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HOLIDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
BEYOND THE “DECEMBER DILEMMA”
WHITE PAPER BY LYNN LIEBER ESQ.
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HOLIDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WHITE PAPER
Major Spring Holidays
 Beltane (neo-pagan)
 Buddha Day/Vesak (Buddhist)
 Easter (Christian)
 Lent (Christian)
 Magha Puja/Sangha Day (Buddhist)
 Passover (Jewish)
 Pentecost/Whit Sunday (Christian)
 Shavuot/Shavuos (Jewish)
 Spring Equinox/Ostara (neo-pagan/Wiccan)
Spring Holidays – Additional Information
Beltane: It takes place in the month of May. It is a neo-pagan holiday that is celebrated differently by different groups, but is sometimes viewed as a celebration of fertility.
Buddha Day/Vesak: It occurs on the first full moon day in May (except leap years, when it is in June). It is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha.
Easter: It falls on the first Sunday after the first fourteenth day of the moon that is on or after the ecclesiastical vernal equinox. This Christian holiday is celebrated in observance of when Jesus rose from the dead.
Lent: It begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday in most Western Christianity. In Eastern Christianity, it begins on Clean Monday and ends the Friday before Palm Sunday. It is a Christian forty-day season that represents the time Jesus spent in the desert.
Magha Puja Day/Sangha Day: It occurs on the full moon day of the third lunar month. It is a Buddhist holiday that commemorates the Fourfold Assembly, which happened early in the Buddha’s teaching life.
Passover: It begins the 15th day of the month of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar and is celebrated for seven to eight days. It is a Jewish holiday commemorating the exodus from Egypt and the liberation of the Israelites from slavery.
Pentecost/Whit Sunday: It happens on the 49th day after Easter. It is a Christian holiday that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.
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HOLIDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WHITE PAPER
Shavuot/Shavuos: It happens on the sixth day of the month of Sivan in the Hebrew calendar. It is a Jewish holiday that marks the day the Torah was given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.
Spring Equinox/Ostara: It falls when the sun is directly above the equator. It is a neo-pagan holiday. For Wiccans, it is one of the Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year.
Major Summer Holidays
 Asalha Puja Day/Dhamma Day (Buddhist)
 Eid ul-Fitr (Muslim)
 Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu)
 Lammas (neo-pagan)
 Ramadan (Muslim)
 Summer Solstice/Litha (neo-pagan/Wiccan)
Summer Holidays – Additional Information
Asalha Puja Day/Dhamma Day: It occurs on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month. It is a Buddhist holiday that celebrates the Buddha’s first teaching.
Eid ul-Fitr: It is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan (and could happen during late summer or early fall).
Ganesh Chaturthi: It starts on the shukla chaturthi in the month of Bhaadrapada in the Hindu calendar. It is a Hindu holiday that celebrates the day Lord Ganesha is believed to have bestowed his presence on Earth.
Lammas: It takes place on August 1 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a neo- pagan holiday that was traditionally a festival of the first wheat harvest of the year.
Ramadan: It is a Muslim holiday that happens during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar (which could fall in late summer or early fall). It is during this month that the Qur’an began to be revealed. Important holy days during this time include Laylat al-Qadr and Eid ul-Fitr.
Summer Solstice: It happens when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is directly toward the sun. Wiccans (and other neo-pagans) celebrate this day with divination or healing rituals.
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HOLIDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WHITE PAPER
Major Fall Holidays
 All Saints’ Day/All Hallows/Hallowmas (Christian)
 Autumn Equinox/Mabon (neo-pagan/Wiccan)
 Birthday of Guru Nanak (Sikh)
 Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexican)
 Diwali/Deppavali/Festival of Lights (Hindu/Sikh/Jain)
 Dussehra/Dassera/Vijayadashmi (Hindu)
 Eid ul-Fitr (Muslim)
 Hanukkah/Chanukah (Jewish)
 Ramadan (Muslim)
 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
 Samhain (neo-pagan)
Fall Holidays – Additional Information
All Saints’ Day/All Hallows/Hallowmas: In Western Christianity, it is celebrated on Nov. 1; in Eastern Christianity, it is celebrated the first Sunday after Pentecost. It is a Christian holiday that commemorates all saints, known and unknown.
Autumn Equinox/Mabon: It falls when the sun is directly above the equator. It is a neopagan holiday. For Wiccans, it is one of the Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year.
Birthday of Guru Nanak: It is a Sikh holiday. Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and his birthday is celebrated with a reading of the Guru Granth Sahib continuously for 48 hours (often aloud in a group).
Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe: On this Mexican holiday, fiestas are held all over Mexico to celebrate the day the mother of Jesus is said to have appeared before an Indian peasant, requesting he ask the bishop for a church on a hill on Mexico City to be close to her people.
Diwali/Deepavali/Festival of Lights: It occurs on the new moon day of Kartika. It is a Hindu, Sikh and Jain holiday where lights lit celebrate the triumph of good over evil in every human.
Dussehra/Dassera/Vijayadashmi: It is celebrated on the tenth day of the bright half of the month of Ashwina in the Hindu calendar. It is a Hindu holiday that celebrates the triumph of Good over Evil.
Eid ul-Fitr: It is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan (and could happen during late summer or early fall).
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HOLIDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WHITE PAPER
Halloween: It is celebrated on October 31. It is generally viewed as a cultural holiday, but some have religious oppositions to celebrating.
Hanukkah/Chanukah: It is a Jewish holiday that follows the Hebrew calendar and lasts for eight days (which could occur in late fall or early winter). It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple (in Jerusalem). Lights on the Menorah lit during this time commemorate how at the rededication, oil that should have only lasted one night lasted for eight.
Ramadan: It is a Muslim holiday that happens during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar (which could fall in late summer or early fall). It is during this month that the Qur’an began to be revealed. Important holy days during this time include Laylat al-Qadr and Eid ul-Fitr.
Rosh Hashanah: It falls on the first day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. It is a Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the Jewish New Year and is the first of the High Holidays.
Samhain: It occurs during November. It is a neo-pagan holiday and is celebrated differently by different groups, but many view the holiday as a time to honor the dead.
Major Winter Holidays
 Boxing Day (UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, among others)
 Christmas (Christian)
 Eid’ul-Adha (Muslim/Druze)
 Epiphany (Christian)
 Hanukkah/Chanukah (Jewish)
 Imbolc (neo-pagan)
 Kwanzaa (African-American)
 Winter Solstice/Yule (neo-pagan/Wiccan)
Winter Holidays – Additional Information
Boxing Day: It is on Dec. 26. A celebration dating back to the Middle Ages, it’s a tradition based on gift giving to the less fortunate. Places it is celebrated include the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Christmas: It is on Dec. 25 in most parts of the world, but some celebrate using a different calendar. This Christian holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus.
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HOLIDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WHITE PAPER
Eid’ul-Adha: It falls on the 10th of the month of Dhul Hijja of the Islamic calendar. It is a festival of sacrifice that lasts two to three days and is celebrated by Muslims and Druze.
Epiphany: It is on Jan. 6. It is a Christian holiday that celebrates the visit of the Magi to infant Jesus.
Hanukkah/Chanukah: It is a Jewish holiday that follows the Hebrew calendar and lasts for eight days (which could occur in late fall or early winter). It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple (in Jerusalem). Lights on the Menorah lit during this time commemorate how at the rededication, oil that should have only lasted one night lasted for eight.
Imbolc: It is most commonly celebrated on February 2. It is a neo-pagan holiday. For some, it is a time of honoring the Goddess Brighid. Wiccans celebrate it as one of four fire festivals.
Kwanzaa: It occurs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. It is a festival honoring African- American heritage and celebrations often include candle-lighting and gift-giving.
Winter Solstice/Yule: It happens when the sun’s position is at the greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the viewer. Wiccans celebrate this as the rebirth of the Great God. It is also a neo-pagan holiday.
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HOLIDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WHITE PAPER
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