Wesleyan Multifaith Calendar
From the Wesleyan Office of Religious and Spiritual LifeReligious/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 approx. 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.
2026 |
Days |
Holiday |
Accommodations |
Religion |
| May 26 | Tuesday | Yawm al-Arafah | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. | Islam |
| May 27 | Wednesday | Eid al-Adha | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. This is one of the two Eid celebrations, the most important holidays of the Islamic calendar. Students may be observing at home with their families or on campus. | Islam |
| September 4 | Friday | Krishna Janmashtami | Avoid scheduling major academic deadlines on this day, since it is likely that Hindu students will be operating on very little sleep. | Hinduism |
| September 11 - September 13 | Sundown Friday - Evening Sunday | Rosh Hashanah | 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 |
| September 20 - September 21 | Sundown Sunday - Evening Monday | Yom Kippur | 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 |
| September 25 - October 2 | Sundown Friday - Evening Friday | Sukkot | 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 2 – October 4 | Sundown Saturday - Evening Sunday | Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. | Judaism |
| November 1 | Sunday | All Saints' Day | Students may want to attend a religious service as this is considered a Holy Day of Obligation in some traditions. |
RC, some Protestant traditions
|
| November 8 | Sunday | Diwali (Deppavali) | Religious accommodations may be requested. | Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism |
| December 4 - December 12 | Sundown Friday - Evening Saturday | Hanukkah | Academics and work permitted. | Judaism |
| December 25 | Friday | Christmas | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. The four Sundays preceding this day constitute the season of Advent. | Christianity (RC,P) |
| December 26 - January 1 | Saturday - Friday | Kwanzaa | Students may request extra time for assignments and/or attendance flexibility during this time. | African American |
2027 |
Days |
Holiday |
Accommodations |
Religion |
| January 7 | Thursday | Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) | Religious accommodations may be requested. Students may engage in fasting and prayer during the Nativity Fast (Philip's Fast) during the forty days prior to this holiday. | Orthodox Christian |
| February 7 - March 8 | Evening Sunday - Monday (depending on new moon sighting) | Ramadan | Be aware of students fasting from dawn to sundown for one month. 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 10 | Wednesday | Ash Wednesday, Lent begins | Students may ask to attend a religious service on this day. 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) |
| March 15 | Monday | Clean Monday, Great Lent begins (Orthodox) | Some students may be abstaining from meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, fish (with backbones), wine, and olive oil. If planning an event, please provide food accommodations if requested by the student(s). | Orthodox Christian |
| March 22 - March 23 | Sundown Monday - Sundown Tuesday | Purim | Purim is not subject to the restrictions on work that affect some other holidays | Judaism |
| March 9 - March 11 | Sundown Tuesday - Thursday (depending on new moon sighting) | Eid al-Fitr | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. This is one of the two Eid celebrations, the most important holidays of the Islamic calendar. Students may be observing at home with their families or on campus. | Islam |
| March 21 | Sunday | Palm Sunday | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. | Christianity (RC, P) |
| March 25 | Thursday | Maundy Thursday | Christianity (RC,P) |
|
| March 26 | Friday | Good Friday | 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) |
| March 28 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities. | Christianity (RC, P) |
| April 19 | Monday | Mahavira-Jayanti | Religious accommodation may be requested. | Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism |
| April 21 - April 28 | Sundown Wednesday - Sundown Thursday | Passover | **Pesach is 8 days with the first two days 4/22 and 4/23 (starting at Wednesday evening, 4/21) and last two days on 4/27 and 4/28 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 25 | Sunday | Palm Sunday (Orthodox) | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. | Orthodox Christian |
| April 29 | Thursday | Holy Thursday (Orthodox) | Orthodox Christian | |
| April 30 | Friday | Great and Holy Friday (Orthodox) | Great Friday is a strict day of fasting for many Greek Orthodox Christians in the United States. | Orthodox Christian |
| May 2 | Sunday | Easter/Pascha (Orthodox) | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. | Orthodox Christian |
| May 14 - 16 | Friday - Sunday (depending on new moon sighting) | Yawm al-Arafah | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. | Islam |
| May 16 - May 19 | Sundown Sunday - Sundown Wednesday (depending on new moon sighting) | Eid al-Adha | Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. This is one of the two Eid celebrations, the most important holidays of the Islamic calendar. The Eid al-Adha Celebration can last for three days. Students may be observing at home with their families or on campus. | Islam |
| June 27 | Sunday | Orthodox All Saints' Sunday | Students may want to attend a religious service. | |
| June 10 - June 11 | Sundown Thursday - Evening Friday | Shavuot | Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on these two days. | Judaism |