RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS:
Policy and Calendar
Below find a memo sent from the University Provost and the University
Chaplain to all entering students explaining Lehigh University's "Accommodation
Policy" regarding religious holidays. A calendar of religious holidays
follows the policy statement.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
Lehigh University seeks to extend hospitality to all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic or social background. Diversity is valued at Lehigh, and the University is committed to assuring that all persons who enter this community are welcomed and respected.
People from a wide variety of religious traditions live and work at Lehigh, and over the years the University has developed policies that respect this diversity. Because Lehigh is non-sectarian and is not affiliated with any particular religious tradition, respect for religious life means that the University does not privilege one religious tradition over another. The University acknowledges that religious practices differ from tradition to tradition and that the demands of religious observance in some traditions may cause conflicts with student and work schedules. Like many other colleges and universities, Lehigh has adopted a policy to accommodate those who encounter conflicts between the demands of religious observance and the demands of work or study. This "accommodation policy" acknowledges the right of those who live and work and study at Lehigh to engage in religious observances, and the University is pledged to honor the exercise of that right.
This accommodation policy is particularly important with respect to religious holidays. The University publishes major religious holidays in its official calendar to alert faculty so that as they prepare their syllabi, they will not plan exams or other major course events on these dates. But not all holidays are published, and occasionally students who inform a faculty member that they will be absent from class due to religious observances will encounter a difficulty, perhaps with a new faculty member or a graduate teaching assistant who has not been fully informed about the religious accommodation policy. These problems are all resolvable. The university policy is to support the student who requests an absence due to the demands of religious observance. Of course, nothing in this policy exempts a student from meeting course requirements or completing assignments, so the student will have to negotiate with the instructor any make-up work.
If you encounter a schedule conflict with your course work due to the demands of religious observance, here is what you should do:
1. Talk with your instructor and indicate that you will be absent from class due to observance of religious holidays.
2. Arrange with the instructor to complete assignments.
3. If you run into difficulties, including a refusal to grant you an excused absence, please call the University Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd Steffen, at x83877 or e-mail him at lhs1. The Chaplain will speak with the faculty person, explain the accommodation policy adopted by the University and enforced by the Provost, and work to resolve any difficulties.
Religious holidays are posted on the Chaplain's web page at http://www.lehigh.edu/~incha/holidays.html
__________________________________
__________________________________
Mohamed S. El-Aasser Lloyd Steffen
Provost
University Chaplain
Religious Holidays
SPRING 2008
| JANUARY 2008 | ||
| 1 | Mary, Mother of God | Catholic |
| Feast of St. Basil | Orthodox Christian | |
| Gantan-sai (New Years) | Shinto | |
| 5 | Twelfth Night | Christian |
| Guru Gobindh Singh birthday | Sikh | |
| 6 | Epiphany | Christian |
| Feast of the Theophany | Orthodox Christian | |
| Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings) | Christian | |
| 7 | Feast of the Nativity | Orthodox Christian |
| 10 | Muharram (New Year) * | Islam |
| 13 | Maghi | Sikh |
| Baptism of the Lord Jesus | Christian | |
| 14 | Maghi | Sikh |
| 17 | Blessing of the Animals | Hispanic Christian |
| 18-25 | Week of Prayer for Christian Unity | Christian |
| 19 | Ashura* | |
| 20 | World Religion Day * | Baha'i |
| 22 | Tu B'shvat | Jewish |
| 22-25 | Mahayana New Year | Buddhist |
| 25 | Conversion of Saint Paul | Christian |
| Islam | ||
| FEBRUARY 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lammas (Southern Hemisphere) | Christian |
| 2 | Candlemas | Christian |
| Imbolc* | Wicca/Neo Pagan northern hemisphere | |
| Lughnassad* | Wicca/Neo Pagan southern hemisphere | |
| 3 | Four Chaplain's Sunday | Interfaith |
| Transfiguration Sunday | Christian | |
| 5 | Shrove Tuesday | Christian |
| 6 | Ash Wednesday - Lent Begins | Christian |
| 7 | Chinese New Year | Confucian/Daoist/Buddhist |
| 11 | Vasant Panchami ** | Hindu |
| 14 | St. Valentine's Day | Christian |
| 15 | Nirvana Day ** | Buddhist |
| 17 | Triodion | Orthodox Christian |
| 26-March 1st | Intercalary Days * | Baha'i |
| MARCH 2008 | ||
| 1 | Saturday of Souls | Orthodox Christian |
| St. David of Wales | Christian | |
| 2 | Meatfare Sunday | Orthodox Christian |
| 6 | Maha Shivaratri ** | Hindu |
| 9 | Cheesefare Sunday | Orthodox Christian |
| Passion Sunday ** | Christian | |
| 10 | Lent Begins - Clean Monday | Orthodox Christian |
| 16 | Palm/Passion Sunday | Christian |
| Orthodox Sunday | Orthodox Christian | |
| 17 | St. Patrick's Day | Christian |
| 20 | Mawlid an Nabi * | Islam |
| Ostara Vernal Equinox * | Wicca northern hemisphere | |
| Mabon* | Wicca southern hemisphere | |
| Maundy Thursday | Christian | |
| 21 | Good Friday | Christian |
| Purim * | Jewish | |
| Norouz (New Year) | Persian/Zoroastrain | |
| Naw Ruz (New Year) * | Baha'i | |
| Mugha Puja ** | Buddhist | |
| 22 | Holi ** | Hindu |
| Hola Mohalla | Sikh | |
| 23 | Easter | Christian |
| 25 | Annunciation of the Virgin Mary | Christian |
| 26 | Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zaranhushtra) | Zoroastrain |
| APRIL 2008 | ||
| 6 | New Year ** | Hindu |
| 6-14 | Ramayana ** | Hindu |
| 13 | Baisakhi | Sikh |
| 14 | Ramanavami ** | Hindu |
| Baisakhi | Sikh | |
| 19 | Lazarus Saturday | Orthodox Christian |
| 20 | Hanuman Jayanti ** | Hindu |
| Palm Sunday | Orthodox Christian | |
| 20-23 | Theravadin New Year** | Buddhist |
| 20-21 | Pesach (Passover) First Two Days | Jewish |
| 21 | Ridvan begins * | Baha'i |
| 23 | St. George's Day | Christian |
| 24-26 | Pesach (Passover) final two days | Jewish |
| 25 | Holy Friday | Orthodox Christian |
| 27 | Easter/Pascha | Orthodox Christian |
| 30 | St. Jamrs the Great Day | Orthodox Christian |
| MAY 2008 | ||
| 1 | Beltane* | Wicca (northern hemisphere) |
| Samhain* | Wicca (southern hemisphere) | |
| Ascension of Christ | Christian | |
| 2 | Yom HaSho'ah * | Jewish |
| 8 | Yom Ha'Atzmaut * | Jewish |
| 11 | Pentecost | Christian |
| 18 | Trinity Sunday | Christian |
| 20 | Buddha Day - Visakha Puja ** | Buddhist |
| 22 | Corpus Christi | Catholic Christian |
| 23 | Declaration of the Bab * | Baha'i |
| 29 | Ascension of Baha'u'llah | Baha'i |
| 30 | Sacred Heart of Jesus | Catholic Christian |
| 31 | Lag B'Omer * | Jewish |
| JUNE 2008 | ||
| 4 | Pentecost | Christian |
| 4 | Ascension of Jesus | Orthodox Christian |
| 9 | St. Columba of Iona | Christian |
| 9-10 | Shavuot * | Jewish |
| 11 | Trinity | Christian |
| 15 | Corpus Christi | Catholic Christian |
| Pentecost | Orthodox Christian | |
| 16 | Guru Arjan Dev martyrdom | Sikh |
| 19 | New Church Day | Swedenborgian Christian |
| 21 | First Nations Day | Canadian Native People |
| Litha* | Wicca (northern hemisphere) | |
| Yule* | Wicca (southern hemisphere) | |
| 22 | All Saints | Orthodox Christian |
| 23 | Sacred Heart of Jesus | Catholic Christian |
| 29 | Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul | Christian |
| JULY 2008 | ||
| 9 | Martyrdom of the Ba'b* | Baha'i |
| 11 | St. Benedict Day | Catholic Christian |
| 13-16 | Obon (Ulambana)** | Buddhist |
| 18 | Asalha Puja Day - Dharma Day ** | Buddhist |
| 24 | Pioneer Day | Mormom Christian |
| 25 | St. James the Great Day | Christian |
| 31 | Lailat al Miraj * | Islam |
FALL 2008
| AUGUST 2008 | ||
| 1 | Lammas | Christian |
| Fast in honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus | Orthodox Christian | |
| 2 | Lughnassad* | Wicca (northern hemisphere) |
| Imbolc* | Wicca (southern hemisphere) | |
| 6 | Transfiguration of The Lord | Orthodox Christian |
| 10 | Tisha B'Av * | Jewish |
| 15 | Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary | Catholic Christian |
| Dormition of the Theotokos | Orthodox Christian | |
| 16 | Raksha Bandhan ** | Hindu |
| 18 | Lailat al Bara'ah* | Islam |
| 25 | Assumption of the Virgin Mary | Catholic Christian |
| 28 | Krishna Janmashtami ** | Hindu |
| 29 | Beheading of John the Baptist | Christian |
| 31 | Laillat al Miraj * | Islam |
| SEPTEMBER 2008 | ||
| 1 | Church Year Begins | Orthodox Christian |
| 2 | Ramadan begins * | Islam |
| 3 | Ganesa Chaturthi ** | Hindu |
| 8 | Nativity of Mary | Christian |
| 14 | Holy Cross Day | Chrsitian |
| 22 | Mabon * | Wicca (northern hemisphere) |
| Ostara * | Wicca (southern hemisphere) | |
| 28 | Laylat al Kadar | Islam |
| 29 | Michael and All Angels | Christian |
| 30 - Oct. 1 | Rosh Hashanah * | Jewish |
| 30 - Oct. 8 | Navaratri ** | Hindu |
OCTOBER 2008 |
||
| 2 | Eid al Fitr (Ramadan ends)** | Islam |
| 4 | St. Francis Day | Catholic Christian |
| 9 | Yom Kippur * | Jewish |
| 9 | Dasera ** | Hindu |
| 14-20 | Sukkot * | Jewish |
| 20 | Birth of B'ab | Baha'i |
| Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth | Sokh | |
| 21 | Semini Atzeret * | Jewish |
| 22 | Simhat Torah * | Jewish |
| 27 | Reformation Day | Protestant Christian |
| 28 | Milvian Bridge Day | Christian |
| Diwali - Deepavali ** | Hindu - Sikh, Jain | |
| 31 | All Hallows Eve | Christian |
| Reformation Day | Protestant Christian |
| NOVEMBER 2008 | ||
| 1 | All Saint's Day | Christian |
| Samhain * | Wicca (northern hemisphere) | |
| Beltane * | Wicca (southern hemisphere) | |
| 2 | All Soul's Day | Christian |
| 12 | Birth of Baha'u'llah | Baha'i |
| 13 | Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib | Sikh |
| 15 | Nativity of Fast Begins | Orthodox Christian |
| 23 | Christ the King | Christian |
| 24 | Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom | Sikh |
| 26 | Day of Covenant *Christ the King Day | Baha'i |
| 27 | Thanksgiving | Interfaith - USA |
| 28 | Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha* | Baha'i |
| 30 | First Sunday of Advent | Christian |
St. Andrew's Day |
Christian |
| DECEMBER 2008 | ||
| Nov. 30, Dec. 7, 14, 21 | Sundays of Advent | Christian |
| 8 | Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) ** | Buddhist |
| Immaculate Conception | Catholic Christian | |
| 9 | Eid al Adha * | Islam |
| 12 | Feast Day - Our Lady of Guadalupe | Catholic Christian |
| Advent Fast begins | Orthodox Christian | |
| 16-25 | Posedas Novidenas | Christian |
| 21 | Yule | Christian |
| Yule* | Wicca (northern hemisphere) | |
| Litha* | Wicca (southern hemisphere) | |
| 22-29 | Hanukkah * | Jewish |
| 25 | Christmas | Christian |
| Feast of the Nativity** | Orthodox Christian | |
| 26 | Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra) | Zoroastrain |
| 28 | Holy Innocents | Chrsitian |
| Feast of the Holy Family | Catholic Christian | |
| 29 | Muharram (first day of the new year( * | Islam |
| 31 | Watch Night | Christian |
* All Jewish and Bah'a'i holidays begin at sunset the previous
day. ** Hindu, Sikh, and Jain holidays are calculated on a lunar calendar
and are observed at different times in different regions.
Islamic Calendar: The Islamic Calendar
The Hindu Calendar: The Hindu Calendar
Roman Catholic Holy Days of Obligation:
January 1: Mary Mother of God
May 25: Ascension Thursday
August 15: Assumption
November 1: All Saints
December 8: Immaculate Conception
December 25: Christmas