Jashan-e Sadeh (Zoroastrian)
2025-01-24
Sadeh is a mid-winter celebration observed by preparing a large community bonfire. The bonfire symbolizes the victory of light over forces of cold and darkness.
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Imbolg (Pagan)
2025-02-01
Imbolg falls on February 2nd midway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Imbolg is a Gaelic word that means “in the belly” and refers to the gestation of new lambs. This holiday celebrates the return of light. It is the beginning of spring. It is also known as St. Brigid’s day, Brigid being a Celtic goddess of fire. Symbol: dairy products.
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Saraswati Puja (Hindu)
2025-02-02
Saraswati Puja, also called Vasant Panchami, is celebrated to honor Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and learning. Hindu temples and households are full of activity on this day. This ‘Panchami’ is also known as Saraswati Day, because it is believed that on this day, the goddess Saraswati was born, bringing rhythm, order and knowledge into creation.
Hindu children are traditionally taught to read and write their first words on this day, because it is considered an auspicious day to begin a child’s education. Educational institutions organize special prayers for Saraswati on this day.
Further information can be found here and here.

1762 Vadda Ghalughara (Sikh)
2025-02-05
The second Sikh genocide was the mass killing of Sikhs by the Afghani Durrani Forces in February of 1762 during his sixth invasion of India in the present day state of Punjab in India. An estimated 25,000 – 30,000 Sikhs including women and children were killed, which was nearly half of the Sikh population at the time. Sikhs were persecuted for decades prior to this massacre.
More Information:
Vadda Ghallughara – Sikh Holocaust
Sikh Nation’s Sovereign: Jassa Singh Ahluvalia – Harinder Singh
Students and/or Co-Workers may visit their local Gurdwara and pay respects to Sikh Martyrs.

Feast of Mulk / Dominion (Baha'i)
2025-02-06
Wherever they live, Baha’is gather every 19 days for what we call a Feast. This is a members-only event comprising three parts:
1. A spiritual portion that’s the time for prayer and reflection;
2. A business portion for consultation about administrative issues (plans for forming classes, organizing to perform community service, observing holy days, or any ideas or projects community members wish to discuss. It’s also a time when local members can ask their Local Assembly to forward their concerns to the National Assembly;
3. A social portion that can consist of anything from just glasses of water to a full-course dinner.

Tu B'Shvat (Jewish)
2025-02-12 - 2025-02-13
New Year of the Trees. Originally celebrated as an agricultural festival marking the emergence of spring, today celebrations focus on environmental awareness. Trees are often planted in honor or memory of loved ones.
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Ramadan Begins (Islam)
2025-02-17 18:00 - 23:59, 2025-02-28 18:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York)
This evening begins the the holy month where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for 30 days, abstaining from food and drinks.
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Holiday Greeting: Ramadan Mubarak
There are evening prayers that some students may attend at the mosque during this month. Mostly middle and high school students will be fasting.

Jashan-e Spandarmad (Zoroastrian)
2025-02-18
Jashan-e Spandarmad is a celebration ceremony, a Jashan, performed on Spandarmad day of
Spandarmad month, in honor of Spandarmad, a Pehlavi name derived from the ancient Avestan term
‘Spenta Armaiti’ from the Gathas of Zarathushtra. Aramaiti means “tranquility, stability and serenity.”
It is peace and prosperity. When used with the adjective spenta, it means the “ever-increasing or
progressive serenity and peace”. In later Zoroastrian religious history, the wise men/priests
associated Spandarmad with being the steward/guardian of Mother Earth. So, when we see this
divine attribute from both angles, for us it stands for Peace & Serenity for all Creation on Earth!

Saka Nankana Sahib (Sikh)
2025-02-20
The Nankana massacre (or Saka Nankana) took place in Nankana Sahib gurdwara on 20 February 1921, at that time of British India, in modern-day Pakistan. More than 260 Sikhs were killed, including children as young as seven, by the Mahant and his mercenaries. The event forms an important part of Sikh history. In political significance, it comes next only to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 1919. The saga constitutes the core of the Gurdwara Reform Movement started by the Sikhs in the early twentieth century.
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Ayyam-i-Ha or Intercalary Days (The Bahá’í Faith)
2025-02-25 - 2025-02-28
Ayyam-i-Ha or ” Days of God” are devoted to spiritual preparation for the upcoming 19 Day Fast, hospitality, charity, and gift giving. They are celebrated during the four days (five days in a leap year) before the last month of the Baha’i year.
Holiday Greeting: Happy Ayyam-i-Ha

Feast of 'Ala' / Loftiness (Baha'i)
2025-03-01 - 2025-03-02
Wherever they live, Baha’is gather every 19 days for what we call a Feast. Observance begins at sunset on the 1st and ends at sunset on the 2nd. The month of fasting starts on March 1. This is a members-only event comprising three parts:
1. A spiritual portion that’s the time for prayer and reflection;
2. A business portion for consultation about administrative issues (plans for forming classes, organizing to perform community service, observing holy days, or any ideas or projects community members wish to discuss. It’s also a time when local members can ask their Local Assembly to forward their concerns to the National Assembly;
3. A social portion that can consist of anything from just glasses of water to a full-course dinner.

Month of Fasting Begins (Baha'i)
2025-03-01
Baha’is observe a 19-day month of fasting that culminates at sunset on the day of the spring equinox, which lands either on March 20 or 21. Baha’is abstain from food and water during the day between sunrise and sunset. The Fast is a time to pray and reflect on developing our spiritual qualities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen-Day_Fast

Feast of Saint Katharine Drexel (Catholic)
2025-03-03
Katharine Drexel is the second American-born saint to be canonized by the Catholic Church and is considered the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists. She was an American heiress, philanthropist, religious sister, educator, and foundress of the Blessed Sacrament Sisters for Indians and Colored People (now Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament), a congregation of missionary nuns dedicated to the welfare of American Indians and African Americans.
You can learn more about her here.

Ash Wednesday (Catholic/ Christian Protestant / Hispanic)
2025-03-05
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent, when Christians prepare spiritually for the celebration of Easter. On this day, Catholics and some Protestant denominations will attend a special prayer service, where they will have ashes applied to their foreheads in the shape of a cross. This cross of ashes symbolizes penance, mourning and mortality.
This is a day of fasting and abstinence from meat for Catholics over the age of 14.
More information from the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church can be found here.
More information from the Catholic Church can be found here.

Purim (Jewish)
2025-03-13 - 2025-03-14
Purim, one of the most joyous Jewish holidays, commemorates the events in the Book of Esther. It celebrates the survival of the Jews who, in the 5th century BCE, were marked for death by their Persian rulers. Traditions include costumes, retelling the story through skits and songs, festivals geared towards children, and giving care packages to those in need. It is tradition to eat special cookies called Hamentaschen
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Holiday Greeting: Purim Sameach (Happy Purim)
There are no restrictions for students/families.

Holi (Hindu)
2025-03-14
This is the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love.” Holi signifies the victory of good over evil and the arrival of spring. It is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest. People celebrate this day by meeting together and tossing colored powders or colored water on each other.
More information can be found here.

Hola Mahalla (Sikh)
2025-03-14 - 2025-03-16
Hola Mohalla takes place on the first day of the lunar month of Chet, which generally falls in March. This tradition was established by the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in 1701 for Sikhs to demonstrate their martial skills in controlled battles. Hola Mohalla became an annual event and continues to be celebrated with martial exhibitions, music and poetry competitions, and horseback riding.
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Holiday Greeting: “Vadhaaiaa Ji” – Congratulations!
Devout Sikhs may be absent this day to celebrate with family and the community at their local Gurdwara.

Hamaspathmaidyem Gahambar (Zoroastrian)
2025-03-15 - 2025-03-19
Commemoration and remembrance of all departed souls. Homes and temples are thoroughly cleaned; for it is believed that the souls of departed loved ones (fravashis) visit the physical world during this time, to bless and protect the living.
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Feast of St. Joseph (Catholic)
2025-03-19
This is the feast day of Joseph, a carpenter who was the stepfather of Jesus and husband of Mary. He is the patron saint of the Universal Church. Traditionally it is believed he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary, before Jesus began his public ministry. For this reason, St. Joseph is also the patron saint of a holy death.
More information can be found here.

Naw-Ruz (The Bahá’í Faith)
2025-03-19 - 2025-03-20
Baha’i New Year coincides with spring equinox. Ancient Persian festival celebrating “new day”. For Bahai’s it marks end of the annual 19 day Fast. End of Fast and is all day on March 20.
Holiday Greeting: Happy Naw Ruz or Happy New Year

Explanation of the Baha’i calendar. Baha’i dates begin and end at sunset. Also, the first day of each month is the Feast Day (starts in the evening). The Baha’i calendar isn’t aligned with either the Gregorian or the lunar calendar.

http://– https://www.bahai.us/events/holy-days/

Ostara – Spring Equinox (Pagan)
2025-03-20
Spring Equinox or Ostara is celebrated March 21st or 22nd. At the spring equinox, the hours of daylight are exactly equal to the hours of night. It is the middle of spring. This holiday celebrates the blooming of the earth. It was named after the German goddess of spring, Ostara, known to the Anglo Saxons as Eostre, whose symbols were the egg, the rabbit, and the chick.
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Jamshedi Navroze (Parsi Zoroastrian)
2025-03-20
The spring equinox festival celebrated by Parsi Zoroastrians with family and friends. Celebrations may also include the Sofreh-e-Haft Seen table.
Holiday Greeting: Navroze Mubarak
Children may miss school to celebrate with families
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Feast of Baha / Splendor (Baha'i)
2025-03-20

Nowruz (Zoroastrian / Persian New Year)
2025-03-21
The arrival of spring is celebrated by the coming together of family in new clothes. Weeks before Nowruz, homes are given a spring cleaning and festive foods are prepared. Also, the Sofreh-e-Haft Seen table is set up.
(what follows is included in the detailed description)
The Seen table is laid out with seven foods each beginning with the letter “S”: Sabzeh (growing sprouts of wheat symbolizing rebirt); Samanoo (a wheat pudding signifying rejuvenation); Seeb (apples symbolizing fruit of the earth); Seer (garlic for health); Senjed (lotus fruit represeting love and Beauty); Serkeh (vinegar for age and patience) and Somagh (orange sumac berries symbolizing sunrise which banishes the darkness). Other items on the table include a mirror, candles, painted eggs, a bowl of water, goldfish, coins, hyacinth, pastries and a religious book.
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Holiday Greeting: Happy New Year or Nowruz Mubarak
Children may miss school to celebrate with families

Khordad Sal (Parsi Zoroastrian)
2025-03-26
Birth anniversary of Zarathushtra (Zoroaster), the founder of Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrians gather in Fire temples for prayers and then celebrate with a family feast.
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Ramadan Ends (Islam)
2025-03-30
This marks the the holy month where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for 30 days abstaining from food and drinks.
More Information
Holiday Greeting: Ramadan Mubarak
There are evening prayers that some students may attend at the mosque during this month. Mostly middle and high school students will be fasting.

Eid al-Fitr (Islam)
2025-03-30 - 2025-03-31
This holiday marks the end of Ramadan, the fasting month. It is a time of celebration and thankfulness of the self control practiced during the month.
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Holiday Greeting: “Eid Mubarak! (Happy Eid)”
Students will miss school to attend congregational prayers at the mosque and celebrate the holiday with their families/friends.

Feast of Jalal / Glory (Baha'i)
2025-04-07 - 2025-04-08
Wherever they live, Baha’is gather every 19 days for what we call a Feast. Observance begins at midnight on April 7th. This is a members-only event comprising three parts:
1. A spiritual portion that’s the time for prayer and reflection;
2. A business portion for consultation about administrative issues (plans for forming classes, organizing to perform community service, observing holy days, or any ideas or projects community members wish to discuss. It’s also a time when local members can ask their Local Assembly to forward their concerns to the National Assembly;
3. A social portion that can consist of anything from just glasses of water to a full-course dinner.

Jashan-e Fravardegan (Zoroastrian)
2025-04-08
Jashan-e Fravardegan is a celebration ceremony, a Jashan, performed on Fravardin day of
Fravardin month, in honor of fravashis, the souls of all the righteous people who have ever lived in our world. In Zoroastrianism, we have special prayers dedicated to honoring and remembering with respect and love the souls of our beloved departed as well as all the righteous souls in the universe.
Righteous people with their righteous actions throughout their lives help in progressing our world further. Hence, in this Jashan especially, we show our respect to all such righteous souls who have helped in the progress of our world so far, and we seek their blessings so we too can follow in their footsteps and perform righteous actions to further the progress of our world in our lifetime.
