Religious Holidays and Holy Days

Major Religious Holidays and Celebrations 2022-2024

Below is a list of holidays, traditional days of observances and important days of religious significance. This is not a comprehensive list of dates and a more detailed list can be found at www.interfaith-calendar.org.

Please take note of the dates in UPPER CASE and RED. These require abstinence from all secular activity and fall under the attendance policy adopted by the University Senate and the Board of Trustees.

Miami excuses class absences for religious observances. Students must give written notification to their instructors within the first two weeks of class of the religious event that prohibits class attendance and the date that will be missed, if officially known. For such an absence, Miami expects the instructor to provide students with reasonable accommodations for completing missed work. Read the full policy

The following template may be used as a guide when communicating an absence with a professor:

Sample email request to miss class for a religious holiday

Dear Professor __________,

In celebration of the religious holiday ________________, I am requesting to miss class on ____________ (add additional holidays/dates as needed). My plan to get information on what I miss in class is ____________________ (for example, indicate if you would like to meet with the professor outside of class). I respectfully request this in accordance with the University Class Attendance policy website and associated holiday calendar

Thank you,

___________

Religious Holidays and Holy Days - 2022-23

FALL TERM 2022
DATE HOLIDAY
Aug. 8, 2022 * ** Ashura (Tenth of Muharram)
Islam
Aug. 18 - 19, 2022 ** Krishna Janmashtami
Hindu
Aug. 31, 2022 ** Ganesh Chaturthi
Hindu
Sept. 25-27, 2022 * ROSH HASHANAH
Jewish
Sept. 26 - Oct. 5, 2022 ** Navaratri
Hindu
Sept. 29, 2022 Saint Michael and All Angels
Christian
Oct. 4-5, 2022 * YOM KIPPUR
Jewish
Oct. 5, 2022 ** VIJAYA DASHAMI (LAST DAY OF NAVARATRI)
Hindu
Oct. 10-16, 2022 * Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
Jewish
Oct. 17-18, 2022 * Shemini Atzeret (Eighth day of Sukkot)
Jewish
Oct. 17-18, 2022 * Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law)
Jewish
Oct. 24, 2022 ** DEEPAVALI (DIWALI)
Hindu
Oct. 24, 2022 ** BANDHI CHLOR DIVAS (Coincides with DIWALI)
Sikh
Oct. 26, 2022 * BIRTH OF THE BÁB
Baha’i
Oct. 26 - 27, 2022 * BIRTH OF THE BAHA’U’LLAH
Baha’i
Nov. 1, 2022 All Saints Day
Christian
Nov. 8, 2022 ** Gurupurab Guru Nanak
Sikh
Nov. 27, 2022 Advent (First Sunday)
Christian
Dec. 8, 2022 ** Rohatsu (Bodhi Day)
Buddhism
Dec. 18-26, 2022

* Hanukkah
Jewish

Dec. 25, 2022

Christmas
Christian

Dec. 26, 2022 - Jan. 1, 2023 Kwanzaa
African/Interfaith
WINTER & SPRING TERMS 2023
DATE HOLIDAY
Dec. 29, 2022 ** Gurupurab Guru Gobind Singh Ji
Sikh
Jan. 6, 2023 Christmas Eve
Orthodox Christian (Old Calendar)
Jan. 7, 2023 Christmas
Orthodox Christian (Old Calendar)
Jan. 14, 2023 New Year
Orthodox Christian (Old Calendar)
Jan. 22, 2023 Lunar New Year
 Chūnjié (Chinese New Year)
 Losar (Tibetan New Year)
 Seolnal (Korean New Year)
 Tết Nguyên Đán (Vietnamese New Year) 
Feb. 22, 2023

Ash Wednesday (Lent Begins)
Christian

Mar. 7, 2023 * Purim (Feast of Esther)
Jewish
Mar. 8, 2023 ** Hola Mohalla (Coincides with Holi)
Sikh
Mar. 22, 2023 * ** First day of Ramadan (30 days)
Islam
Apr. 2, 2023 Palm Sunday
Christian
Apr. 5 - 6, 2023 * PESACH (Passover first two days)
Jewish
Apr. 5 - 13, 2023 *Pesach (Passover)
Jewish
Apr. 6, 2023 Maundy Thursday
Christian
Apr. 7, 2023 Good Friday
Christian
Apr. 9, 2023 Easter Sunday
Christian
Apr. 9, 2023 Palm Sunday
Orthodox Christian
Apr. 12 - 13, 2023 * PESACH (Passover last two days)
Jewish
Apr. 14, 2023 ** Vaisakhi 
Sikh
Apr. 16, 2023 Easter
Orthodox Christian
Apr. 21 - 22, 2023 * ** Eid al Fitr (End of Ramadan)
Islam
SUMMER TERM 2023
DATE HOLIDAY
May 28, 2023 Pentecost
Christian
Jun. 11, 2023 All Saints Day
Orthodox Christian
Jun. 28 - 29, 2023 * ** Eid al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)
Islam
Jul. 9, 2023 * Martyrdom of the Bab
Baha’i
Jul. 27 - 28, 2023 * ** Ashura (Tenth of Muharram)
Islam

Religious Holidays and Holy Days - 2023-24

FALL TERM 2023
DATE HOLIDAY
Sept. 6 - 7, 2023 ** Krishna Janmashtami
Hindu
Sept. 15 - 17, 2023 * ROSH HASHANAH
Jewish
Sept. 19, 2023 ** Ganesh Chaturthi
Hindu
Sept. 24 - 25, 2023 * YOM KIPPUR
Jewish
Sept. 29, 2023 Saint Michael of All Angels
Christian
Sept. 29 - Oct. 6, 2023 * Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
Jewish
Oct. 6 - 8, 2023 * Shemini Atzeret (Eighth day of Sukkot)
Jewish
Oct. 7 - 8, 2023 * Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law)
Jewish
Oct. 15 - 24, 2023 ** Navaratri
Hindu
Oct. 16, 2023 * BIRTH OF THE BÁB
Baha’i
Oct. 16 - 17, 2023 * BIRTH OF THE BAHA’U’LLAH
Baha’i
Oct. 24, 2023 ** VIJAYA DASAMI (LAST DAY OF NAVARATRI)
Hindu
Nov. 1, 2023 All Saints Day
Christian
Nov. 12, 2023 ** DEEPAVALI (DIWALI)
Hindu
Nov. 12, 2023 ** BANDHI CHLOR DIVAS (Coincided with DIWALI)
Sikh
Nov. 27, 2023 ** Gurupurab Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Sikh
Dec. 3, 2023 Advent (First Sunday)
Christian
Dec. 7 - 15, 2023 * Hanukkah
Jewish
Dec. 8, 2023 ** Rohatsu (Bodhi Day)
Buddhism
Dec. 25, 2023

Christmas
Christian

Dec. 26, 2023 - Jan. 1, 2024 Kwanzaa
African/Interfaith
WINTER & SPRING TERMS 2024
DATE HOLIDAY
Jan. 6, 2024 Christmas Eve
Orthodox Christian (Old Calendar)
Jan. 7, 2024 Christmas
Orthodox Christian (Old Calendar)
Jan. 14, 2024 New Year
Orthodox Christian (Old Calendar)
Jan. 17, 2024 ** Gurupurab Guru Gobind Singh Ji
Sikh
Feb. 10, 2024 Lunar New Year
 Chūnjié (Chinese New Year)
 Losar (Tibetan New Year)
 Seolnal (Korean New Year)
 Tết Nguyên Đán (Vietnamese New Year) 
Feb. 14, 2024

Ash Wednesday (Lent Begins)
Christian

Mar. 11, 2024 * ** First day of Ramadan (30 days)
Islam
Mar. 24, 2024 * Purim (Feast of Esther)
Jewish
Mar. 24, 2024 Palm Sunday
Christian
Mar. 25, 2024 ** Hola Mohalla (Coincides with Holi)
Sikh
Mar. 28, 2024 Maundy Thursday
Christian
Mar. 29, 2024 Good Friday
Christian
Mar. 31, 2024 Easter Sunday
Christian
Apr. 10, 2024 * **Eid al Fitr (End of Ramadan)
Islam
Apr. 14, 2024 ** Vaisakhi 
Sikh
Apr. 22-30, 2024 * Pesach (Passover)
Jewish
Apr. 22-23, 2024 * PESACH (Passover first two days)
Jewish
SUMMER TERM 2024
DATE HOLIDAY
May 19, 2024 Pentecost
Christian
Jun. 9, 2024 All Saints Day
Orthodox Christian
Jul. 9, 2024 * Martyrdom of the Bab
Baha’i
Jul. 16 - 17, 2024 * **Ashura (Tenth of Muharram)
Islam

NOTE:

  • Dates with an asterisk (*) indicate holy days beginning at sundown the day before this date.
  • Dates with two asterisks (**) indicate that regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of this date.

While other religious holidays listed or not listed may not necessarily require abstinence from all secular activity, one should be sensitive to certain other observations that may involve fasting, a dietary change, or special celebrations that may occur during the day or in the evening. Jewish and Islamic days begin at sundown of the day preceding the date shown and end at sundown of the (last) date shown. Orthodox and observant Conservative Jews stop all work-related activities from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday to observe Shabbat (Sabbath). Other religious traditions include similar practices. For example, Seventh-day Adventists observe the Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. For more information on religious holidays, visit the Center for American and World Cultures. The Interfaith Calendar and other sources were used to develop this document. Revisions to the calendar should be directed to provost@MiamiOH.edu.