Academic Year 22-23

Fall 2022

September

• September 15: Start of National Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America
• September 22: Autumnal Equinox
• September 23: Native American Day
  • Honors those who have been a part of the American tradition even before the United Stated came into being and hopes to change the way people view Native Americans and their culture
• September 25 – 27: Rosh Hashanah
  • Celebrates Jewish New Year and is a time of reflection about the past year and year to come. It also begins the ten days of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur
• September 26: First Day of Navaratri
  • A nine-day festival celebrating the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura, and the victory of good over evil

October

• October 1: Start of LGBTQ+ History Month
  • Celebrates the achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender icons. Each day, a new LGBTQ+ icon is featured.
• October 5: Yom Kippur
  • Meaning Day of Atonement, this Jewish holiday is a day to set aside to demonstrate repentance and make amends
• October 5: Vijayadashmi
  • Also known as Dussehra, marks the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri. Huge effigies of Ravana are burned to celebrate the eternal promise that good will always vanquish evil
• October 7 – 8: Eid Milad-un-Nabi
  • From sundown to sundown, this Islamic holiday commemorates the birth of the prophet Muhammad.
• October 9 – 16: Sukkot
  • One of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, this weeklong Jewish holiday is a time of dwelling and celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the miraculous protection God provided for the children of Israel when they left Egypt
• October 10: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
  • Honors the cultures and histories of Native Americans
• October 11: National Coming Out Day
  • Celebrates coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer
• October 20: Spirit Day (LGBTQ+)
  • Creates awareness for the bullying and harassment that the LGBTQ+ community faces
• October 17 – 18: Shemini Atzeret
  • Celebrated after Sukkot, this is an intimate Jewish celebration between themselves and the Creator
• October 18: Simchat Torah
  • This holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings and restarting the annual Torah-reading cycle
• October 24: Diwali
  • Festival of lights celebrating new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and lightness over darkness

November

• November 1 – 2: Día de los Muertos
  • Reunites the living and the dead through celebration and remembrance
• November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance
  • Honors the memory of transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence
• November 25: Native American Heritage Day
  • Celebrates cultures, traditions, and heritages of Native Americans, while recognizing their many contributions

December

• December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
  • Celebrates the value people with disabilities bring to the workplace and society.
• December 8: Bodhi Day
  • Commemorates the day Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment
• December 18 – 26: Hanukkah (Chanukah)
  • Eight Day Jewish celebration celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting and special prayers
• December 26: First Day of Kwanzaa
  • Celebrates universal African American heritage

Spring 2023

January

• January 22: Lunar New Year
  • Tied to the lunar-solar calendar, this holiday is a time to bring friends and family together for feasting and festivities to celebrate the new year

February

• February 1: Start of Black History Month
  • Celebrate contributions of African Americans to the United States
• February 18: Maha Shivaratri
  • Major Hindu festival celebrating Lord Shiva, the God of destruction. Marks the overcoming of darkness and ignorance in life

March

• March 1: Start of Women’s History Month
  • Celebrate contributions of women to the United States
• March 7: Purim
  • Commemorates the salvation of Jewish people in the ancient Persian empire
• March 8: Holi
  • One of the most revered and celebrated festivals of India, this festival of colors marks the end of winter and honors the triumph of good over evil
• March 23: First Day of Ramadan
  • This month-long holiday is observed through fasting and is a period of introspection, communal prayer in the mosque, and reading of the Quran
• March 30: Rama Navami
  • Hindu day of worship and celebration of the seventh avatar of Vishnu (Lord Rama)

April

• April 5 – 13: Passover
  • This eight-day Jewish holiday commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt
• April 14: National Day of Silence
  • National student-led demonstration where LGBTQ+ students and allies take a vow of silence to protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ people in schools
• April 14: Vaisakhi
  • Also known as Baisakhi, celebrate the founding of Sikhism
• April 21 – 22: Eid al-Fitr
  • Marks the end of Ramadan and is distinguished by the performance of communal prayer at daybreak. It is also a time of official receptions and private visits, when friends greet one another, presents are given, new clothes are worn, and the graces of relatives are visited
• April 27 – 29: Gathering of Nations Pow Wow
  • Indigenous people from more than 500 nations gather to celebrate Indigenous culture

May

• May 1: Start of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
  • Celebrate contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the United States
• May 25 – 27: Shavuot
  • Also referred to as Pentecost, this two-day holiday celebrates the revelation of the Torah on My. Sinai to the Jewish people