»Religious Holiday Calendars

Below is a list of religious holidays that might pose conflicts with the academic calendar. This list is not exhaustive of religious holidays but includes major holidays as suggested to us by religious organizations. You can also find religious holiday calendars for future years below.

To suggest additions or changes, please contact us at interfaith@chapman.edu.

The following religions are included on this Calendar:

Bahá’í, Buddhism, Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Latter-day Saints, Oriental Orthodox Christianity, Sikhism, Waldensian, Wiccan/Pagan, Zoroastrianism

Bahá’í

Bahá’í holidays begin at sundown on the first date listed and end at sundown on the last date listed.

Buddhism

There are multiple different types of Buddhism. Not all Buddhists celebrate the same holy days or observe them on the same day. This list is intended to represent the most commonly observed Buddhist holidays.

Islam

Islamic holidays begin at sundown on the first date listed and end at sundown on the last date listed. These holidays are calculated on a lunar calendar and are approximate.

Judaism

Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the first date listed and end at sundown on the last date listed. Some people observe extra days of certain holidays. Those extra days are in parenthesis ().

Sikhism

There are many more Sikh Holy Days, but the ones listed here are considered major observances. These are usually celebrated on weekends for convenience.

Religious Holidays: 2025-2026 Academic Year

Date	Holiday	Religion	Faculty Note
September 22-24	Rosh Hashanah	Judaism	Do not schedule major events.Traditionally, Jews refrain from all work on this day. Instead, they attend worship services, listen to the sound of the shofar (ram’s horn), reflect, and eat apples dipped in honey. Depending on the sect of Judaism, Jews may celebrate this holiday for one day or two.
September 22	First Day of Navaratri	Hinduism
October 1	Last day of Navaratri	Hinduism
October 1-2	Yom Kippur	Judaism	Do not schedule major events.Roughly 10 days after Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish community observes Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is arguably the most important holiday of the entire year. This non-working day includes a 25 hour fast, and a full day of worship services. Jews gather for communal prayer, atone for their sins, study, and engage in self-reflection.
October 6-13	Sukkot	Judaism	Few students request absence.During the first and last days of Sukkot, observant Jews are prohibited from working, attending classes, and using electronics. During the middle days of the holiday, there are no prohibitions on doing work.
October 13-15	Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah	Judaism	Few students request absence.
October 20	Diwali	Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism	A festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists that celebrates the triumph of good over evil.
October 20	Bandi Chhor Divas	Sikhism
October 20	Gurgadi Guru Granth Sahib	Sikhism
October 22	Birth of the Báb	Bahá’í	Work suspended. Celebrated on October 22, marking the birth of Bab in 1819.
October 23	Birth of Bahá'u'lláh	Bahá’í	Work suspended. Celebrated on October 23, marking the birth of Bahá'u'lláh in 1817.
November 5	Birth of Guru Nanak Sahib	Sikhism
Decmber 14-22	Hanukkah	Judaism	Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of lights. It marks the recovery of Jerusalem, and the rededication of the Temple, after the Seleucid army had seized it during the 2nd century. When the Jews reentered their Temple they found just a small amount of oil remaining, but it miraculously lasted for eight nights. Jews eat food that is fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiot (jelly donuts), and dairy foods. Candles on the Menorah are lit each of the eight nights of this festive holiday. Other customs include playing dreidel, singing Hanukkah songs, and—in more modern times—giving one another presents.
December 25	Christmas Day	Christianity
January 5	Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib	Sikhism
January 6	The Theophany (Epiphany) of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ	Eastern Orthodox Christianity
January 7	The Holy Nativity Feast (Christmas)	Oriental Orthodox Christianity
January 15	Makar Sankranti/Pongol	Hinduism
January 19	The Holy Epiphany	Oriental Orthodox Christianity
January 26	Rohatsu (Bodhi Day)	Buddhism
February 1	Imbolc (Candlemas)	Wiccan/Pagan
February 2	The Meeting of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple	Eastern Orthodox Christianity
February 15	Nirvana Day/Parinirvana	Buddhism
February 17	Chinese New Year	Buddhism
February 17	First Evening of Ramadan	Islam	Do not schedule major events.Ramadan lasts untill March 18.
February 17	17th February	Waldensian
February 18	Ash Wednesday	Christianity
March 2-3	Purim	Judaism
March 14	Sikh New Year	Sikhism
March 18	Final Day of Ramadan	Islam
March 18-19	Eid al-Fitr	Islam	Do not schedule major events
March 19-22	Ostara (Spring Equinox)	Wiccan/Pagan
March 20-21	Naw-Ruz	Bahá’í, Zoroastrianism
March 25	The Annunciation to the Most-Holy Theotokos	Eastern Orthodox Christianity
March 29	The Entrance of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem	Eastern Orthodox Christianity
April 1-9	Passover	Judaism	Few students request absence on the first day and some on the second and last days. Many observe the seder on the first evening, some do so on the second.
April 3	Good Friday	Christianity
April 5	Easter Sunday	Christianity
April 12	Orthodox Easter	Oriental Orthodox Christianity
April 14	Baisakhi/Vaisakhi	Hinduism, Sikhism
April 20-21	First Day of Ridván	Bahá’í
April 28-29	Ninth Day of Ridván	Bahá’í
May 1	Beltane (May Eve)	Wiccan/Pagan
May 1-2	Twelfth Day of Ridván	Bahá’í
May 14	The Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ	Eastern Orthodox Christianity
May 21-23	Shavuot	Judaism	Few students request absence