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Multifaith Religious Calendar 2025-26

Academic Year 2025-26

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.

 

Thursday, Sept. 4 - Monday, Sept. 5: Mawlid al-Nabi (Muslim) 

Sunday, Sept. 21 - Monday, Sept. 22: Autumn Equinox/Mabon (Pagan / Wiccan)

Monday, Sept. 22 - Thursday, Oct. 2: Navaratri/Dusshera (Hindu)

Wednesday, Sept. 23 - Friday, Sept. 24: Rosh Hashanah* (Jewish)

Wednesday, Oct. 1 - Thursday, Oct. 2: Yom Kippur* (Jewish)

Monday, Sept. 22 - Thursday, Oct. 2: Navaratri/Dusshera (Hindu)

Monday, Oct. 6 - Monday, Oct 13: Sukkot* (Jewish)

Thursday, Oct. 7: Pavarana (Buddhist)

Tuesday, Oct. 7 - Wednesday, Nov. 5: Kathina (Buddhist)

Monday, Oct. 13: Indigenous Peoples Day

Monday, Oct. 13 - Wednesday, Oct. 15: Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah (Jewish)

Monday, Oct. 20 - Tuesday, Oct. 21: Diwali (Hindu)

Wednesday, Oct. 22: Birth of the Báb*** (Bahá'í)

Thursday, Oct. 23: Birth of the Bahá’u’lláh*** (Bahá'í)

Friday, Oct. 31 - Saturday, Nov. 1: Samhain (Pagan / Wiccan)

Friday, Oct. 31 - Saturday, Nov. 1: Samhain (Pagan / Wiccan)

Tuesday, Oct. 7 - Wednesday, Nov. 5: Kathina (Buddhist)

Wednesday, Nov. 5: Guru Nanak Jayanti (Sikh)

Tuesday, Nov. 11: Lhabab Duchen (Buddhist)

Thursday, Nov. 27: Thanksgiving

Friday, Nov. 28: Native American Heritage Day

Monday, Dec. 8: Rohatsu/Bodhi Day (Buddhist)

Sunday, Dec. 14 - Monday, Dec. 22: Hanukkah* (Jewish)

Friday, Dec. 19 - Saturday, Dec. 20: Shabbat**** (Jewish)

Sunday, Dec. 21 - Thursday, Jan. 1: Winter Solstice/Yule (Pagan / Wiccan)

Thursday, Dec. 25: Christmas (Christian)

Friday, Dec. 26 - Thursday, Jan. 1: Kwanzaa (Multifaith / African-American) 

 

 

Friday, Jan. 2 - Saturday, January 3: Birthday of Ali ibn Abi Talib** (Muslim)

Tuesday, Jan. 6: Feast of the Epiphany (Christian)

Tuesday, Jan. 20: Birth of Guru Gobind Singh (Sikh)

Wednesday, Jan. 7: Eastern Orthodox Christmas (Christian Orthodox)

Wednesday, Jan. 14: Sankranti (Hindu)

Friday, Jan. 15 - Saturday, Jan. 16: Isra' & Miraj (Muslim)

Sunday, Feb. 1 - Monday, Feb. 2: Imbolc (Pagan / Wiccan)

Monday, Feb. 2 - Tuesday, Feb. 3: Laylat al-Bara'ah (Muslim)

Sunday, Feb. 15: Parinirvana Day (Buddhist)

Sunday, Feb. 15 - Monday, Feb. 16: Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)

Tuesday, Feb. 17: Lunar New Year / Tet Nguyen Dan (Buddhist)

Tuesday, Feb. 17- Thursday, Mar. 19: Ramadan ** (Muslim)

Wednesday, Feb. 18: Ash Wednesday (Christian) 

Wednesday, Feb. 18 - Monday, Feb. 20: Losar (Buddhist)

Monday, Feb. 23: Eastern Orthodox Beginning of Lent (Christian Orthodox) 

Tuesday, Feb. 17- Thursday, Mar. 19: Ramadan ** (Muslim)

Monday, Mar. 2 - Tuesday, March 3: Purim* (Jewish)

Tuesday, Mar. 3: Magha Puja (Buddhist)

Tuesday, March 3 - Wednesday, March 4: Holi (Hindu)

Wednesday, March 4: Chotrul Duchen (Buddhist)

Monday, March 16: Laylat al-Qadr** (Muslim)

Thursday, March 19- Friday, March 20: Eid al-Fitr** (Muslim) 

Thursday, March 19 - Friday, March 20: Spring Equinox/Ostara (Pagan / Wiccan)

Friday, March 20: NowRuz*** (Multifaith / Baha'i / Zoroastrianism)

Thursday, Mar. 26 - Friday, Mar. 27: Rama Navami (Hindu)

Wednesday, Apr. 1 - Thursday, April 9: Passover (Pesach)* (Jewish)

Thursday, Apr. 2: Holy Thursday (Christian)

Friday, Apr. 3: Good Friday (Christian)

Sunday, April 5: Easter (Christian)

Wednesday, Apr. 8: Hanamatsuri (Buddhist)

Friday, Apr. 10: Eastern Orthodox Good Friday (Christian)

Sunday, April 5: Easter (Christian)

Sunday, April 12: Eastern Orthodox Easter (Christian)

Tuesday, Apr. 14: Vaisakhi (Sikh)

Monday, April 20: First Day of Ridvan*** (Baha' i)

Tuesday, April 28: Ninth Day of Ridvan*** (Baha'i)     

Friday, May 1: Vesak/Visakha (Buddhist)

Friday, May 1: Beltane/May Day (Pagan / Wiccan) 

Saturday, May 2: Twelfth Day of Ridván*** (Baha'i)

Thursday, May 14: Ascension Day (Christian)

Friday, May 15 - Saturday, May 16: Shabbat**** (Jewish)

Saturday, May 23 - Sunday, May 24: Declaration of the Bab*** (Baha i)

Sunday, May 24:  Buddha's Birthday (Buddhist)

* 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. 19 and Sat., Dec. 20; and Fri.., May 15 and Sat. May, 16.

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