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World Religions on the Calendar



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World Religions on the Calendar 

These calendars has been developed or provided to assist schools in setting their academic calendars with regard to the religious needs of the families, students, and faculty they serve. The CA3Rs Calendar only includes some religious observances, based on those religious communities most represented in California’s schools and which would therefore impact school attendance or exert significant cultural influence. When using the calendars, please keep the following in mind:

  1. Some religious observances begin at sundown of the previous day.
  2. Holidays calculated on the lunar calendar change each year on the Western calendar.
  3. Many holidays are celebrated on different days in different countries, so the days that students or employees choose to observe a particular holiday may vary.
  4.  The specific dates of some holidays, especially those of the Sikh faith, varied widely based on source and calendar tradition used to figure them. In those cases, administrators may choose to consult the religious leaders in the community before setting school calendars.  
  5. Employees and students may not adhere to a major world religion, or any of the holidays listed on the world religions calendars, but may legally observe other religious holidays important to them with the expectation of equal treatment in the school and workplace.


For information about how the holidays are observed and how this might impact schools, see An Educator’s Classroom Guide to America’s Religious Beliefs and Practices by Benjamin Hubbard, John T. Hatfield, and Jams A. Santucci, Libraries Unlimited, 2007.  For a more detailed description and definition of the religious holidays listed, and for the dates for religious holidays not listed, please see the Interfaith Calendar.

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Religious Holidays Calendar
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly has printed the names of religious holidays on monthly calendars with roll over hotlinks explaining the meaning of the holiday.

Religious Calendar: The Interfaith Observer
Holidays are placed on a list by name in date order followed by a listing of the religious tradition that observes the holiday on that date. There is a link to an alphabetical list of holidays and their meaning.

In Public Schools, When Should Holy Days Become Holidays?
In this commentary, Charles Haynes guides school leaders to ask the right constitutional questions in considering religious holy days when determining their school calendar.

Resources for Schools:

Religious Holidays in Public Schools: Passover and Easter

Diwali - Festival of Lights

Chinese or Lunar New Year

Teaching About the Jewish High Holidays Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kip

Ramadan Resources

Halloween in the Public Schools

Day of the Dead (Dia De los Muertos)



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The California Three Rs Project co-sponsored by Constitutional Rights Foundation,
California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, and the Religious Freedom Education Project at Newseum


DISCLAIMER: This site is for educational purposes only. Constitutional Rights Foundation and the California Three Rs Project are not legal advocacy organizations and do not
provide legal advice or representation. If you have a particular legal question, CRF encourages you to talk to an attorney or advocacy organization that specializes in religious liberty issues.

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