Multifaith Religious Calendar 2024-25
Academic Year 2024-25
This calendar was a joint effort of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Memorial Chapel with help from the UMD chaplains.
All are encouraged to refer to the calendar below when scheduling and planning events, assignments and other activities. While it may not be possible to avoid all holidays, our hope is that this outline may help you plan thoughtfully.
This is intended as a helpful resource, not an official list of dates. If the dates below (or any others not listed) present a conflict with academic work, students are responsible for communicating with faculty in advance of any needed extensions or absences to accommodate for religious or spiritual observances.
Of course, this is not a comprehensive list of all important dates for every faith tradition. Feel free to look beyond this resource (here's one more extensive external resource of dates) as needed. If any of the dates below are incorrect or you would like us to consider adding a significant date, please email us at DiverseTerps@umd.edu and chapel@umd.edu.
Sunday, Sept. 15 - Monday, Sept. 16: Mawlid (Muslim)
Saturday, Sept. 21 - Sunday, Sept. 22: Autumn Equinox/Mabon (Pagan / Wiccan)
Wednesday, Oct. 2 - Friday, Oct. 4: Rosh Hashanah* (Jewish)
Thursday, Oct. 3 - Saturday, Oct. 12: Navaratri/Dusshera (Hindu)
Friday, Oct. 11 - Saturday, Oct. 12: Yom Kippur* (Jewish)
Monday, Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples Day
Wednesday, Oct. 16 - Wednesday, Oct. 23: Sukkot* (Jewish)
Thursday, Oct. 17: Pavarana (Buddhist)
Thursday, Oct. 17 - Friday, Nov. 15: Kathina (Buddhist)
Wednesday, Oct. 23 - Friday, Oct. 25: Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah (Jewish)
Thursday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 1: Diwali (Hindu)
Thursday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 1: Samhain (Pagan / Wiccan)
Thursday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 1: Diwali (Hindu)
Thursday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 1: Samhain (Pagan / Wiccan)
Saturday, Nov. 2: Birth of the Báb*** (Bahá'í)
Sunday, Nov. 3: Birth of the Bahá’u’lláh*** (Bahá'í)
Friday, Nov. 15: Guru Nanak Jayanti (Sikh)
Friday, Nov. 22: Lhabab Duchen (Buddhist)
Thursday, Nov. 28: Thanksgiving
Friday, Nov. 29: Native American Heritage Day
Sunday, Dec. 8: Rohatsu/Bodhi Day (Buddhist)
Friday, Dec. 13 - Saturday, Dec. 14: Shabbat**** (Jewish)
Saturday, Dec. 21 - Wednesday, Jan. 1: Yule (Pagan / Wiccan)
Wednesday, Dec. 25: Christmas (Christian)
Wednesday, Dec. 25 - Thursday, Jan. 2: Hanukkah* (Jewish)
Thursday, Dec. 26 - Wednesday, - Jan. 1: Kwanzaa (Multifaith / African-American)
Monday, Jan. 6: Birth of Guru Gobind Singh (Sikh)
Monday, Jan. 6: Feast of the Epiphany (Christian)
Tuesday, Jan. 7: Eastern Orthodox Christmas (Christian Orthodox)
Sunday, Jan. 12 - Monday, January 13: Birthday of Ali ibn Abi Talib** (Muslim)
Tuesday, Jan. 14: Sankranti (Hindu)
Monday, Jan. 27: Isra' & Miraj (Muslim)
Wednesday, Jan. 29: Lunar New Year / Tet Nguyen Dan (Buddhist)
Saturday, Feb. 1 - Sunday, Feb. 1 - 2: Imbolc (Pagan / Wiccan)
Wednesday, Feb. 12: Magha Puja (Buddhist)
Saturday, Feb. 15: Parinirvana Day (Buddhist)
Saturday, Feb. 15: Laylat al-Bara'ah (Muslim)
Saturday, Feb. 26: Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)
Friday, Feb. 28 - Sun., Mar. 2: Losar (Buddhist)
Fri., Feb. 28 - Sun., Mar. 30: Ramadan ** (Muslim)
Friday, Feb. 28 - Sun., March 30: Ramadan** (Muslim)
Monday, March 3: Eastern Orthodox Beginning of Lent (Christian Orthodox)
Wednesday, March 5: Ash Wednesday (Christian)
Thursday, March 13 - Friday, March 14: Purim* (Jewish)
Friday, March 14: Chotrul Duchen (Buddhist)
Friday, March 14 - Saturday, March 15: Holi (Hindu)
Wednesday, March 19 - Thursday, March 20: Ostara (Pagan / Wiccan)
Thursday, March 20: NowRuz*** (Multifaith / Baha'i / Zoroastrianism)
Wednesday, March 26: Laylat al-Qadr** (Muslim)
Sunday, March 30 - Monday, March 31: Eid al-Fitr** (Muslim)
Saturday, April 5 - Sunday, April 6: Rama Navami (Hindu)
Tuesday, April 8: Hanamatsuri (Buddhist)
Saturday, April 12 - Sunday, April 20 : Passover (Pesach)* (Jewish)
Monday, April 14: Vaisakhi (Sikh)
Thursday, April 17: Holy Thursday (Christian)
Friday, April 18: Good Friday (Christian)
Friday, April 18: Eastern Orthodox Good Friday (Christian)
Sunday, April 20: Easter (Christian)
Sunday, April 20: Eastern Orthodox Easter (Christian)
Sunday, April 20: First Day of Ridvan*** (Baha' i)
Monday, April 28: Ninth Day of Ridvan*** (Baha'i)
Thursday, May 1: Twelfth Day of Ridván*** (Baha'i)
Thursday, May 1: Beltane (Pagan / Wiccan)
Monday, May 5: Buddha's Birthday (Buddhist)
Monday, May 12: Vesak/Visakha (Buddhist)
Friday, May 16 - Saturday, May 17: Shabbat**** (Jewish)
Friday, May 23: Declaration of the Bab*** (Baha i)
Thursday, May 29: Ascension Day (Christian)
* These holy days begin and end at sundown on the first and last days listed.
** These holidays are calculated on a lunar calendar and are approximate. Muslim holidays begin and end at sundown on the first and last days listed.
*** The Baha'i day ends and a new one begins at sunset; consequently, the day on which a Holy Day is observed begns at sunset of the day before the Gregorian calendar dates given above.
**** Please note also the weekly Jewish Shabbat restrictions and when those restrictions fall during Final Exams. For observant members of the Jewish community, no work or travel should take place from Friday at sundown through Saturday at sundown. During the 2024-2025 academic year, these dates are affected: Fri., Dec. 13 and Sat., Dec. 14; and Fri.., May 16 and Sat. May, 17.