Holidays and Cultural Observances

Lunar New Year — Begins a fifteen-day festival for people of all religions. Family reunions with thanksgiving and remembrance of departed relatives take place. Traditionally, a religious ceremony honors Heaven and Earth.

Juneteenth/ Freedom Day/ Jubilee Day/ Emancipation Day — This is a holiday celebrated by African Americans throughout the United States on June 19, commemorating the ending of enslavement in the United States. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the law that made June 19 a federal holiday.

Kwanzaa — An African American and Pan-African holiday celebrating family, community, and culture, Kwanzaa is a secular observance with some religious participation. Seven life virtues are presented. The dates are always December 26 - January 1. 

Individuals may require time away from campus for travel and observance.

Divali — Festival of Lights; also celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. Parents may give their children sweets.  Some Jains may choose to fast for the two days of Divali.

Paryushana — To Stay in One Place. Time of reflection and repentance.  Eight days of intense fasting, repentance, and pujas. Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities, and after a day of fasting.

Credit: Alphabetical listing of major observances. All descriptions taken from https://www.interfaith-calendar.org/

Individuals may require time away from campus for travel and observance:

• Bandi Chhor Divas — Sikhs celebrate to remember the day when Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji was released from prison in 1619 after he had been wrongly imprisoned by the authorities.
• Gurpurab —  A significant day relating to the Sikh Gurus (spiritual leaders of the Sikhs).
• Vaisakhi/Baisakhi — Celebrated in April across South Asia and especially in the Punjab region. Vaisakhi is a significant occasion for Sikhs because on Vaisakhi of 1699, the 10th Guru (spiritual leader) of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, started the Khalsa Panth, the community of all initiated Sikhs, and gave Sikhs their unique identity.Every year Sikhs all over the world celebrate this important day with great pride and enthusiasm in the community.

Credit: Sikh Coalition https://www.sikhcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SikhCelebrations-2021.pdf