Calendar of Observances

The increasingly pluralistic population of the United States is made up of many different ethnic, cultural, faith and religious communities. To enhance mutual understanding among groups and promote inclusive communities, ADL offers this resource as a tool to increase awareness of and respect for religious obligations and ethnic and cultural festivities that may affect students, colleagues and neighbors in your community.

The calendar includes significant religious observances of the major faiths represented in the United States. It can be used when planning

• school exam schedules and activities,
• workplace festivities and
• community events.

Note that Bahá’í, Jewish and Islamic holidays begin at sundown the previous day and end at sundown on the date listed. Observances marked with an asterisk (*) are those for which schools and workplaces should offer scheduling accommodations.

The calendar notes U.S. holidays that are either legal holidays or observed in various states and communities throughout the country. Important national and international observances that may be commemorated in the U.S. are also included.

The dates of secular holidays are based on the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly used for civil dating purposes. Many religions and cultures follow various traditional calendar systems that are often based on the phases of the moon with occasional adjustments for the solar cycle. Therefore, specific Gregorian calendar dates for these observances will differ from year to year. In addition, calculation of specific dates may vary by geographical location and according to different sects within a religion.