DATES OF RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	OBSERVANCE	RELIGIONS	
							
Jan. 01	Jan. 01	Jan. 01	Jan. 01	Jan. 01	Feast of St. Basil	Eastern Orthodox	
Jan. 01	Jan. 01	Jan. 01	Jan. 01	Jan. 01	Solemnity of Mary	Catholic	
Jan. 05	Jan. 05	Jan. 05	Jan. 05	Jan. 05	Eve of Epiphany	Eastern Orthodox	
Jan. 06	Jan. 06	Jan. 06	Jan. 06	Jan. 06	Epiphany	Christian	
Jan. 16	Jan. 16	Jan. 16	Jan. 16	Jan. 16	Shinran Shonin Memorial Day	Buddhist	
Jan. 22	Jan. 10 Dec. 31	Dec. 20	Dec. 09	Nov. 27	Ramadan	Islamic	
Feb. 02	Feb. 02	Feb. 02	Feb. 02	Feb. 02	Presentation of Christ	Eastern Orthodox	
Feb. 04	Feb. 16	Feb. 08	Jan. 31	Feb. 20	Triodion begins	Eastern Orthodox	
Feb. 04	Feb. 02	Feb. 08	Feb. 07	Feb. 06	Scout Sunday	Christian	
Feb. 05	Jan. 23	Feb. 11	No data	No data	Tu B'Shvat 	Jewish	
Feb. 10	Feb. 08	Feb. 14	Feb. 13	Feb. 14	Scout Sabbath	Jewish	
Feb. 15	Feb. 15	Feb. 15	Feb. 15	Feb. 15	Nirvana Day	Buddhist	
Feb. 17	Mar. 01	Feb. 21	Feb. 13	Mar. 04	1st Saturday of Souls	Eastern Orthodox	
Feb. 18	Mar. 02	Feb. 21	Feb. 14	Mar. 05	Meat Fare	Eastern Orthodox	
Feb. 20	Feb. 09	Jan. 29	Jan. 19	Jan. 08	Eid-el-fitr	Islamic	
Feb. 21	Feb. 12	Feb. 25	Feb. 17	Mar. 08	Ash Wednesday	Christian 	
Mar. 04	Mar. 20	Mar. 11	No data	No data	Ta'anis Ester [Fast of Ester]	Jewish 	
Mar. 05	Mar. 23	Mar. 12	Mar. 02	Mar. 21	Purim	Jewish 	
Feb. 21	Feb. 09	Jan. 30	No data	No data	Shawwal	Islamic	
Feb. 24	Mar. 08	Feb. 28	Feb. 20	Mar. 11	2nd Saturday of Souls	Eastern Orthodox	
Feb. 26	Mar. 10	Mar. 02	Feb. 22	Mar. 13	Orthodox Lent Begins	Eastern Orthodox	
Mar. 02	Mar. 15	Mar. 07	Feb. 27	Mar. 18	3rd Saturday of Souls	Eastern Orthodox	
Mar. 03	Mar. 16	Mar. 08	Feb. 28	Mar. 19	Sunday of Orthodoxy	Eastern Orthodox	
Mar. 04-05	Mar. 22-23	Mar 11-12	Mar. 01-02	Mar. 20-21	Purim	Jewish	
Mar. 21	Mar. 21	Mar. 21	Mar. 21	Mar. 21	Higan E	Buddhist	
Mar. 21	Mar. 10	Feb. 27	No data	No data	Dhu-i-Hijja - Pilgramage	Islamic	
Mar. 25	Mar. 25	Mar. 25	Mar. 25	Mar. 25	Annunciation of the Virgin Mary	Eastern Orthodox	
Mar. 31	Mar. 23	Apr. 05	Mar. 28	Apr. 16	Palm Sunday	Christian 	
Apr. 04-11	Apr. 22-29	Apr. 11-18	Apr. 01-08	Apr. 20-27	Pesach (Passover)	Jewish	
Apr. 04	Mar. 27	Apr. 09	Apr. 02	Apr. 20	Maundy Thursday	Christian 	
Apr. 05	Mar. 28	Apr. 10	Apr. 03	Apr. 21	Good Friday	Christian 	
Apr. 06	Apr. 19	Apr. 11	Apr. 03	Apr. 22	Saturday of Lazarus	Eastern Orthodox	
Apr. 07	Mar. 30	Apr. 12	Apr. 04	Apr. 23	Easter Sunday	Christian	
Apr. 07	Apr. 20	Apr. 12	Apr. 04	Apr. 23	Orthodox Palm Sunday	Eastern Orthodox 	
Apr. 08	Apr. 08	Apr. 08	Apr. 08	Apr. 08	Buddha Day	Buddhist	
Apr. 12	Apr. 25	Apr. 17	Apr. 09	Apr. 28	Orthodox Holy Friday	Eastern Orthodox	
Apr. 14	Apr. 27	Apr. 19	Apr. 11	Apr. 30	Orthodox Easter	Eastern Orthodox	
Apr. 20	Apr. 09	Mar. 30	No data	No data	Dhu-i-Hijja - Feast of Sacrifice	Islamic	
Apr. 27	Apr. 16	Apr. 06	Mar. 27	Mar. 15	Day of Arafah	Islamic	
Apr. 28	Apr. 17	Apr. 07	Mar. 28	Mar. 16	Eid-al-adha	Islamic	

DATES OF RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	OBSERVANCE	RELIGIONS	
							
May 07	May 25	May 14	May 04	May 23	Lag B'Omer	Jewish	
May 15	May 15	May 15	May 15	May 15	Aaronic Priesthood Commemoration	Church of Jesus
Christ of LDS	
May 16	May 08	May 21	May 13	Jun 01	Ascension Day	Christian 	
May 19	May 09	Apr. 28	Apr. 17	Apr. 06	Muharram	Islamic	
May 21	May 21	May 21	May 21	May 21	Shinran Shonin Day	Buddhist	
May 23	Jun. 05	May 28	May 22	Jun .08	Orthodox Ascension Day	Eastern Orthodox	
May 24-25	Jun. 11-12	May 31-01	May 21-22	Jun. 08-10	Shavout	Jewish	
May 26	May 18	May 31			Pentacost	Christian	
May 27	May 17	May 06	Apr. 26	Apr. 15	Day of Ashura	Islamic	
Jun. 01	Jun. 14	Jun. 06	May 29	Jun. 17	Saturday of Souls	Eastern Orthodox	
Jun. 02	Jun. 15	Jun. 07	May 30	Jun. 18	Trinity Sunday	Christian 	
Jun. 02	Jun. 15	Jun. 07	May 30	Jun. 18	Orthodox Pentacost	Eastern Orthodox	
Jun. 09	Jun. 22	Jun. 14	Jun 06	Jun. 25	Orthodox All Saints Day	Eastern Orthodox	
Jul. 04	Jul. 22	Jul. 12	No data	No data	Fast of the 17th of Tammuz	Jewish 	
Jul. 15	Jul. 15	Jul. 15	Jul. 15	Jul. 15	Obon	Buddhist	
Jul. 24-25	Aug. 11-12	Aug. 01-02	Jul. 21-22	Aug. 09-10	Tishah-b’Av	Jewish	
Jul. 25	Aug. 12	Aug. 02	Jul. 22	Aug. 10	Fast of the 9th of Av	Jewish 	
Jul. 28	Jul. 17	Jul. 06	Jun. 26	Jun. 15	Prophet’s Birth	Islamic	
Aug. 1-14	Aug. 1-14	Aug. 1-14	Aug. 1-14	Aug. 1-14	Feast of the Virgin Mary	Eastern Orthodox	
Aug. 06	Aug. 06	Aug. 06	Aug. 06	Aug. 06	Transfiguration of Christ	Eastern Orthodox	
Aug. 09	Aug. 09	Aug. 09	No data	No data	Mawlid al-Nabi	Islamic 	
Aug. 15	Aug. 15	Aug. 15	Aug. 15	Aug. 15	Feast of the Assumption	Catholic	
Aug. 15	Aug. 15	Aug. 15	Aug. 15	Aug. 15	Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary	Eastern Orthodox	
Aug. 29	Aug. 29	Aug. 29	Aug. 29	Aug. 29	Beheading of John the Baptist	Eastern Orthodox	
Sep. 01	Sep. 01	Sep. 01	Sep. 01	Sep. 01	Founding Day in America	Buddhist	
Sep. 08	Sep. 08	Sep. 08	Sep. 08	Sep. 08	Nativity of the Virgin Mary	Eastern Orthodox	
Sep. 14	Sep. 14	Sep. 14	Sep. 14	Sep. 14	Exaltation of the Holy Cross	Eastern Orthodox	
Sep. 14-15	Oct. 02-03	Sep. 21-22	Sep. 11-12	Sep. 30 - Oct. 01	Rosh Hashanah	Jewish 	
Sep. 16	Oct. 05	Sep. 23	Sep. 13	Oct. 02	Fast of Gedalya	Jewish 	
Sep. 23	Oct. 11	Sep. 30	Sep. 20	Oct. 09	Yom Kippur	Jewish	
Sep. 23	Sep. 23	Sep. 23	Sep. 23	Sep. 23	Higan	Buddhist	
Sep. 28-04	Oct. 16-23	Oct. 05-12	Sep. 25 - Oct. 01	Oct. 14-15	Sukkot	Jewish 	
Oct. 05-06	Oct. 24-25	Oct. 13-14	Oct. 02-03	Oct. 16-17	Shmini Atzeret	Jewish 	
Nov. 01	Nov. 01	Nov. 01	Nov. 01	Nov. 01	All Saint's Day	Christian 	
Nov. 12	Nov. 02	Oct. 22	Oct. 11	Sep. 30	Rajab	Islamic 	
Nov. 21	Nov. 21	Nov. 21	Nov. 21	Nov. 21	Presentation of the Virgin Mary	Eastern Orthodox	

DATES OF RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	OBSERVANCE	RELIGIONS	
							
Dec. 01	Nov. 30	Dec. 06			First Sunday of Advent	Christian 	
Dec. 6-13	Dec. 24-31	Dec. 14-21	Dec. 03-10	Dec. 22-29	Hanukkah	Jewish 	
Dec. 08	Dec. 08	Dec. 08	Dec. 08	Dec. 08	Bodhi Day	Buddhist	
Dec. 08	Dec. 08	Dec. 08	Dec. 08	Dec. 08	Immaculate Conception	Catholic	
Dec. 08	Nov. 27	Nov. 16	Nov. 05	Oct. 25	Isra and Ma’raj	Islamic	
Dec. 25	Dec. 25	Dec. 25	Dec. 25	Dec. 25	Christmas Day	Christian 	
Dec. 20	Jan. 08	Dec. 29	Dec. 18	Jan. 06	Fast of the 10th of Tevet	Jewish 	

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Depending on an individual’s religious affiliation, there may be certain dates and religious observances that must be adhered to by the individual.  This calendar is provided in an effort in helping you, the leader, become aware of religious diversity.  

EASTERN ORTHODOX DATES:

According to the Eastern Orthodox Church calendar, the day begins after evening vespers at sunset and concludes with vespers on the following day. For this reason the observence of all Eastern Orthodox holy days begins at sunset on the evening before the holy day.  

ISLAMIC DATES:

The Islamic calendar begins with Muharram.  All Islamic dates are subject to sightings of the moon and as a result, an event may be one day earlier or later than the date listed.  

JEWISH DATES:

Jewish holidays begin at sundown of the first date listed and end at nightfall of the last date listed.  A religious institution has the option of celebrating Scout Sunday or Scout Sabbath at its discretion.   For example, the United Methodist Church always celebrates Scout Sunday on the second Sunday in February.