dec 26	Saturday	Zartosht No-Diso	Zoroastrian