For questions, additions or clarifications, please contact Gladys McCormick, Associate Dean for Diversity Equity and Inclusion in the Maxwell School, or Stephanie Williams, Academic Operations Coordinator for the Maxwell School.
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