MSU Bell Tower at Sunrise

Multifaith Religious Observances Calendar

In accordance with the Religious Holidays Policy: “Instructors have been requested to consider days of religious observance as they schedule key dates in their courses.” In addition, staff and students are encouraged to do the same in their planning.

As a service to the university community, the Department of Religion has created and will maintain an evolving religious observances calendar on its website that is meant to serve as a scheduling and educational tool. The calendar is not an endorsement of what is, or is not, considered a “religion” and will be periodically updated with the input of the university community. Questions or suggested additions may be directed to religiondept@montclair.edu.

  • The calendar is not exhaustive nor prescriptive and is meant to reflect common observances of those in our diverse community. Any omitted observance is not an attempt at exclusion.
  • Given the diversity of our community, it may not be possible to accommodate the observances of all students within the schedule of a particular course or other university-related activity. In this case, advance notice to the instructor or other university community member is essential to a conversation about any appropriate, individual accommodation.
  • Observances reflected on the calendar do not guarantee an accommodation nor do observances that are not reflected bar an accommodation. Please direct questions about accommodations to the Office of the Dean of Students at deanofstudents@montclair.edu.

Religious Observances Calendar 2024-2025

* Observance begins at sundown or the evening on the first day indicated. Dates may not be fixed to a calendar but based on the actual sighting of the moon; there may be variance by a day.

** Holy days on which absence from work or school is common.

MSU’s Center for Faith and Spirituality maintains an Interfaith Observances page, which may be found here.

OBSERVANCE RELIGION DATE(S) DAY(S) OF WEEK
Feast of the Assumption of Mary Catholic Christian Aug. 15 Thursday
Raksha Bandhan Hindu Aug. 19 Monday
Arba’een Chehlum Muslim (Shi’a) *Aug. 25 – 26 Sunday – Monday
Krishna Janmashtami Hindu Aug. 26 Monday
Paryushana Parva Jain Aug. 30 – Sept. 7 Friday – Saturday
Green Corn Ceremony Indigenous American Sept. 1 – 30 Sunday – Monday
End of Safar Muslim (Shi’a) Sept. 4 Wednesday
Ganesh Chaturthi Hindu Sept. 7 – 16 Saturday – Monday
Paryushana Parva (end) Jain Sept. 7 – 9 Saturday – Monday
Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos Orthodox Christian Sept. 8 Sunday
Ghambar Paitishem Zoroastrian Sept. 12 – 16 Thursday – Monday
Mawlid an-Nabi Muslim (Sunni) *Sept. 15 – 16 Sunday – Monday
Autumn Moon Festival Buddhist / Cultural Chinese Sept. 17 Tuesday
Mabon Pagan / Wiccan Sept. 22 Sunday
**Rosh Hashanah Jewish *Oct. 2 – 4 Wednesday – Friday
Great New Moon Festival Indigenous American (Cherokee) Oct. 3 Thursday
Navrartri Hindu Oct. 3 – 11 Thursday – Friday
**Yom Kippur Jewish *Oct. 11 – 12 Friday – Saturday
Dasara (Vijayadashami) Hindu Oct. 12 Saturday
Ghambar Ayathrem Zoroastrian Oct. 12 – 16 Saturday – Wednesday
Indigenous Peoples Day Indigenous American Oct. 14 Monday
Sukkot Jewish *Oct. 17 – 23 Thursday – Wednesday
Installation of the Guru Granth Sahib Sikh Oct. 20 Sunday
Shemini Atzeret Jewish *Oct. 24-25 Thursday – Friday
Simchat Torah Jewish *Oct. 25 – 26 Friday – Saturday
Diwali Hindu Oct. 31 Thursday
Samhain Pagan / Wiccan Oct. 31 Thursday
Reformation Day Protestant Christian Oct. 31 Thursday
All Saint’s Day Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian Nov. 1 Friday
**Birth of the Bab Baha’i *Nov. 2 Saturday
All Souls Day Catholic Christian Nov. 2 Saturday
**Birth of the Baha’u’llah Baha’i Nov. 3 Sunday
Birth of Guru Nanak Sikh Nov. 15 Friday
Shichi-go-san Shinto Nov. 15 Friday
Lhabab Duchen Buddhist Nov. 22 Friday
Niinamesai Shinto Nov. 23 Saturday
Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day Sikh Nov. 24 Sunday
Day of the Covenant Baha’i Nov. 25 Monday
Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha Baha’i Nov. 27 Wednesday
First Sunday of Advent Christian Dec. 1 Sunday
Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) Buddhist Dec. 8 Sunday
Feast of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Christian Dec. 8 Sunday
Srimad Bhagavad Gita Jayanti Hindu Dec. 11 Wednesday
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Christian Dec. 12 Thursday
Wiladat Bibi Zainab bint Ali Muslim (Shi’a) Dec. 13 Friday
Yule Pagan / Wiccan Dec. 21 Saturday
Birthday of Joseph Smith Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Dec. 23 Monday
**Christmas Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian Dec. 25 Wednesday
Hanukkah Jewish *Dec. 25 – Jan. 2 Wednesday – Thursday
Zartosht No-Diso Zoroastrian Dec. 26 Thursday
Ghambar Maidyarem Zoroastrian Dec. 31 – Jan. 4 Tuesday – Saturday
Oshogatsu Shinto Jan. 1 Wednesday
Fatemiyeh Muslim (Shi’a) Jan. 1 – 3 Wednesday – Friday
Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Sikh Jan. 5 Sunday
Epiphany Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian Jan. 6 Monday
**Christmas Orthodox Christian Jan. 7 Tuesday
Maghi (Lohri) Sikh Jan. 13 Monday
Makar Sankrati Hindu Jan. 14 Tuesday
Wiladat Imam Ali Muslim (Shi’a) Jan. 14 Tuesday
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti Sikh Jan. 17 Friday
Laylat al Miraj Muslim *Jan. 26 – 27 Sunday – Monday
Chinese New Year Buddhist / Daoist / Confucian Jan. 29 Wednesday
Sadeh Zoroastrian Jan. 30 Thursday
Imbolc Pagan / Wiccan Feb. 1 Saturday
Vasant Panchami (Sri Pancami) Hindu Feb. 2 Sunday
Setsubun Shinto Feb. 3 Monday
Sangha Day (Magha Puja) Buddhist Feb. 12 Wednesday
Tu B’shevat Jewish *Feb. 12 – 13 Wednesday – Thursday
Laylat al-Bara’ah Muslim *Feb. 13 – 14 Thursday – Friday
Promised Savior Day Muslim (Shi’a) Feb. 14 Friday
Parinirvana Day Buddhist Feb. 15 Saturday
**Ayyam-i-Ha Baha’i *Feb. 25 – 28 Tuesday – Friday
Maha Shivararti Hindu Feb. 26 Wednesday
Losar Buddhist Feb. 28 Friday
Ramadan (30 days) Muslim *Mar. 1 – 29 Saturday – Saturday
Nineteen-Day Fast Baha’i Mar. 1 – 19 Saturday – Wednesday
Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti Hindu Mar. 1 Saturday
Forgiveness Sunday Orthodox Christian Mar. 2 Sunday
Great Lent Orthodox Christian Mar. 3 – Apr. 19 Monday – Saturday
Ash Wednesday Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian Mar. 5 Wednesday
Purim (Feast of Lots) Jewish *Mar. 14 Friday
Holi Hindu Mar. 14 Friday
Hola Mohalla Sikh Mar. 14 – 16 Friday – Sunday
Ghambar Hamaspathmaidyem Zoroastrian Mar. 16 – 20 Sunday – Thursday
Ostara Pagan / Wiccan Mar. 20 Thursday
**Nowruz Baha’i / Zoroastrian *Mar. 21 Friday
Martyrdom of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib Muslim (Shi’a) Mar. 21 Friday
Birthday of Prophet Zarathustra (Khordad Sal) Zoroastrian Mar. 26 Wednesday
Laylat al Qadr Muslim Mar. 27 Thursday
Eid al-Fitr Muslim *Mar. 29 – 30 Saturday – Sunday
Rama Navami Hindu Apr. 6 Sunday
Anniversary of the Founding of the Church Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Apr. 6 Sunday
Mahavir Jayanti Jain Apr. 10 Thursday
Palm Sunday Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian / Orthodox Christian Apr. 13 Sunday
**Passover Jewish *Apr. 13 – 20 Sunday – Sunday
Vaisakhi Sikh Apr. 14 Monday
Baisakhi Hindu Apr. 14 Monday
Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian / Orthodox Christian Apr. 17 Thursday
**Good Friday (Holy Friday) Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian / Orthodox Christian Apr. 18 Friday
**Easter Sunday (Pascha) Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian / Orthodox Christian Apr. 20 Sunday
**Ridvan Baha’i *Apr. 21 – May 2 Monday – Friday
Yom Ha’shoah Jewish *Apr. 24 Thursday
Ghambar Maidyozarem Zoroastrian Apr. 30 – May 4 Wednesday – Sunday
Beltane Pagan / Wiccan *May 1 Thursday
Buddha Day (Vesak) Buddhist May. 12 Monday
Lag BaOmer Jewish May. 16 Friday
Declaration of the Bab Baha’i *May 22 Thursday
Ascension of Baha’u’llah Baha’i * May 27 Tuesday
Ascension of Jesus Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian / Orthodox Christian May. 29 Thursday
Shavuot Jewish *Jun. 1 – 3 Sunday – Tuesday
Waqf al Arafa (Hajj) Muslim *Jun. 5 – 6 Thursday – Friday
**Eid al-Adha Muslim *Jun. 6 – 7 Friday – Saturday
Pentecost Protestant Christian / Catholic Christian / Orthodox Christian Jun. 8 Sunday
Eid al-Ghadir Muslim (Shi’a) Jun . 14 – 15 Saturday – Sunday
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Sikh Jun. 16 Monday
Litha Pagan / Wiccan Jun. 20 Friday
First of Muharram (Hijra) Muslim *Jun. 26 – 27 Thursday – Friday
Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his Brother Hyrum Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Jun. 27 Friday
Ghambar Maidyoshem Zoroastrian Jun. 29 – Jul. 3 Sunday – Thursday
**Ashura Muslim (Shi’a) *Jul. 6 Sunday
Martyrdom of the Bab Baha’i Jul. 9 Wednesday
Pioneer Day Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Jul. 24 Thursday