Observances and celebrations during the Fall 2024 Semester
* denotes an observance or celebration that begins the night before
August
25*: Arbaeen, marking the end of the 40-day mourning period after Ashura for Shia Muslims.
26: Krishna Janmashtami, the annual Hindu festival celebrating Krisha, a supreme God in the faith.
26: Women’s Equality Day, remembering the passage of the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in 1920.
31: International Day of People of African Descent, established by the United Nations.
September
Marks National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15.
15*: Mawlid al-Nabi, when Muslims celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
21: International Day of Peace, the UN day encouraging all nations to observe a ceasefire.
21-29: Mabon, both Wiccans and Pagans use this day to celebrate the autumnal equinox.
October
Marks Global Diversity Awareness Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
3: Navratri, the ten-day Hindu festival celebrating the Goddess Durga.
3-4*: Rosh Hashanah, two Jewish holy days remembering the time that the world was created.
9: Indigenous People’s Day
10: World Mental Health Day
12*: Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is one of the most important Jewish high holy days.
17-23: Sukkot, the 7-day Jewish holiday commemorating when Jews journeyed through the desert to the promised land.
19: International Pronouns Day
31- Nov. 4: Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights symbolizing the fight of good and evil, celebrated by Sikhs, Hindus, Jains, and mostly Newar Buddhists.
November
Marks National Native American Heritage Month.
1: All Saints’ Day, honoring holy men and women canonized by the Catholic Church.
3: Birth of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i faith.
20: Transgender Day of Remembrance
24: Native American Heritage Day
25: Day of the Covenant, the Baha’i Holy Day celebrating the day Abdu’l-Baha was appointed the Covenant.
27: Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i holiday honoring the day that Abdu’l-Baha, the Servant of Baha, died.
30: St. Andrew’s Feast Day, a Catholic holiday celebrating the patron saint of Romania, Ukraine, Barbados, Greece, and Scotland.
December
1: World AIDS Day
8: Bodhi Day, the Buddhist holiday remembering the day that Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.
10: International Human Rights Day