This calendar of the major religious festivals in 2009 has been produced by the East of England Faiths Council based on information from representatives of the nine faiths currently in membership. The faiths involved have selected the dates and other information they wish to share, with the purpose of assisting the planning of meetings and consultations.

The practice of no-work days varies within faiths and from culture to culture: some basic guidelines can be found beside the calendar.

We’ve also prepared this calendar in a form suitable for downloading and printing. This is available as two pages of A4 or one page of A3.

January 2009
5		Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh	Sikh
6		Epiphany	Christian
6		Fast of Ten of Tevet	Jewish
7		Ashura (Shia)	Islam
11		Mahayana New Year	Buddhist
13	–14	Maghi	Sikh
14		Makar Sankrant	Hindu
18		World Religion Day	Baha’i
19		Shahrevar roj Parab	Zoroastrian
27		Losar (3 days)	Buddhist
27		Holocaust Memorial Day	Jewish
29		Jashn-e Sadeh	Zoroastrian
31		Vasant Panchami	Hindu
31		Birthday of Guru Har Rai	Sikh
February 2009
8		Parinirvana — Nirvana Day	Buddhist
9		Tu Bishvat	Jewish
15		Nirvana Day (alternative date)	Buddhist
23		Mahashivratri	Hindu
25		Ash Wednesday	Christian
25		Lent	Christian
26	–Mar 1	Intercalary Days (Preparation for Fast)	Baha’i
March 2009
2	–20	Nineteen Day Feast (Fasting Period)	Baha’i
2		Meher roj Parab	Zoroastrian
9		Milad un Nabi (Prophet’s Birthday)	Islam
9		Fast of Esther	Jewish
11		Holi	Hindu
11		Sushan Purim	Jewish
11		Hola Mohalla (3 days)	Sikh
11		Magha Puja (Sangha Day)	Ther Budd
14		Milad un Nabi (Shia)	Islam
19		Aadinath Jayanti	Jain
20		Hamaspathmaedaya	Zoroastrian
21		Naw-Ruz (New Year)	Baha’i
21		Jamsheedi NoRuz	Zoroastrian
22		Mothering Sunday	Christian
26		Khordad Sal	Zoroastrian
26		Ava roj Parab	Zoroastrian
27		Bikarami Samvat — Varsha Pratipada	Hindu
April 2009
3		Rama Navami	Hindu
5		Palm Sunday	Christian
7		Mahavira Jayanti	Jain
8		Fast of the Firstborn	Jewish
9		Maundy Thursday	Christian
9		Hanuman Jayanti	Hindu
9		Chaitri Poonam — Patta Darsham	Jain
9	–10	First and Second Day of Pesach (Passover)	Jewish
10		Good Friday	Christian
11	–14	Intermediate Days of Pesach	Jewish
12		Easter Sunday	Christian
14		Vaisakhi (Baisakhi)	Sikh
15	–16	Seventh and Eighth Days of Pesach (Passover)	Jewish
18		Birthday of Guru Angad Dev	Sikh
18		Birthday of Guru Tegh Bahadur	Sikh
21		First Day of Ridvan (12 day Festival)	Baha’i
21		Yom Hashoah	Jewish
24		Adar roj Parab	Zoroastrian
27		Akhatrij (Akshay Tritiya)	Jain
28		Yom HaZikaron	Jewish
29		Ninth Day of Ridvan	Baha’i
29		Yom Ha’Atzma’ut	Jewish
May 2009
2		Last Day of Ridvan	Baha’i
2		Birthday of Guru Arjan Dev	Sikh
9		Vesak or Buddha Day	Buddhist
9		Theravada New Year	Ther Buddhist
12		Lag B’Omer	Jewish
16		Dae Mah Roj Hormazd	Zoroastrian
21		Ascension of Christ	Christian
22		Shantinath Jayanti	Jain
22		Yom Yerushalayim	Jewish
23		Declaration of the Bab	Baha’i
23		Birthday of Guru Amar Das	Sikh
26		Zarthosht-no-Diso	Zoroastrian
29		Ascension of Baha’u’llah	Baha’i
29		Shavuot	Jewish
31		Pentecost — Whit Sunday	Christian
June 2009
7		Trinity Sunday	Christian
16		Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev	Sikh
16		Bahman roj Parab	Zoroastrian
July 2009
1		Jashn-e Tirgan	Zoroastrian
5		Birthday of Guru Hargobind	Sikh
7		Asala — Dharma Day	Buddhist
9		Martyrdom of the Bab	Baha’i
9		Fast of 17th Tammuz	Jewish
19		Lailat al-Isra wa Al Miraj	Islam
19		Aspandarmad roj Parab	Zoroastrian
23		Birthday of Guru Har Krishen	Sikh
30		Tisha B’Av	Jewish
August 2009
5		Raksha Bandhan	Hindu
5		Lailatul-Bara’at	Islam
9	–18	Muktads	Zoroastrian
14		Janmashtami (Krishna Janma)	Hindu
16		Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	Christian
17		Digambara Paryushan (10 days)	Jain
19		Shahenshai Navroze	Zoroastrian
22		Ramadan (start)	Islam
23		Ganesh Chaturthi	Hindu
24		Khordad Sal	Zoroastrian
September 2009
6		Fravardin roj Parab	Zoroastrian
15		Lailatul-Qadr	Islam
19		Navaratri (9 nights)	Hindu
19	–20	Rosh Hashanah	Jewish
20		Eid-Ul-Fitr (End of Ramadan)	Islam
20		Ardibehest roj Parab	Zoroastrian
21		Fast of Gedeliah	Jewish
28		Dussera	Hindu
28		Yom Kippur	Jewish
30	–Oct 1	Rosh Hashanah	Jewish
October 2009
1		Jashn-e Mehergan	Zoroastrian
3	–4	First and Second Days of Sukkot	Jewish
5	–9	Intermediate Days of Sukkot	Jewish
9		Birthday of Guru Ram Das	Sikh
10		Shemini Atzeret	Jewish
11		Simchat Torah	Jewish
17		Diwali	Hindu
17		Diwali	Jain
17		Diwali	Sikh
18		New Year Day/Annakut Mahotsav	Hindu
18		New Year Day	Jain
20		Birth of the Bab	Baha’i
20		Guru Granth Sahibji	Sikh
23		Gyan-Panchami (Laabh Pancham)	Jain
23		Khordad roj Parab	Zoroastrian
November 2009
1		All Saints’ Day	Christian
2		Sangha Day (alternative date)	Buddhist
2		All Souls’ Day	Christian
2		Kartiki Poonam — Patta Darsham	Jain
2		Birthday of Guru Nanak	Sikh
12		Birth of the Baha’u’llah	Baha’i
24		Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur	Sikh
25		Hajj	Islam
26		Day of the Covenant	Baha’i
26		Yaum al Arafah	Islam
27		Eid-Ul-Adha	Islam
28		Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha	Baha’i
29		Advent Sunday	Christian
29		Tir roj Parab	Zoroastrian
December 2009
8		Bodhi Day	Buddhist
11		Parchvanath Jayanti	Jain
12		First Day of Hanukkah	Jewish
18		Al-Hijira (Islamic New Year)	Islam
20		Shab-e Yalda	Zoroastrian
23		Amardad Parab	Zoroastrian
25		Christmas Day	Christian
26		Zarthost-no-Diso	Zoroastrian
27		Ashura	Islam