Wesleyan Multifaith Calendar

From the Wesleyan Office of Religious and Spiritual Life

Religious/Spiritual Observance Resources: 
If you anticipate that your religious/spiritual observance may conflict with academic obligations such as attending class, taking examinations, or submitting assignments, you can work directly with your professor to make reasonable arrangements. Should you require additional support or guidance, please feel free to reach out to Rabbi David Teva, Director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at dleipziger@wesleyan.edu or any of the chaplains in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life

The list that follows is not exhaustive. It includes the more notable festivals and holy days that may require appropriate accommodations for students although not all religious traditions below are represented in the Wesleyan community. (If this calendar does not include a significant date of your religious tradition, please let the chaplains at ORSL know.) Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate. Note that some holidays in some traditions are tied to the lunar calendar or to particular cultural patterns that vary by region which make their location in the calendar somewhat more fluid. Dates marked with a double asterisk (**) denote occasions on which the precept of a particular tradition and the practice of nearly all its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity.

We have also included information regarding food and religious observance so that faculty can better understand the diverse needs of the Wesleyan student community.

Islamic Holidays: Regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of the date for Islamic holidays, which begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday. The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days begin at sunset, so there may be one-day error depending on when the New Moon is first seen.

Jewish Holidays: Begin at sundown on date listed below, and end aprox. 50 minutes after sunset on the last day of the holiday listed below.

For holidays associated with Christianity, the following notations are used to denote observance by particular strands of the Christian tradition: RC-Roman Catholic P-Protestant O-Orthodox.

For a more comprehensive list of religious holidays, please visit interfaith-calendar.org. 


2025

Days

Holiday

Religion

June 1 - June 3 Sundown Sunday - Evening Tuesday

Shavuot
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on these two days.

Judaism
June 5 Thursday

Yawm al-Arafaw
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date.

Islam
June 6 - June 7 Sundown Friday- Sundown Saturday Eid al-Adha
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. This is one of the most important holidays of the Islamic calendar.
Islam
August 16 Saturday Krishna Janmashtami
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling major academic deadlines on this day, since it is likely that Hindu students will be operating on very little sleep.
Hinduism
September 4 - September 5 Sundown Thursday- Sundown Friday Mawlid al-Nabi (dates can vary by a day)
Muslim students may be fasting
Islam
September 22 - September 24 Sundown Monday-Evening Wednesday Rosh Hashanah
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Students may be observing at home with their families, or on campus. Many students do not write or use technology on these days.
Judaism
October 1 - October 2 Sundown Wednesday - Evening Thursday Yom Kippur
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Jewish students may be fasting all day. Students may be observing at home with their families, or on campus. Many students do not write or use technology on these days.
Judaism
October 6 - October 13 Sundown Monday- Evening the following Monday Sukkot
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Students may be observing at home with their families, or on campus. Many students do not write or use technology on these days.
Judaism
October 13 - October 15 Sundown Monday- Evening Wednesday Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date.
Judaism
October 20 Monday Diwali (Deppavali)
Recommended Accommodations: Religious accommodations may be requested.
Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism
December 14 - December 22 Sundown Sunday-Evening the following Monday Hanukkah
Recommended Accommodations:
Academics and work permitted.

Judaism
25 December Thursday Christmas
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date.
Christianity (RC,P)
26 December - 1 January Friday-Thursday Kwanzaa
African American

2026

Days

Holiday

Religion

7 January Wednesday Feast of the Nativity (Christmas)
Orthodox Christian
February 17 - March 19 Evening Tuesday Ramadan Begins
Recommended Accommodations: Be aware of students fasting from dawn to sundown. Iftar (breaking of the fast) occurs at sundown. If planning an event please provide halal or vegetarian food accommodations if requested by the student(s). 
Islam
February 18 Wednesday Ash Wednesday, Beginning of Lent
Recommended Accommodations: For some traditions, meat (fish is not considered meat) is prohibited on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent. If planning an event please provide food accommodations if requested by the student(s).
Christianity (RC, P)
February 23 Monday Great Lent begins-Clean Monday Orthodox Christian
March 2 -  March 3 Sundown Monday- Sundown Tuesday Purim
Recommended Accommodations: Purim is not subject to the restrictions on work that affect some other holidays

Judaism
March 19 -  March 20 Sundown Thursday-Friday Eid al-Fitr
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic or event deadlines. If planning an event please provide food accommodations if requested by the student(s).
Islam
March 29 Sunday Palm Sunday
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities.
Christianity (RC, P)
March 30 Monday Mahavira-Jayanti Religious accommodation may be requested.
Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism
April 1 - April 9 Sundown Wednesday- Sundown the following Thursday Passover **Pesach is 8 days, with the first two days and last two days being the ones that require accommodations.
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on the first two and last two days of the holiday. Some students will only be eating food that is specifically kosher for Passover. If planning an event please provide food accommodations if requested by the student(s).
Judaism

April 2

Thursday

Maundy Thursday

Christianity
(RC,P)
April 3 Friday Good Friday
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities. Provide food accommodation if requested by student(s). Meat (fish is not considered meat) is prohibited on Good Friday.
Christianity (RC, P)
April 5 Sunday Easter Sunday (Holy Day of Obligation)
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities.
Christianity (RC, P)
April 5 Sunday Palm Sunday
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities.
Orthodox Christian
April 9 Thursday Holy Thursday
Orthodox Christian
April 10 Friday Holy Friday
Recommended Accommodations: Great Friday is a strict day of fasting for many Greek Orthodox Christians in the United States.
Orthodox Christian
April 12 Sunday Easter/Pascha
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities.
Orthodox Christian
May 22 - May 23 Sundown Friday - Evening Saturday Shavuot
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on these two days.
Judaism
May 25 Monday Yawm al-Arafaw
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date.
Islam
May 26 - May 27 Sundown Tuesday- Sundown Wednesday Eid al-Adha
Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. This is one of the most important holidays of the Islamic calendar.
Islam