Sacred Calendar

The Japanese New Year — the most important celebration in the Shinto calendar.

The monthly celebration of the new moon — a semi-holiday with special prayers.

The Magi visit the Christ child — the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles.

The birthday of the tenth Sikh Guru — founder of the Khalsa.

Christmas celebrated by Eastern Orthodox churches following the Julian calendar.

The solar festival marking the sun's passage into Capricorn — a harvest celebration.

The Tamil harvest festival — four days of abundance and gratitude.

The Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of the Baptism of Christ — the most spectacular festival in Africa.

The midwinter fire festival — 50 days before Nowruz.

The Presentation of the infant Jesus at the Temple — the last feast of the Christmas season.

Honoring Saraswati, goddess of knowledge and learning — the herald of spring.

The Bean-Throwing Festival — driving out evil spirits at the change of seasons.

The first full moon of the lunar new year — lanterns, riddles, and sweet rice balls.

The passing of the Buddha into final Nirvana at age 80.

Celebrating the supreme Taoist deity — the ruler of heaven and all the gods.

The 15th of Shaban — the Night of Records when destinies are determined and forgiveness is given.

Commemorating the spontaneous assembly of 1,250 enlightened monks to hear the Buddha teach.

The New Year for Trees — a Jewish ecological celebration of the earth's abundance.

The holy month of fasting, prayer, and reflection for Muslims worldwide.

The most important festival in Chinese culture — welcoming the new lunar year.

The beginning of Lent — 40 days of prayer, fasting, and repentance.

Honoring the founder of the Nation of Gods and Earths, Clarence 13X (Father Allah).

The Great Night of Shiva — the most sacred night for devotees of Lord Shiva.

The Prophet Muhammad's miraculous night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and through the heavens.

The Tibetan Buddhist New Year — renewal, purification, and welcoming good fortune.

The Festival of Colors and Spring — celebrating love, joy, and the victory of good over evil.

Nineteen days of fasting at the end of the Baha'i year — prayer and purification before Naw-Ruz.

The Feast of Lots — a joyful celebration of Jewish survival and deliverance.

Japanese Girls Day — a prayer for the health and happiness of daughters.

The Night of Power — when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

The Sikh festival of martial arts and valor — held the day after Holi.

The feast of Ireland's patron saint — missionary, bishop, and apostle of the Irish.

The Persian fire festival — jumping over flames on the last Tuesday before Nowruz.

The Festival of Breaking the Fast — celebrating the end of Ramadan.

The Persian New Year — the most ancient celebration of spring's renewal.

The Shinto spring equinox — celebrating balance and visiting ancestral graves.

The Baha'i New Year — the first day of the month of Baha (Splendor).

The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the Son of God.

The great Urs at Ajmer Sharif — one of the largest Sufi pilgrimages in the world.

The birthday of Lord Rama — the embodiment of righteousness and dharma.

The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem — the beginning of Holy Week.

The Festival of Freedom — commemorating the Exodus from Egypt.

The core Navajo healing ceremony — restoring beauty, harmony, and balance (hozho).

The Last Supper — Jesus shares a final meal and institutes the Eucharist.

The crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The Day of Pure Brightness — honoring ancestors and caring for their graves.

The day of waiting — Jesus lies in the tomb between death and resurrection.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ — the central celebration of Christianity.

Confucian ancestor veneration — the foundation of filial piety and social harmony.

The birthday of Lord Mahavira — the 24th Tirthankara and founder of modern Jainism.

The birthday of the Khalsa — the founding of the Sikh brotherhood in 1699.

Holocaust Remembrance Day — honoring six million Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide.

The Most Great Festival — celebrating Baha'u'llah's declaration of his mission in the Garden of Ridvan.

The auspicious day of inexhaustible merit — the most auspicious day of the Hindu year.

The summer gathering of Indigenous peoples — dance, drum, community, and prayer.

Israeli Independence Day — the modern Jewish miracle of national rebirth.

The most sacred Buddhist holiday — celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha.

The formal Confucian rite honoring Confucius and his disciples — performed twice yearly.

The 33rd day of the Omer — a joyous break in the semi-mourning period between Passover and Shavuot.

The Festival of Weeks — celebrating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

The night the Bab announced his divine mission — the founding moment of the Baha'i Faith.

The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles — the birthday of the Church.

Commemorating the passing of Baha'u'llah, founder of the Baha'i Faith, in 1892.

Honoring the loyal minister and poet Qu Yuan — a celebration of patriotism and virtue.

The day of Jain scriptures — honoring the preservation of sacred knowledge.

The Yoruba festival of ancestral spirits — the ancestors return in sacred masked form.

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ — celebrating the real presence in the Eucharist.

The climax of Hajj — millions of pilgrims stand on the plain of Arafah in prayer.

The Festival of Sacrifice — honoring Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son.

Celebrating the mystery of the Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The holiest month in the Tibetan calendar — triple merit for every good deed.

The annual NGE convention — demonstrating knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in action.

Honoring the first Sikh martyr — the fifth Guru who died under Mughal torture.

The most sacred ceremony of the Plains Indians — a prayer of sacrifice and renewal.

Dragon boats race and zongzi are eaten in honor of the loyal minister-poet Qu Yuan.

The beginning of the Islamic lunar calendar year.

The great chariot procession of Lord Jagannath — one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

The Star Festival — celebrating the annual meeting of two celestial lovers across the Milky Way.

Commemorating the execution of the Bab by firing squad in Tabriz, Iran, 1850.

Commemorating the Buddha's first teaching — the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.

The full moon of gratitude — honoring spiritual teachers and the tradition of the guru.

The beginning of the three-month Rains Retreat — intensive monastic practice.

The 10th of Muharram — a day of fasting and, for Shia Muslims, profound mourning.

The Igbo harvest festival — no one may eat the new yam until the ancestors are thanked.

The annual festival at the sacred grove of Osun — goddess of the river and fertility.

The saddest day in the Jewish calendar — commemorating the destruction of both Temples and national tragedies.

The moment Jesus revealed his divine glory to three disciples on a mountaintop.

The bond of protection — sisters tie a sacred thread on their brothers' wrists.

Ceremony honoring the sacred being who brought the seven Lakota rites.

The seventh lunar month when the gates of the spirit world open and ancestors roam the earth.

Honoring the great female mystic of Islam — the first theologian of pure divine love.

The Jewish festival of love — the ancient celebration of joy and romance.

The Festival of the Dead — welcoming the spirits of ancestors back to the living world.

The birthday of Lord Krishna — the divine teacher of the Bhagavad Gita.

Mary is taken body and soul into heavenly glory — a major Catholic and Orthodox feast.

The Ga people of Ghana 'hoot at hunger' — celebrating survival, harvest, and ancestral bonds.

The most sacred ceremony of the Southeastern tribes — renewal, forgiveness, and first harvest.

The most sacred Jain festival — eight days of fasting, prayer, and forgiveness.

The birthday of the Prophet Zarathustra — founder of one of the world's oldest revealed religions.

The festival of the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd — a celestial love story.

The birthday of Lord Ganesha — the remover of obstacles and god of new beginnings.

The holiest day in the Jain year — universal forgiveness and the seeking of pardon from all beings.

Kerala's great harvest festival — celebrating the mythical golden age of King Mahabali.

The Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad — celebrated with praise and reflection.

The harvest moon festival — reunion, mooncakes, and honoring the moon goddess Chang'e.

The Japanese harvest moon festival — viewing the full moon and offering thanks.

The Ethiopian New Year — a joyful celebration of spring rain and national renewal.

The Digambara festival of ten supreme qualities — a time of deep spiritual practice.

The Akan Festival of Purification — cleansing the community and honoring ancestors.

The Jewish New Year — the beginning of the High Holy Days.

Honoring the birth of Kong Qiu (Confucius) — the great sage and teacher of China.

The Day of Atonement — the holiest day in the Jewish year.

Nine nights honoring the divine feminine — Goddess Durga and her nine forms.

The Zoroastrian Festival of Mithra — celebrating the divine principle of friendship and light.

The Double Ninth Festival — honoring the elderly and climbing to high places.

Honoring the patron saint of animals and ecology — a celebration of all creation.

The Festival of Tabernacles — a week of dwelling in temporary booths.

The seventh day of Sukkot — the final sealing of the divine judgment for the new year.

Joyous celebration of completing and restarting the annual Torah reading cycle.

Celebrating the birth of the Bab — Prophet-Herald of the Baha'i Faith, born 1819.

Celebrating the birth of the founder of the Baha'i Faith.

The Festival of Lights — the most celebrated Hindu holiday worldwide.

The Sikh celebration coinciding with Diwali — commemorating the release of Guru Hargobind Ji.

Jain Diwali — commemorating Lord Mahavira's attainment of Moksha (liberation).

The annual offering of robes to monks after the Vassa Rains Retreat.

The Jain New Year — beginning the day after Diwali, marking a new spiritual cycle.

A day-long fast by married women for the longevity of their husbands.

Martin Luther posts the 95 Theses — the birth of the Protestant Reformation.

Honoring all the saints — known and unknown — who have attained heaven.

Praying for the souls of the faithful departed — a day of remembrance for the dead.

The birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji — the founder of the Sikh faith.

The ancient sun festival of Bihar — standing in water to offer prayers to the setting and rising sun.

A blessing for children aged 7, 5, and 3 — celebrating their growth and praying for their future.

Honoring the greatest mystical philosopher of Islam — the Greatest Sheikh.

The Emperor's sacred rice harvest ceremony — offering the first fruits to the kami.

Celebrating the appointment of 'Abdu'l-Baha as the Center of Baha'u'llah's Covenant.

The four-week season of preparation and expectation before Christmas.

The gift-giving feast of Northwest Coast peoples — where wealth means how much you give away.

The spiritual concert of the Mevlevi Order — music and whirling as a form of prayer.

Commemorating the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama under the Bodhi tree.

The Festival of Lights — eight nights of candle lighting and celebration.

The death anniversary of Jalal al-Din Rumi — the 'Wedding Night' with the Divine.

The sacred turn of the year — honored by indigenous peoples worldwide as the rebirth of the sun.

The longest night of the year — a Persian celebration of the triumph of light over darkness.

The Chinese winter solstice — family reunion and honoring the return of yang energy.

The Nativity of Jesus Christ — the most celebrated Christian holiday worldwide.

A week-long celebration honoring African heritage and community values.