2007-08

This calendar is offered by the Multifaith Chaplaincy as a resource to the entire Bates community. As we seek to increase our awareness of and respect for the growing religious diversity among us, we hope the calendar will facilitate thoughtful planning of our schedules and activities by drawing attention to some of the holy days and seasons that members of our campus may be observing. Faculty members may find the calendar helpful as a resource for objective instruction about some of the world’s religious traditions and as a reminder of the occasional religious observances that may result in student absences.

This calendar is not an exhaustive list of either religious traditions or the holidays observed in those traditions. It is based on our records of the religious traditions represented in our student body. If we have not included a religious tradition or major religious holiday of significance to you, please notify our office so that it might be included in future editions of this calendar.

While we have made extensive efforts to verify the accuracy of the information included here, some inaccuracies may remain. Please bring to our attention any you notice. The dates of some holidays, particularly those that are calculated according to a lunar calendar and rely on sightings of the New Moon (e.g., Islamic holidays), vary according to region; other observances and dates (e.g., Buddhist holidays) vary greatly across cultures and strands of a tradition.

Acknowledgements

The information herein is provided by Interfaith Calendar, Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly, Harvard Divinity School, and several scholars of religion who provided information and advice.

Key to Abbreviations

• Bi – Bahá’í
• Bd – Buddhism
• C – Christianity
• RC – Roman Catholic Christianity
• O – Orthodox Christianity
• Hd – Hinduism
• Is – Islam
• Ja – Jainism
• J – Judaism
• LDS – Latter Day Saints
• Sk – Sikhism
• W/P – Wicca/Paganism
• Z – Zoroastrianism

September 2007

• 4/Tues — Krishna Janmashtami (Hd)
• 8/Sat — Paryushana Festival (begins) (Ja)
• 12/Wed — Rosh Hashanah (begins at sundown) (J)
  Ghambar Paitishem (begins) (Z)
• 13/Thu — Rosh Hashanah (1st day) (J)
  Ramadan (begins) (Is)
• 14/Fri — Rosh Hashanah (2nd day) (J)
• 15/Sat — Paryusana Festival (ends) (Ja)
  Das Laxana Festival (begins) (Ja)
  Samvatsari (Ja)
  Ganesh Chaturthi (Hd)
• 16 /Sun — Ghambar Paitishem (ends) (Z)
• 21/Fri — Yom Kippur (begins at sundown) (J)
• 22/Sat — Yom Kippur (J)
  Das Laxana Festival (ends) (Ja)
• 23/Sun — Mabon (W/P)
• 26/Wed — Sukkot (begins at sundown) (J)
• 27/Thu — Sukkot (1st day) (J)
• 28/Fri — Sukkot (2nd day) (J)

October 2007

• 4/Thu — Simchat Torah (begins at sundown) (J)
• 5/Fri — Simchat Torah (J)
• 9/Tue — Laylat al-Qadr (Is)
• 12 /Fri — Ghambar Ayathrem (begins) (Z)
• 13/Sat — Navaratri (Hd)
  Id al-Fitr (Is)
• 16/Tue — Ghambar Ayathrem (ends) (Z)
• 19/Fri — Birth of the Bab (begins at sundown) (Bi)
• 20/Sat — Installation of Granth Sahib Ji as Guru (Sk)
  Birth of the Bab (Bi)
• 21/Sun — Dusserah (Vijaya Dashami) (Hd)
• 31/Wed — Samhain (W/P)
  Reformation Day (C)

November 2007

• 1/Thu — All Saints Day (C)
• 2/Fri — All Souls Day (RC)
• 9/Fri — Diwali (Dipavali) (Hd)
  Diwali/Mahavir Nirvana (Ja)
• 11/Sun — Birth of Baha’u’llah (begins at sundown) (Bi)
• 12/Mon — Birth of Baha’u’llah (Bi)
• 24/Sat — Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (Sk)
  Guru Nanak’s Birthday (Sk)
• 25/Sun — Day of Covenant (begins at sundown) (Bi)
• 26/Mon — Day of Covenant (Bi)
• 27/Tue — Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha (begins at sundown) (Bi)
• 28/Wed — Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Bi)

December 2007

• 2/Sun — Advent (1st Sunday of) (C)
• 4/Tue — Hanukkah (begins at sundown) (J)
• 5/Wed — Hanukkah (1st day) (J)
• 8/Sat — Bodhi Day (Bd)
  Immaculate Conception (RC)
• 12/Wed — Hanukkah (last day) (J)
• 20/Thu — Id al-Adha (Is)
• 21/Fri — Yule (W/P)
• 25/Tue — Christmas (C, O)
• 26 /Wed — Death of Prophet Zarathustra (Z)
• 31/Mon — Ghambar Maidyarem (begins) (Z)

January 2008

• 4/Fri — Ghambar Maidyarem (ends) (Z)
• 5/Sat — Guru Gobind Sing Ji’s Birthday (Sk)
• 6/Sun — Epiphany (C)
  Theophany (O)
• 10/Thu — First of Muharram (Ra’s al-Sanat Al Hijrayah) (Is)
• 19/Sat — Ashurah (Is)

February 2008

• 2/Sat — Imbolc (W/P)
• 6/Wed — Ash Wednesday (C)
• 11/Mon — Vasant Panchami (Hd)
• 15/Fri — Nirvana Day (Bd)

March 2008

• 6/Thu — Mahashivaratri (Hd)
• 9/Sun — Sri Ramakrishna (Hd)
• 10/Mon — Lent (begins) (O)
• 16/Sun — Ghambar Hamaspathmaedem (begins) (Z)
• 20/Thu — Mawlid al-Nabi (Is)
  Holy Thursday (C)
  Ghambar Hamaspathmaedem (ends) (Z)
  Naw-Ruz (begins at sundown) (Bi)
  Purim (begins at sundown) (J)
• 21/Fri — Good Friday (C)
  Ostara (W/P)
  Naw-Ruz (Bi) (Z)
  Purim (J)
• 22/Sat — Holi (Hd)
• 23/Sun — Easter Sunday (C)
• 26/Wed — Birthday of Prophet Zarathustra (Z)

April 2008

• 6/Sun — Anniversary of the Founding of the Church (LDS)
• 14/Mon — Ramanavami (Hd)
  Vaisakhi (Sk)
• 18/Fri — Mahavir Jayanti (Ja)
• 19/Sat — Passover (Pesach) (begins at sundown) (J)
• 20/Sun — Passover (1st day) (J)
  Ridvan (begins at sundown) (Bi)
• 21/Mon — Passover (2nd day) (J)
  Ridvan (1st day) (Bi)
• 25/Fri — Holy Friday (O)
• 27/Sun — Easter Sunday (Pascha) (O)
  Passover (last day ) (J)
• 30/Wed — Ghambar Maidyozarem (begins) (Z)

May 2008

• 1/Thu — Beltane (W/P)
  Ascension of Jesus (C)
• 2/Fri — Ridvan (last day) (Bi)
  Yom Hashoah (J)
• 4/Sun — Ghambar Maidyozarem (ends) (Z)
• 6/Tue — Vaisakhi (Sk)
• 11/Sun — Pentecost (C)
• 20/Tue — Wesak (Bd)
• 22/Thu — Declaration of the Bab (begins at sundown) (Bi)
• 23/Fri — Declaration of the Bab (Bi)
• 28/Wed — Ascension of Baha’u’llah (begins at sundown) (Bi)
• 29/Thu — Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Bi)

June 2008

• 5/Thu — Ascension (O)
• 8/Sun — Shavuot (begins at sundown) (J)
• 9/Mon — Shavuot (1st day) (J)
• 10/Tue — Shavuot (2nd day) (J)
• 15/Sun — Pentecost (O)
• 16/Mon — Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Devi Ji (Sk)
• 21/Sat — Litha (W/P)
• 27/Fri — Anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum (LDS)
• 29/Sun — Ghambar Maidyoshem (begins) (Z)

July 2008

• 3/Thu — Ghambar Maidyoshem (ends) (Z)
• 8/Tue — Martyrdom of the Bab (begins at sundown) (Bi)
• 9/Wed — Martyrdom of the Bab (Bi)
• 18/Fri — Dharma Day (Bd)
• 24/Thu — Pioneer Day (LDS)

August 2008

• 2/Sat — Lammas/Lughnasa (W/P)
• 15/Fri — Assumption of Mary (RC)
  Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God (O)
• 18/Mon — Laylat al-Bara’ah (Is)
• 20/Wed — Das Laxana Festival (begins) (Ja)
• 27/Wed — Das Laxana Festival (ends) (Ja)
• 28/Thu — Krishna Janmashtami (Hd)
  Paryusana Festival (begins) (Ja)
• 31/Sun — Laylat al-Isra’wa al-Mi’raj (Is)