East of England Faiths Council

Calendar

This calendar of the major religious festivals in 2011 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. The 2011 calendar is available as two pages of A4.

January 2011
5	Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh	Sikh
6	Epiphany	Christian
13	Maghi	Sikh
14	Makar Sankrant	Hindu
16	World Religion Day
18	Week of Prayer for Christian Unity	Christian
19	Shahrevar roj Parab	Zoroastrian
19 - 21	Mahayana New Year	Buddhist
20	Tu Bishvat	Jewish
27	Holocaust Memorial Day
30	Jashn-e Sadeh	Zoroastrian
31	Birthday of Guru Har Rai	Sikh
February 2011
8	Parinirvana — Nirvana Day	Buddhist
8	Vasant Panchami	Hindu
15	Nirvana Day (alternative date)	Buddhist
15	Milad un Nabi (Prophet’s Birthday)	Islam
18	Magha Puja	Buddhist
20	Milad un Nabi (Shia)	Islam
26 - Mar 1	Intercalary Days (Preparation for Fast)	Baha’i
March 2011
2	Meher roj Parab	Zoroastrian
2 - 20	Fasting Period	Baha’i
3	Mahashivratri	Hindu
5	Losar (3 days)	Buddhist
9	Ash Wednesday	Christian
13	Lent	Christian
17	Fast of Esther	Jewish
19	Magha Puja (Sangha Day)	Ther Budd
19	Holi	Hindu
20	Hola Mohalla (3 days)	Sikh
20	Purim	Jewish
20	Hamaspathmaedaya	Zoroastrian
21	Naw-Ruz (New Year)	Baha’i
21	Sushan Purim	Jewish
21	Jamsheedi NoRuz	Zoroastrian
26	Aadinath Jayanti	Jain
26	Khordad Sal	Zoroastrian
26	Ava roj Parab	Zoroastrian
April 2011
3	Mothering Sunday	Christian
4	Bikarami Samvat — Varsha Pratipada	Hindu
12	Rama Navami	Hindu
12	Swaminarayan Jayanti	Hindu
13	Vaisakhi (Baisakhi)	Sikh
16	Mahavira Jayanti	Jain
17	Palm Sunday	Christian
18	Theravada New Year	Ther Buddhist
18	Hanuman Jayanti	Hindu
18	First night of Passover (Fast of the Firstborn)	Jewish
18	Birthday of Guru Angad Dev	Sikh
18	Birthday of Guru Tegh Bahadur	Sikh
19 - 20	First and Second Day of Pesach (Passover)	Jewish
21 -24	Intermediate Days of Pesach	Jewish
21	First Day of Ridvan (12 day Festival)	Baha’i
21	Maundy Thursday	Christian
22	Good Friday	Christian
24	Easter Sunday	Christian
24	Adar roj Parab	Zoroastrian
25 - 26	Seventh and Eighth Days of Pesach (Passover)	Jewish
29	Ninth Day of Ridvan	Baha’i
May 2011
1	Yom Hashoah	Jewish
2	Last Day of Ridvan	Baha’i
2	Birthday of Guru Arjan Dev	Sikh
6	Akhatrij (Akshay Tritiya)	Jain
9	Yom HaZikaron	Jewish
10	Yom Ha’Atzma’ut	Jewish
16	Dae Mah Roj Hormazd	Zoroastrian
17	Vesak or Buddha Day	Buddhist
22	Lag B’Omer	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
June 2011
1	Yom Yerushalayim	Jewish
2	Ascension of Christ	Christian
8 - 9	Shavuot	Jewish
12	Pentecost — Whit Sunday	Christian
16	Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev	Sikh
16	Bahman roj Parab	Zoroastrian
19	Trinity Sunday	Christian
28	Lailat al Miraj	Islam
July 2011
1	Jashn-e Tirgan	Zoroastrian
5	Birthday of Guru Hargobind	Sikh
9	Martyrdom of the Bab	Baha’i
15	Asala — Dharma Day	Buddhist
15	Lailatul-Bara’at	Islam
19	Fast of Tammuz	Jewish
19	Aspandarmad roj Parab	Zoroastrian
20	Qadimi Navroze	Zoroastrian
23	Birthday of Guru Har Krishen	Sikh
25	Khordad Sal (Qadimi)	Zoroastrian
31	Ramadan (start)	Islam
August 2011
9	Tisha B’Av	Jewish
9 - 18	Muktads	Zoroastrian
13	Raksha Bandhan	Hindu
15	Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	Christian
19	Shahenshai Navroze	Zoroastrian
22	Janmashtami (Krishna Janma)	Hindu
24	Khordad Sal	Zoroastrian
26	Lailatul-Qadr	Islam
26	Digambara Paryushan (10 days)	Jain
30	Eid-Ul-Fitr (End of Ramadan)	Islam
September 2011
1	Ganesh Chaturthi	Hindu
6	Fravardin roj Parab	Zoroastrian
20	Ardibehest roj Parab	Zoroastrian
28	Navaratri (9 nights)	Hindu
29 - 30	Rosh Hashanah	Jewish
October 2011
1	Fast of Gedaliah	Jewish
1	Jashn-e Mehergan	Zoroastrian
3	Saraswati Puja	Hindu
6	Dussera	Hindu
8	Yom Kippur	Jewish
9	Birthday of Guru Ram Das	Sikh
13 - 14	First and Second Days of Sukkot	Jewish
15 - 19	Intermediate Days of Sukkot	Jewish
20	Birth of the Bab	Baha’i
20	Shemini Atzeret	Jewish
20	Guru Granth Sahibji	Sikh
21	Simchat Torah	Jewish
23	Khordad roj Parab	Zoroastrian
26	Diwali	Hindu
26	Diwali	Jain
26	Diwali	Sikh
27	New Year Day	Hindu
27	New Year Day	Jain
31	Gyan-Panchami (Laabh Pancham)	Jain
November 2011
1	All Saints’ Day	Christian
2	All Souls’ Day	Christian
5	Hajj	Islam
6	Eid-Ul-Adha	Islam
10	Kartiki Poonam — Patta Darsham	Jain
10	Birthday of Guru Nanak	Sikh
12	Birth of Baha’u’llah	Baha’i
24	Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur	Sikh
26	Day of the Covenant	Baha’i
26	Al-Hijira (Islamic New Year)	Islam
27	Advent Sunday	Christian
28	Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha	Baha’i
29	Tir roj Parab	Zoroastrian
December 2011
5	Ashura	Islam
8	Bodhi Day	Buddhist
20	Shab-e Yalda	Zoroastrian
21	First Day of Hanukkah	Jewish
23	Amardad Parab	Zoroastrian
25	Christmas Day	Christian
26	Zarthost-no-Diso	Zoroastrian

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Baha’i

Commerce is suspended on the following days: the three holy days of the Festival of Ridvan, Naw Ruz, Birth of the Bab, Declaration of the Bab, Martyrdom of the Bab, Birth of Baha’u’llah, and Ascension of Baha’u’llah.

Buddhism

The nearest Sunday to each of the five main festivals is a no-work day. Differing Buddhist traditions may use alternative days from those shown here.

Christian

Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day are no-work days. Sunday is the most important day for worship; acts of worship can also take place on other days of the week.

Hindu

Most Hindus will make the following a no-work day: Janmashtami, Diwali and Hindu New Year.

Islam

Believers are expected to observe sacred days of Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha. Friday is the day for services of prayer and instruction — usually at about noon. The beginning of each Islamic month is subject to confirmation of successful sighting of the new moon.

Judaism

No work is to be done on the Shabbat, which begins at dusk on Friday and ends after dark on Saturday, or on major holidays, which begin at dusk the evening before and end after dark on the day. The major holidays are the first two and last two days of Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the first two days of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah.

Sikh

There are no specific no-work days, but most Sikhs will take a day off on the birthday of Guru Nanak.

Zoroastrian

Most Zoroastrians would make the following a no work day: Jamsheedi NoRuz, Shahenshai Navroze and some Zoroastrians would also take time off for Muktads.