Important dates in religious calendars across multiple religions
| Date | Religious Festival | Details | Faith |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06-Jan | Feast of the Epiphany | The day that commemorates the first manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles for Christians. It is celebrated on January 6th as it marks 12 days after Christmas when the three kings arrived in Bethlehem. | Christian |
| 06-07 Jan | Coptic Orthodox Christmas | The date that Orthodox Christians celebrate Jesus’s birth in the Julian calendar. | Coptic Orthodox Christian |
| 14-Jan | Orthodox New Year | The “Old New Year” celebrates the start of the Julian calendar. | Orthodox Christian |
| 17-Jan | Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday | The date used to celebrate the tenth Sikh Guru and spiritual master. | Sikhism |
| 18 Jan – 25 Jan | Week of Prayer for Christian Unity | Christians around the world are invited to pray for the unity of all Christians | Christian |
| 21 Jan | World Religion Day | A Day in the Baha’i faith that celebrates common themes for faiths across the world. | Baha’i |
| 27-Jan | Holocaust Memorial Day | A day for remembrance for all people who suffered at the hands of the Nazis during the Second World War – and to make sure it never happens again. | Jewish |
| 30-Jan | Sadeh | A mid winter bonfire festival to signify that days are getting longer. The litany to fire, the Atash Niyayeesh, is recited, and Iranian legends are told of King Hoshang (who discovered the art of making fire). Piping hot stew, dancing and merry making feature. | Zoroastrianism |
| February: | |||
| 02-Feb | Imbolc | The halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox in the Pagan and Wiccan calendars. This day celebrates fire, light, and the return of life. | Pagan/Wiccan |
| 02-Feb | Candlemas | A holiday in the Christian church that blesses the candle supply for that year. | Christian |
| 06-07 Feb | Lailat al Miraj | A Muslim holiday commemorating Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Jerusalem where he ascended into heaven. | Muslim |
| 09-Feb | Nirvana | Marks the anniversary of Nirvana (final release) or liberation of Mahavira’s soul, the twenty fourth and last Jain Tirthankara of present cosmic age. | Jainism |
| 14-Feb | Ash Wednesday | The day in the Christian Church that marks the start of Lent, the 40 days of prayer and fasting in preparation for the feast of Easter. | Christian |
| 14-28 Feb | Lent | A period of forty days fasting and self-discipline (not counting Sundays) that leads up to Easter. Traditionally Christians give up something during this time to mark the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Many Christians feel it is a time for study groups, prayer and Bible reading. | Christian |
| 15-Feb | Parinirvana | Also known as Nirvana Day in Mahãyãna Buddhism, this date marks Buddha’s death and attainment of final Nirvana. | Buddhism |
| 24-Feb | Tu Bishvat | The “New Year of Trees” in the Jewish faith. | Jewish |
| 26-29 Feb | Festival of Ayyam-i-Ha | A multiple-day festival in the Baha’i faith that prioritizes gift-giving, hospitality, charity, and preparation for fasting ahead of the New Year. | Baha’i |
| March: | |||
| 08-Mar | Maha Shiravatri | A Hindu festival called “Shiva’s night” which honours this significant deity. | Hindu |
| 08-Mar | The Night of Forgiveness/ Lailat-Ul-Bara’ah | Muslims seek forgiveness for their sins, and many hold the belief that on this night person’s destiny for the year is fixed by Allah. The night is spent in prayer and asking for God’s guidance. | Muslim |
| 11-Mar – 10-Apr | Ramadan | The holy month of fasting, introspection, and prayer celebrated by Muslims. | Muslim |
| 17-Mar – 18-Mar | Holi | A Hindu festival of colours that welcomes spring and a new harvest in India. | Hinduism |
| 19-Mar | Feast Day of St. Joseph | The day that commemorates the husband of Jesus’s mother Mary and father on Earth. | Christian |
| 20-Mar | Ostara | The celebration of the spring equinox in the Pagan and Wiccan religions. | Pagan/Wiccan |
| 20-Mar | Naw Ruz | The New Year for the Baha’i faith, marking the end of the Baha’i fast. | Baha’i |
| 21-Mar | Naw Ruz | The Zoroastrian New Year that is celebrated at the spring equinox. | Zoroastrianism |
| 24/03/2024 | Purim | The Feast of Lots in the Jewish faith that honours the survival of ancient Persian Jews who were marked for death. | Jewish |
| 27-Mar – 28-Mar | Hola Mohalla | The 3-day Sikh festival honoring valor, skill, and defence preparedness. | Sikhism |
| 31-Mar | Easter | The most important day in the Christian faith when they celebrate the resurrection of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. | Christian |
| April: | |||
| 07-Apr | Feast of the Divine Mercy | A feast day on the second Sunday of Easter when Christians seek Christ’s forgiveness and grace. | Christian |
| 08-Apr | The Annunciation | The day in the Christian religion when the Angel Gabriel announced that Mary would become the mother of Jesus. | Christian |
| 10-Apr | Eid al-Fitr | An Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. As it ends fasting, its primary event is a big meal. | Muslim |
| 13-Apr | Vaisakhi | An ancient festival for Hindus that simultaneously celebrates that Solar New Year and spring harvest. | Hinduism |
| 21-Apr | Mahavir Jayanti | A Jain holiday celebrating the birth of Lord Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. | Jainism |
| 23-Apr – 30-Apr | Passover | A 7-day holiday in the Jewish faith that honors the freeing of the Israeli slaves. | Jewish |
| May: | |||
| 01-May | Beltane | A fire festival celebrated by the Pagan and Wiccan religions that celebrate summer and the fertility of the upcoming year. | Pagan/Wiccan |
| 09-May | Feast of the Ascension | A Christian holiday that marks the 40th day following Easter when Jesus ascended into Heaven. | Christian |
| 15-May | Birthday of Buddha | The day that Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s birthday. | Buddhism |
| 23-May | Vesak | The most important Theravada Buddhist festival that signifies the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. | Buddhism |
| 23-May | Declaration of the Bab | The day that marks the prediction of the Bab as the Messenger of God in the Baha’i faith. | Baha’i |
| June: | |||
| 04-Jun | Trinity Sunday | A day in the Christian faith that celebrates the three personifications of God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). | Christian |
| 06-Jun | Feast of the Ascension | A day celebrated in Coptic Orthodox Christianity that marks Jesus’s ascension into heaven. | Coptic Orthodox Christian |
| 09-Jun | Race Unity Day | A day that promotes racial harmony and understanding in the Baha’i faith | Baha’i |
| 12-Jun | Shavuot | A Jewish holiday that combines a grain harvest and the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. | Jewish |
| 12-Jun | All Saints Day | The day in Eastern Orthodox Christianity that designates the end of the Easter season. | Eastern Orthodox Christian |
| 16-Jun | Feast of Corpus Christi | The feast day that commemorates the real presence of Jesus’s body in the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church. | Christian |
| 16-Jun | Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib | A day observed by Sikhs to commemorate an individual who laid down his life for their people. | Sikhism |
| 17-Jun | Eid al-Adha | A Muslim holiday that marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. | Muslim |
| 19-Jun | The End of Hajj | The name for the annual pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca required for all Muslims at least once. | Muslim |
| 20-Jun | Litha | A Pagan and Wiccan festival that begins on the summer solstice and celebrates midsummer. | Pagan/Wiccan |
| 21-Jun | World Humanist Day | This Humanist holiday is celebrated annually around the world on the June solstice. | Humanist |
| 24-Jun | Feast of the Sacred Heart | A feast day in the Roman Catholic Church that celebrates Jesus’s physical heart as a representation of his love for all humanity. | Christian |
| 29-Jun | Feast of Saints Peter and Paul | The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a litergical feats in honour of the martydom in Rome of the apostles of Saint Peter and Paul. The celebration is of ancient Christian origin, the date selected being the anniversary of either their death or the translation of their relics. | Christian |
| July: | |||
| 08-Jul | Martyrdom of the Bab | The day of the execution of the co-founder of the Baha’i faith. | Baha’i |
| 07-Jul | Islamic New Year 1444 | This day commemorates the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Medina in 622 CE, this led to the formation of the Muslim community in this region | Muslim |
| 23-Jul | Birthday of Haile Selassie | A holiday in Rastafarianism that celebrates Emperor Haile Selassie, an individual believed to be the incarnation of God. | Rastafarianism |
| 24-Jul | Pioneer Day | A Utah state holiday that celebrates the settling of the Mormon pioneers in the Great Salt Lake area where they established the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. | Mormonism |
| August: | |||
| 01-Aug | Lughnasadh | A festival in the Pagan and Wiccan religions that marks the beginning of harvest season. | Pagan/Wiccan |
| 06-Aug | The Transfiguration of the Lord | For many Christians, this is the event that confirms the Divine Nature of Jesus. His clothes became dazzling white and a voice said ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!’ | Christian |
| 13-Aug | Tisha B’Av | A Jewish holiday that remembers the destruction of the Jewish temple, once in 586 BCE and once in 70 CE in Jerusalem. | Jewish |
| 15-Aug | Feast of the Assumption | A holy day that commemorates the Virgin Mary being assumed, body and soul, into heaven. | Christian |
| 25-Aug | Arbaeen | A day of observance for Muslims that concludes the 40-day mourning period after the Day of Ashura. | Muslim |
| September: | |||
| 11-Sep | Coptic New Year | Also known as Nayrouz, this is a feast day that commemorates both martyrs and confessors in the Coptic Orthodox Christian Church | Coptic Orthodox Christian |
| 12-Sep – 19-Sep | Paryushana | A Jain festival about forgiveness that is the faith’s most important religious observance. | Jainism |
| 16-Sep | Mawlid | An Islamic holiday celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. | Muslim |
| 23-Sep | Mabon | This day marks the autumnal equinox in the Pagan and Wiccan religions. | Pagan/Wiccan |
| 29-Sep – 14-Oct | Pitru Paksha | A time when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. | Hinduism |
| 30-Sep | Sukkot | A day in the Jewish faith that remembers when the Jews journeyed to the desert on the way to the promised land. | Jewish |
| October: | |||
| 2-Oct – 10-Oct | Rosh Hashanah | The Jewish New Year beginning at sundown that encourages reflection. | Jewish |
| 03-Oct | Navaratri | A Hindu festival that celebrates the Goddess Durga. | Hinduism |
| 11-Oct | Yom Kippur | A Jewish day of atonement to reflect on sins and seek forgiveness from God. | Jewish |
| 16-Oct | Birthday of the Bab | A day honoring the birthday of God’s messenger in the Baha’i faith | Baha’i |
| 17-Oct | Birthday of Baha’u’llah | A day honoring the birthday of the prophet-founding of the Baha’i faith | Baha’i |
| 24-Oct | Dussehra | The tenth and final day of the Hindu festival honoring Asuj Navratras. | Hinduism |
| 31-Oct | All Hallows Eve | All Hallows’ Eve falls on 31st October each year, and is the day before All Hallows’ Day, also known as All Saints’ Day in the Christian calendar. | Christian |
| 31-Oct | Diwali | A 5-day festival of light that combines several different festivals in honor of gods, goddesses, harvests, new year’s, etc. It is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. | Hinduism/Sikhism/Jainism |
| November: | |||
| 01-Nov | Samhain | A festival in the Pagan and Wiccan religions that marks the end of the harvest season. | Pagan/Wiccan |
| 01-Nov | All Saints Day | This day honours the saints who have attained heaven in the Christian faith. | Christian |
| 02-Nov | All Souls’ Day | Also known as the Day of the Dead or Día de Los Muertos, is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed. | Christian |
| 02-Nov | Anniversary of the Crowning of Haile Selassie | Rastafarianism | |
| 10-Nov | Remembrance Sunday | The Sunday nearest to Armistice Day (11/11), devoted to remembering the dead of the two World wars and subsequent wars. | |
| 15-Nov | Birthday of Guru Nanak Ji | A day honoring the birth of the founder of Sikhism. | Sikhism |
| 27-Nov | Jain New Year | A holiday always following Diwali; Jains celebrate their new year on the first day after the month of Kartika. | Jainism |
| 30-Nov | Feast of St. Andrew | A day honouring the patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Barbados, and Romania in the Roman Catholic Church. Andrew was the brother of St Peter and in the Anglican community he is associated with Missionary activity. | Christian |
| December: | |||
| 08-Dec | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | A feast day celebrated by Roman Catholics that celebrate Mary’s conception without original sin. | Christian |
| 08-Dec | Bodhi Day | This day celebrates the Buddha’s enlightenment; it is celebrated by Mahãyãna Buddhists. | Buddhism |
| 21-Dec | Yule | A Pagan and Wiccan holiday that begins at sundown at the winter solstice. | Pagan/Wiccan |
| 25-Dec | Christmas | The holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. | Christian |
| 26-Dec | The Feast of St. Stephen | Also called Boxing Day, this day commemorates the life of a saint known for his service to the poor who became the first Christian martyr. | Christian |
| 26-Dec to 2-Jan | Hanukkah | The 8-day celebration of the “Festival of Lights” that honours the victory of Jews over Syrian Greeks. | Jewish |
