2017 2018 18-month Interfaith - Center for Diversity ...

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2017 2018 18-month Interfaith - Center for Diversity ...
2017
  &
2018
18-month
Interfaith
Calendar
2017 2018 18-month Interfaith - Center for Diversity ...
2
                        Did you know?
    the St. Louis community celebrates hundreds of different
    religious holidays.
    Diversity Awareness Partnership’s Interfaith Calendar is distributed
    annually and features observances celebrated across 26 religious
    traditions. Take one with you to meetings, keep it in your office,
    bring it to your class, or just have it handy at home. Please use this
    calendar as a guide to better understand, acknowledge, and respect
    friends’, neighbors’, employees’ and co-workers’ holidays.

    To be more accommodating, please consider the following:
    FOOD
    Halal and Kosher restrictions may apply. Consider vegetarian,
    non-alcoholic, and non-caffeinated options. During some holidays,
    individuals will be fasting.

    HOURS
    Consider allowing flexibility in work/school hours, as some holidays
    may require individuals to attend their place of worship during the
    day.

    ABSENCE
    Some individuals may request to use vacation or personal days for
    holidays that are not recognized as company or school-wide days off.

    DEADLINES
    Consider allowing flexibility for deadlines around important holidays,
    as some individuals may be participating in celebrations or fasting,
    which could cause decreased stamina.

    PRAYER
    Consider designating a space for employees or students to pray, as
    some holidays may require increased prayer throughout the day/
    evening.

    NOTES:
    This calendar aims to be as inclusive as possible. Please contact us if
    you would like the 2018 Interfaith Calendar to include a holiday that is
    not currently listed.

    All content in this calendar is based on information available at the
    time of production. To the greatest extent possible, holidays based on
2017 2018 18-month Interfaith - Center for Diversity ...
lunar phases or other variables that change yearly have been             3
factored into observance dates. The spelling of certain observances
may vary as well.

The length of some holidays and the extent to which they are
observed may vary according to denominational affiliations or regions.

All Baha’i, Jewish and Muslim holidays begin at sunset the previous
day.

We encourage all places of worship to be accessible to persons with
disabilities by making necessary accommodations. Contact DAP for
additional information.

More about religions/holidays:
http://www.interfaith-calendar.org/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/multifaith-calendar/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/

USE THE FOLLOWING COLORS AS A GUIDE TO FIND CELEBRATIONS BY
SPECIFIC RELIGIONS/DENOMINATIONS:

    Rastafarian                 Scientologist
    Buddhist                    Catholic Christian
    Sikh                        Swedenborgian Christian
    Hindu                       Christian
    Wiccan/Pagan                Orthodox Christian
    Jain                        Mormon
    Confucian                   Protestant Christian
    Jewish                      Jehovah’s Witnesses
    Shinto                      Hispanic Christian
    Pan-African                 Anglican Christian
    Baha’i                      Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
    Muslim
    Interfaith
    Zoroastrian
    Taoist

Interested in ordering calendars for your home, office, school or
place of worship? Request more at dapstl.org today.
2017 2018 18-month Interfaith - Center for Diversity ...
4
                                                             JANUARY
1 SUNDAY                       Ethiopian Christmas |         15 SUNDAY
Mary, Mother of God            Rastafarian                   World Religion Day
| Catholic Christian           Celebration of the birth of   | Baha’i
Celebration of Mary, the       Jesus Christ                  Day dedicated to the unity
mother of Jesus Christ                                       and oneness of all world
                               Fast of Tevet 10 | Jewish     religions
Feast of St. Basil             (until 1/8)
| Orthodox Christian           Day of fasting, mourning,     Week of Prayer for
Commemoration of St. Basil     and repentance                Christian Unity
the Great, who wrote a                                       | Christian (until 1/22)
great Eucharist liturgy that   8 SUNDAY                      Ecumenical observance
bears his name                 Baptism of the Lord           focused on prayer for
                               Jesus | Christian             church unity
Shogatsu/Gantan-sai        Commemoration of the
| Shinto                   beginning of the public           17 TUESDAY
New Year’s Day celebration ministry of Jesus                 Blessing of the Animals
                                                             | Christian
5 THURSDAY                     9 MONDAY                      Observance of showing
Twelfth Night | Christian      Seijin no Hi | Shinto         respect for domestic
Conclusion of the 12 Days      Holiday honoring those        animals that are significant
of Christmas                   who have reached, or will     to people
                               reach the age of twenty
Guru Gobind Singh’s            within the current year       19 THURSDAY
Birthday | Sikh                                              Timkat | Ethiopian
Honoring the birth of the      12 THURSDAY                   Orthodox Christian
founder of Khalsa              Mahayana New Year             Celebration of the baptism
                               | Buddhist (until 1/15)       of Jesus in the Jordan River
6 FRIDAY                       Buddhist New Year, as
Epiphany/Three Kings           celebrated in Mahayana        Triodion Begins |
Day | Christian                countries                     Orthodox Christian
Feast to celebrate the visit                                 (ends 4/16)
of the Magi to the Christ      13 FRIDAY                     Time period leading up to
child                          Maghi | Sikh                  Lent
                               Commemoration of a battle
Feast of Theophany             in which forty Sikhs died 25 WEDNESDAY
| Orthodox Christian           for Guru Gobindh Singh Ji Conversion of St. Paul
Feast to recall the                                          | Christian
revelation of the Holy         14 SATURDAY                   Event in the life of Paul the
Trinity in the baptism of      Makar Sankranti | Hindu       Apostle, after which he
Jesus                          Celebration marking the       became a follower of Jesus
                               turning of the sun toward
7 SATURDAY                     the north; observed by        28 SATURDAY
Orthodox Christmas             flying kites, feeding the     Chinese New Year |
| Orthodox Christian           poor and offering libations   Buddhist, Confucian,
Celebration of the birth of    to the dead                   Taoist
Jesus Christ                                                 Begins a fifteen-day
                                                             festival for Chinese people
                                                             of all religions, who give
                                                             thanks for family and
                                                             remember ancestors
2017 2018 18-month Interfaith - Center for Diversity ...
february                                                                              5

1 WEDNESDAY                   11 SATURDAY                    25 SATURDAY
Vasant Panchami | Hindu       Spring Lantern Festival |      Maha Shivaratri | Hindu
Festival of spring honoring   Taoist                         Festival honoring Lord Shiva
the goddess of learning       Marks the final day of         and his marriage to the
                              the Chinese New Year           goddess Parvati
2 THURSDAY                    celebrations, Chinese
Imbolc | Wiccan/Pagan         equivalent to Valentine’s      26 SUNDAY
Halfway between the           Day                            Intercalary Days | Baha’i
Winter Solstice and the                                      (until 3/1)
Spring Equinox; celebrates    14 TUESDAY                     Insertion of days into
the passage from winter to    Race Relations Day             the calendar in order to
spring                        | Christian                    maintain the solar calendar,
                              Day recognizing the            considered ‘days outside
Presentation of Christ in     importance of interracial      of time’
the Temple | Christian        relations and learning
Remembrance of the infant                                    Cheesefare Sunday |
Jesus being brought to the    St. Valentine’s Day            Orthodox Christian
temple in Jerusalem           | Christian                    The Sunday of forgiveness,
                              Feast Day of St. Valentine,    last Sunday before Lent
3 FRIDAY                      celebrating love and
Setsubun-sai | Shinto         affection                      Transfiguration Sunday |
Celebration of the change                                    Christian
of seasons with the coming 15 WEDNESDAY                      Feast day celebrating the
of spring with shouts of,  Nirvana Day | Buddhist            transfiguration of Jesus
“Devils out, Good Fortune  Observance of the physical
in!”                       death and spiritual               27 MONDAY
                           enlightenment of the              Clean Monday - Great
5 SUNDAY                   Buddha                            Lent Begins | Orthodox
Four Chaplains Sunday |                                      Christian
Interfaith                    18 SATURDAY                  Start of Lent for Orthodox
Commemoration of U.S.         National Founding U.S.A.     Christians, refers to the
Army chaplains who gave       | Scientologist              leaving behind of sinful
their lives to save others    Founding of the first Church attitudes and non-fasting
during WWII                   of Scientology in the U.S.,  foods
                              the Church of Scientology
10 FRIDAY                     of Los Angeles in 1954       28 TUESDAY
Tu B’Shvat | Jewish (until                                   Shrove Tuesday (Fat
2/11)                         19 SUNDAY                      Tuesday) | Christian
Celebration of the coming     Meatfare Sunday                Carnival day on the eve of
of Spring                     | Orthodox Christian           Ash Wednesday
                              Observance preparing the
                              faithful for the celebration
                              of the resurrection of
                              Christ
2017 2018 18-month Interfaith - Center for Diversity ...
6
                                                               March
1 WEDNESDAY                    13 MONDAY                     25 SATURDAY
Ash Wednesday                  L. Ron Hubbard’s              Annunciation of the
(Beginning of Lent)            Birthday | Scientologist      Blessed Virgin Mary
| Christian                    Marks the birth of L.         | Christian
Observance to begin the        Ron Hubbard, founder of       Feast Day commemorating
40 day season of Lent;         Scientology                   Mary being told by the
ashes are marked on                                          angel Gabriel that she
worshippers’ foreheads as      Holi | Hindu                  would be the mother of
a sign of repentance           Spring festival dedicated     Jesus, the Son of God.
                               to the god of pleasure
2 THURSDAY                                                   28 TUESDAY
Nineteen Day Fast              Hola Mohalla | Sikh           Khordad Sal | Zoroastrian
| Baha’i (until 3/20)          Week-long event including     Remembrance of the birth
Fast to be observed by         mock fights, kirtan, music    of Prophet Zarathustra
adult Baha’is in good health   poetry, and community
from sunrise to sunset         meals                         Week of the Ramayana
                                                             | Hindu (until 4/5)
5 SUNDAY                       17 FRIDAY                     Festival celebrating Lord
Orthodox Sunday |              St. Patrick’s Day             Rama, in which the Ram
Orthodox Christian             | Christian                   Lila is staged and the
First Sunday of Lent, at       Feast Day of St. Patrick      Ramayana is recited
which time restoration         who brought Christianity to
of icons in the church is      Ireland
celebrated.
                               20 MONDAY
10 FRIDAY                      Ostara | Wiccan/Pagan
Ta’anit Esther | Jewish        Welcoming of spring
(until 3/11)                   and celebration of the
Fast on Purim eve,             goddess-as-maiden (Vernal
commemorating the fast         Equinox)
of the Jewish people in the
story of Purim                 21 TUESDAY
                               Naw-Ruz | Baha’i
12 SUNDAY                      Observance of the Vernal
Magha Puja Day                 Equinox
| Buddhist
Celebration of the             Norooz | Zoroastrian
teachings by Lord Buddha       New Year
to an assembly of holy men

Purim | Jewish (until
3/13)
Celebration of the
deliverance of the Jewish
minority in Persia from
genocide
April                                                                                7

4 TUESDAY                     Pesach/Passover                16 SUNDAY
Qingming Festival |           | Jewish (until 4/18)          Easter/Pascha |
Taoist, Confucian             Eight day celebration of the   Christian, Orthodox
Also known as Tomb            deliverance of the Jews        Christian
Sweeping Day, important       from slavery in Egypt          Holy day commemorating
day showing respect for                                      the resurrection of Jesus
ancestors                     11 TUESDAY                     Christ
                              Lord’s Evening Meal
5 WEDNESDAY                   | Jehovah’s Witnesses          21 FRIDAY
Rama Navami | Hindu           Memorial commemoration         First Day of Ridvan
Celebration of the birth of   of Christ’s death              | Baha’i (until 5/2)
Lord Rama                                                Commemoration of the
                              Hanuman Jayanti | Hindu    twelve-day period in 1863
6 THURSDAY                    Celebration of Hanuman, an when Baha’u’llah declared
Founding of the Church        embodiment of Lord Rama. that he was God’s
| Mormon                      Devotion and selfless      messenger for this age.
Commemoration of the          works are encouraged.
appearance of the angel,                                     Grounation Day |
Moroni, in 1830 to Joseph     Theravadin New Year            Rastafarian
Smith; subsequently           | Buddhist (until 4/14)        Holy day celebrated in
founding the Church of        Buddhist New Year, as          honor of Haile Selassie’s
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day    celebrated in Theravadin       1966 visit to Jamaica.
Saints                        countries
                                                             22 SATURDAY
8 SATURDAY                    13 THURSDAY                    Yom HaShoah | Jewish
Lazarus Saturday              Maundy Thursday                (until 4/23)
| Orthodox Christian          | Christian                    Holocaust Day established
Celebration of the            Remembrance of Jesus’          to remember the six million
resurrection of Lazarus by    last meal with his disciples   Jews killed by the Nazis
Jesus
                              14 FRIDAY                      29 SATURDAY
9 SUNDAY                      Baisaki/Vaisaki | Sikh,        Ninth Day of Ridvan
Palm Sunday | Christian,      Hindu                          | Baha’i
Orthodox Christian            Festival commemorating         Work is prohibited on this
Celebration of the entry of   the establishment of the       day, and the community
Jesus to Jerusalem which      Khalsa, or the nation of       gathers for prayer and
marks the start of Holy       Sikhs. Hindu beginning of      celebration
Week                          the New Year

10 MONDAY                     Good Friday, Holy Friday
Mahavir Jayanti | Jain        | Christian, Orthodox
Festival honoring Lord        Christian
Mahavira on the founder’s     Remembrance of the
birthday                      crucifixion and death of
                              Jesus
8
                                                                           May
1 MONDAY                      10 WEDNESDAY                   25 THURSDAY
Beltane | Wiccan/Pagan        Visakha Puja (Buddha           Ascension of Jesus
Celebration of the            Day) | Buddhist                | Christian
conjoining of the goddess     Commemorates the birth,        Remembrance of the
with the energy of the god    enlightenment, and death       departure of Jesus from
in sacred marriage, the       of Gautama Buddha in the       Earth after his resurrection.
basis of all creation         Theravada tradition            Celebrated 40 days after
                                                             Easter.
2 TUESDAY                     13 SATURDAY
Twelfth day of Ridvan         World Falun Dafa Day/          African Liberation Day |
| Baha’i                      Falun Gong | Buddhist          Pan-African
Work is prohibited on this    Celebration of the spiritual   Holiday celebrating the
day, and the community        discipline introduced in       formation of the OAU /
gathers for prayer and        China in 1992                  African Union.
celebration
                              Lag B’Omer | Jewish            27 SATURDAY
4 THURSDAY                    (until 5/14)                   Ramadan Begins |
National Day of Prayer        Observation of the             Muslim (until 6/25)
| Interfaith                  counting of the day - the      Month devoted to the
U.S. day of observance        link - between Pesach and      commemoration of
encouraging prayer among      Shavout                        Muhammad’s reception
all faiths                                                   of the divine revelation
                              21 SUNDAY                      recorded in the Qur’an
7 SUNDAY                      World Day for Cultural
Chongmyo Taeje |              Diversity for Dialogue &       29 MONDAY
Confucian                     Development | Interfaith       Ascension of Baha’u’llah
Confucian memorial            United Nations day to          | Baha’i
ceremony to honor the         deepen understanding           Remembrance of the death
kings and queens of the Yi,   of the values of cultural      of Baha’u’llah, the founder
or Joseon, Dynasty            diversity and to learn to
                              live more peacefully           30 TUESDAY
9 TUESDAY                                                    Shavuot | Jewish (until
Observance of the             23 TUESDAY                     5/31)
Publication of Dianetics      Declaration of the Bab         Celebration of Moses’
| Scientologist               | Baha’i                       descent from Mt. Sinai with
Observance of the             Recognition of the             the Ten Commandments
publication of Dianetics:     declaration by Ali
the Modern Science of         Muhammad that he is the        Dragon Boat Festival |
Mental Health in 1950,        anticipated “Coming One”       Taoist
which was the forerunner      of all religions               Chinese festival
of Scientology                                               commemorating fealty and
                                                             filial piety. Three activities
                                                             conducted during the
                                                             Festival are eating zongzi,
                                                             drinking realgar wine, and
                                                             racing dragon boats.
June                                                                                    9

4 SUNDAY                       21 WEDNESDAY                  23 TUESDAY
Pentecost | Christian          Litha | Wiccan/Pagan          Sacred Heart of Jesus
Remembrance of when            Celebration of the sacred     | Catholic Christian
the Holy Spirit came to the    marriage, in which the        Occasion to pay homage to
disciples in the forms of      energy of the gods is         Christ’s all-encompassing
tongues of fire and rushing    poured into the service of    love for humanity
wind                           life (Summer Solstice)
                                                             26 MONDAY
11 SUNDAY                      Laylatul Qadr | Muslim        Eid al-Fitr | Muslim (until
Trinity Sunday | Christian     The Night of Destiny,         6/28)
Day to honor the belief in     the first revelation of       Breaking of the month-
one God with a threefold       the Qur’an to Prophet         long Ramadan fast and a
nature                         Muhammad                      festival of thanksgiving

Race Unity Day | Baha’i
Day to promote racial
harmony and understanding

15 THURSDAY
Corpus Christi | Catholic          World Day for Cultural
Christian
Celebration in recognition
of the Eucharist (body of
                                   Diversity for Dialogue &
Christ)
                                   Development
16 FRIDAY
                                   In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal
Guru Arjan Dev’s
                                   Declaration on Cultural Diversity and in
Martydom | Sikh
Time of remembering                December 2002, the UN General Assembly
those who have suffered            declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural
for this faith                     Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The day
                                   provides us with an opportunity to deepen our
19 MONDAY                          understanding of the values of cultural diversity.
New Church Day                     People around the world celebrate this day by
| Swedenborgian                    joining the campaign “Do One Thing for Diversity
Christian                          and Inclusion” which aims to: raise awareness
Annual commemoration of            worldwide about the importance of intercultural
the vision document “The           dialogue, diversity and inclusion; build a world
True Christian Religion,” in       community of individuals committed to support
1770                               diversity with real and everyday-life gestures;
                                   combat polarization and stereotypes to improve
                                   understanding and cooperation among people
                                   from different cultures.
10
                                                            July
9 SUNDAY
Asalha Puja Day/Dharma
Day | Buddhist
Sacred day that marks the
Buddha’s first teaching
                               Buddhism
following enlightenment        Buddhism is a religion to about 300
                               million people around the world. The
Martydom of the Bab            word comes from ‘budhi’, ‘to awaken’.
| Baha’i                       It has its origins about 2,500 years
Observance of the day Ali      ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known
Muhammad was executed          as the Buddha, was himself awakened
in 1850 by Persian political   (enlightened) at the age of 35. There
and religious powers           are many different types of Buddhism,
                               because the emphasis changes from
13 THURSDAY                    country to country due to customs
Obon/Ulambana                  and culture. However the essence of
| Shinto/Buddhist              all Buddhist teaching is the Four Noble
Celebration of the ritual of
                               Truths: 1) Suffering exists 2) Suffering
saving the deceased from
                               arises from attachment to desires 3)
torments after death
                               Suffering ceases when attachment
                               to desires cease 4) Freedom from
23 SUNDAY                      suffering is possible by practicing
Birth of the Emperor
                               the eightfold path. The Eightfold
Haile Selassie I
                               Path includes: right view, right
| Rastafarian
                               thought, right speech, right action,
Birthday of the revered
                               right livelihood, right effort, right
Messianic figure among
                               mindfulness, right contemplation.
Rastafarians

24 MONDAY
Pioneer Day | Mormon
Observation of the arrival
of the first settlers at
Great Salt Lake, USA

31 MONDAY
Tish’a B’av | Jewish (until
8/1)
Day of fasting in the
remembrance of the
destruction of the Temple
in 586 BCE and 70 CE
august                                                                                11

1 TUESDAY                      Krishna Janmashtami           29 TUESDAY
Lammas | Wiccan/Pagan          | Hindu                       Beheading of John the
Celebration of the early       Commemoration of the          Baptist | Christian
harvest                        birth of Krishna              Remembrance of the death
                                                             of John the Baptist
Fast in Honor of Holy          17 THURSDAY
Mother of Jesus |              Marcus Garvey’s               31 THURSDAY
Orthodox Christian             Birthday | Rastafarian        Waqf al Arafa/Hajj Day
Beginning of the 14 day        Celebration of the birth of   | Muslim
period of preparation,         Marcus Garvey                 Observance during Hajj,
leading up to the Dormition                                  the Islamic pilgrimage to
of Mary                        26 SATURDAY                   Mecca, when pilgrims pray
                               Paryushana Parva | Jain       for forgiveness and mercy
6 SUNDAY                       (until 9/4)
Transfiguration of             Festival signifying human
the Lord | Orthodox            emergence into a new
Christian                      world of spiritual and
Observance of the              moral refinement, and a
transfiguration of Jesus on    celebration of the natural
Mt. Tabor in the presence      qualities of the soul
of his disciples

7 MONDAY
Raksha Bandhan | Hindu
Festival honoring the loving
ties between brothers and
sisters in a family

15 TUESDAY
Assumption of the
                                  HINDUISM
Blessed Virgin Mary
                                  Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion,
| Catholic Christian
                                  with over 1 billion followers or 15% of the global
Observance
                                  population. It has been called the “oldest religion”
commemorating the
                                  in the world, and some practitioners and scholars
assumption of Mary,
                                  refer to it as Sanatana Dharma, “the eternal
mother of Jesus, into
                                  law” or the “eternal way” beyond human origins.
heaven
                                  Scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis
                                  of various Indian cultures and traditions, with
Dormition of the Virgin
                                  diverse roots and no founder. Prominent themes
Mary | Orthodox
Christian                         in Hindu beliefs include (but are not restricted to)
Observance of the death,          Dharma (ethics/duties), Samsara (the continuing
burial, resurrection, and         cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth), Karma
transfer to heaven of the         (action, intent and consequences), Moksha
Virgin Mary                       (liberation from samsara or liberation in this life),
                                  and the various Yogas (paths or practices).
12
                                              September
1 FRIDAY                      21 THURSDAY                  27 WEDNESDAY
Eid al-Adha | Muslim          New Year - Hijri | Muslim    Meskel | Ethiopian
(until 9/4)                   Marks the beginning of the   Orthodox Christian
Feast of Sacrifice,           new Islamic calendar year    Commemoration of the
concluding the Hajj                                        discovery of the True Cross
                              Rosh Hashanah | Jewish       by St. Helen
Religious Year Begins |       (until 9/22)
Orthodox Christian            Jewish New Year, marked      28 THURSDAY
Start of the religious        by a call to repentance.     Confucius’ Birthday |
calendar year                                              Confucian
                              Navratri | Hindu (until      Observance of the birth of
4 MONDAY                      9/29)                        Confucius
Chinese Ghost Festival |      Festival of the divine
Taoist, Buddhist              mother honoring Durga,       29 FRIDAY
Celebration in which the      wife of Shiva, and seeking   Yom Kippur | Jewish
deceased are believed to      her blessing                 (until 9/30)
visit the living.                                          Day of Atonement
                              22 FRIDAY
8 FRIDAY                      Mabon | Wiccan/Pagan
Nativity of the Blessed       Observance of the
Virgin Mary | Christian       Autumnal Equinox
Celebration of the birth of
Mary, the mother of Jesus     25 MONDAY
                              Ganesh Chaturthi | Hindu
11 SUNDAY                     Festival honoring the god
Auditors’ Day                 of prosperity, prudence,
| Scientologist               and success
Scientology Auditors are
acknowledged for their
dedication in helping their
fellow men and women

Ethiopian New Year’s
Day | Rastafarian
First day of the new year
for the Ethiopian calendar
                                  YOM KIPPUR
                                  Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year for Jews.
14 THURSDAY                       Its central theme is atonement and reconciliation.
Elevation of the Holy             Repentance in Judaism is done through a process
Cross | Orthodox                  called Teshuva (return), which in its most basic
Christian                         form consists of regretting having committed
Celebration of when St.
                                  the sin, resolving not to commit that sin in the
Helen found the Holy Cross
                                  future and to confess that sin before God. Jewish
                                  people traditionally observe this holy day with
                                  an approximate 25-hour period of fasting and
                                  intensive prayer, often spending most of the day
                                  in synagogue services.
october                                                                               13

1 SUNDAY                       9 MONDAY                      20 FRIDAY
Ashura | Muslim                Thanksgiving - Canada |       Birth of the Bab | Baha’i
Optional one-day fast          Interfaith                    Honoring of the founder of
marking the martyrdom of       Celebration of the harvest    the Babi religion, forerunner
Husayn ibn Ali (Shi’a Islam)   and other blessings in the    to Baha’u’llah and the Baha’i
and marking the day that       past year                     faith
Moses fasted in gratitude
for liberation of the          Birthday of Guru Ram          Guru Granth Sahib
Israelites (Sunni Islam)       Das | Sikh                    Installation | Sikh
                               Commemoration of              Remembrance of the eternal
4 WEDNESDAY                    the birth of one of the       installation of the holy
St. Francis Day (Blessing      foremost 10 gurus of          books, Granth Sahib.
of Animals) | Catholic         Sikhism
Christian                                                    Jain New Year | Jain
Feast day of St. Francis       Dussehra/Durga Puja           Start of the New Year for
of Assisi, patron saint of     | Hindu                       Jainists.
animals and ecology. Often     Commemoration of the last
celebrated with a special      of the Days of Judgment       28 SATURDAY
blessing of animals                                          Milvian Bridge Day
                               11 WEDNESDAY                  | Christian
Sukkot | Jewish (until         Hoshanah Rabbah |             Day of solemn reflection
10/11)                         Jewish (until 10/12)          on the relationship of the
Feast of Tabernacles,          Commemoration of the last     spiritual community and
which celebrates the           of the Days of Judgement      the powers of the civil
harvest and the protection                                   government
of the people of Israel        12 THURSDAY
as they wandered in the        Shemini Atzeret | Jewish      29 SUNDAY
wilderness dwelling in         (until 10/13)                 Reformation Day
tents                          Completion of the annual      | Protestant Christian
                               cycle of the reading of the   Anniversary of the tradition
7 SATURDAY                     Torah                         of Protestantism and its
Founding of the                                              emphasis on the place
International Association 13 FRIDAY                          of the Bible and religious
of Scientologists         Simchat Torah | Jewish             freedom
| Scientologist           (until 10/14)
Scientologists rededicate      Day to celebrate the          31 TUESDAY
themselves to the              reading of the Law            All Hallow’s Eve | Christian
aims of Scientology: a                                       Celebration combining
world without criminals,       19 THURSDAY                   prayers and merriment
suffering, and war             Diwali | Hindu, Jain, Sikh    involving children and
                               Celebration marking the       families
                               end of the Hindu year
14
                                                 november
1 WEDNESDAY                    16 THURSDAY                   26 SUNDAY
All Saints’ Day | Christian    International Day for         Day of the Covenant
Day for honoring and           Tolerance | Interfaith        | Baha’i
remembering Christian          United Nations observance     Celebration of the covenant
saints                         day to generate public        given in the last will and
                               awareness of the dangers      testament of Baha’u’llah
Samhain | Wiccan/Pagan         of intolerance
Celebration of endings and                                   28 TUESDAY
beginnings                     23 THURSDAY                   Ascension of the Abdu’l-
                               Thanksgiving | Interfaith     Baha | Baha’i
2 THURSDAY                     Celebration of the harvest    Celebration of the rising of
All Souls’ Day | Catholic      and community                 the spirit of Abdu’l’Baha to
Christian                                                    the heavenly dwelling
Commemoration of the           24 FRIDAY
faithful departed              Martyrdom of Guru Tegh
                               Bahadur | Sikh
Coronation of Emperor          Commemoration of
Haile Selassie                 the death of Guru Tegh
| Rastafarian                  Bahadur
Celebration of the
coronation of the messianic
figure of Rastafarian

4 SATURDAY
Guru Nanak Dev Sahib’s
Birthday | Sikh
Honoring of the birth of the
founder of Sikhism
                                       All Saints’ and all
12 SUNDAY
Birth of Baha’u’llah
| Baha’i
                                       souls’ Day
Celebration of the birth of            All Saints’ Day is a holy day for Christians to
the founder of Baha’i                  honor and remember all the saints (those
                                       who have attained the beatific vision in
15 WEDNESDAY                           Heaven), known and unknown. Following
Nativity Fast begins |                 All Saints’ day is All Souls’ day, a day for
Orthodox Christian (until              Christians to remember and pray for the
12/24)                                 dead, particularly one’s family members.
Period of abstinence and               Celebrations vary around the world, but
penance in preparation for             can include special altars with images of
the birth of Jesus                     the departed and food/drink they enjoyed,
                                       visiting the gravesites of one’s relatives, and
                                       saying special prayers for all the departed.
december                                                                              15

3 SUNDAY                       16 SATURDAY                   28 THURSDAY
First Sunday of Advent      Posadas Navidenas |              Holy Innocents | Christian
| Christian (until 12/24)   Hispanic Christian (until        Day of solemn memory of
Beginning of time preparing 12/25)                           male children killed by King
for the birth of Jesus         Nine-day religious            Herod in the attempt to
Christ. Marked with special    observance during which       destroy Jesus
prayers and lighting an        families participate
additional candle each         in nightly Christmas          30 SATURDAY
week                           processions that re-create    Freedom Day
                               the Holy Pilgrimage of        | Scientologist
6 WEDNESDAY                    Mary, Joseph and the          Day celebrating the official
St. Nicholas Day               baby Jesus on their way to    recognition of the Church
| Christian                    Bethlehem                     of Scientology in the United
Celebration of St. Nicholas,                                 States in 1974
patron saint of children and   21 THURSDAY
role model for gift-giving     Yule | Wiccan/Pagan           31 SUNDAY
                               Celebration of the Winter     Watch Night | Christian
8 FRIDAY                       Solstice                      Occasion to thank God
Bodhi Day | Buddhist                                         for bringing people safely
Celebration of the             24 SATURDAY                   through another year
Enlightenment of Buddha        Christmas Eve | Christian
                               Day before Christmas,         Holy Family | Catholic
Immaculate Conception          often celebrated with a       Christian
of Mary | Catholic             midnight Mass/Liturgy of      Celebration honoring
Christian                      Jesus’ birth                  Jesus, his mother Mary,
Day of celebrating the                                       and her husband Joseph as
belief that Mary, mother of    25 SUNDAY                     a family
Jesus, was preserved from      Christmas, Feast of
original sin all her life      Nativity | Christian,
                               Orthodox Christian
12 TUESDAY                     Celebration of the birth of
Feast of Our Lady of           Jesus Christ
Guadalupe | Catholic
Christian                      26 TUESDAY
Honoring of a legendary        Zarathosht Diso
appearance of the Virgin       | Zoroastrian
Mary near Mexico City in       Anniversary of the death of
1531 CE                        Prophet Zarathustra

Hanukkah | Jewish (until       Kwanzaa | Pan-African
12/20)                         (until 1/1/18)
Festival of Lights             Holiday celebrating family,
commemorating the              community, and culture.
recapture and rededication
of the Jerusalem Temple
16
                                      JANUARY 2018
1 MONDAY                        7 SUNDAY                      18 THURSDAY
Mary, Mother of God             Orthodox Christmas,           Week of Prayer for
| Catholic Christian            Ethiopian Christmas           Christian Unity
Celebration of Mary, the        | Orthodox Christian,         | Christian (until 1/25)
mother of Jesus Christ          Rastafarian                   Ecumenical observance
                                Celebration of the birth of   focused on prayer for
Feast of St. Basil              Jesus Christ                  church unity.
| Orthodox Christian
Commemoration of St. Basil      Baptism of the Lord           19 FRIDAY
the Great, who wrote a          Jesus | Christian             Timkat | Ethiopian
Eucharist liturgy that bears    Commemoration of the          Orthodox Christian
his name.                       beginning of the public       Celebration of the baptism
                                ministry of Jesus             of Jesus in the Jordan River
Shogatsu/Gantan-sai
| Shinto                        8 MONDAY                      21 SUNDAY
New Year’s Day celebration Seijin no Hi | Shinto              World Religion Day
                           Holiday honoring those             | Baha’i
2 TUESDAY                  who have reached, or will          Day dedicated to the unity
Mahayana New Year          reach the age of twenty            and oneness of all world
| Buddhist (until 1/4)     within the current year            religions
Buddhist New Year, as
celebrated in Mahayana     13 SATURDAY                        Triodion Begins
countries                  Maghi | Sikh                       | Orthodox Christian
                           Commemoration of a battle          (until 4/8)
5 FRIDAY                   in which forty Sikhs died          Time period leading up to
Twelfth Night | Christian  for Guru Gobind Singh Ji           Lent
Conclusion of the 12 Days
of Christmas               14 SUNDAY                          22 MONDAY
                                Makar Sankranti | Hindu       Vasant Panchami | Hindu
Guru Gobind Singh’s             Celebration marking the       Festival of spring honoring
Birthday | Sikh                 turning of the sun toward     the goddess of learning
Honoring the birth of the       the north; observed by
founder of Khalsa               flying kites, feeding the     25 THURSDAY
                                poor and offering libations   Conversion of St. Paul
6 SATURDAY                      to the dead                   | Christian
Epiphany/Three Kings                                          Event in the life of Paul the
Day | Christian                 17 WEDNESDAY                  Apostle which led him to
Feast to celebrate the visit    Blessing of the Animals       become a follower of Jesus
of the Magi to the Christ       | Christian
child                           Observance of showing         30 TUESDAY
                                respect for domestic          Tu B’Shvat | Jewish (until
Feast of the Theophany          animals that are important    1/31)
| Orthodox Christian            to people                     Celebration of the coming
Feast to recall the                                           of Spring
revelation of the Holy
Trinity in the baptism of the
Lord.
February 2018                                                                            17

2 FRIDAY                       13 TUESDAY                    18 SUNDAY
Imbolc | Wiccan/Pagan          Shrove Tuesday (Fat           National Founding U.S.A. |
Halfway between the            Tuesday) | Christian          Scientologist
Winter Solstice and the        Carnival day on the eve of    Founding of the first Church
Spring Equinox; celebrates     Ash Wednesday                 of Scientology in the U.S.,
the passage from winter to                                   the Church of Scientology
spring                         14 WEDNESDAY                  of Los Angeles in 1954
                               Race Relations Day
Presentation of Christ in      | Christian                   Cheesefare Sunday |
the Temple | Christian         Day recognizing the           Orthodox Christian
Remembrance of the infant      importance of interracial     The Sunday of forgiveness,
Jesus being brought to the     relations and learning        last Sunday before Lent
temple in Jerusalem
                               St. Valentine’s Day           19 MONDAY
3 SATURDAY                     | Christian                   Clean Monday - Great
Setsubun-sai | Shinto      Feast Day of St. Valentine,       Lent begins | Orthodox
Celebration of the change  celebrating love and              Christian
of seasons with the coming affection                         Start of Lent for Orthodox
of spring with shouts of,                                    Christians, refers to the
“Devils out, Good Fortune  Maha Shivarastri | Hindu          leaving behind of sinful
in!”                       Festival honoring Lord Shiva      attitudes and non-fasting
                           and his marriage to the           foods
4 SUNDAY                   goddess Parvati
Four Chaplains Sunday |                                      25 SUNDAY
Interfaith                     Ash Wednesday                 Orthodox Sunday |
Commemoration of U.S.          (Beginning of Lent)           Orthodox Christian
Army chaplains who gave        | Christian                   First Sunday of Lent, at
their lives to save others     Observance to begin the       which time restoration
during WWII                    40-day season of Lent;        of icons in the church is
                               ashes are marked on           celebrated.
8 THURSDAY                     worshippers’ foreheads as
Nirvana Day | Buddhist         a sign of repentance          26 MONDAY
Observance of the physical                                   Intercalary Days | Baha’i
death and spiritual            16 FRIDAY                     (until 3/1)
enlightenment of the           Chinese New Year |            Insertion of days into
Buddha                         Buddhist, Confucian,          the calendar in order to
                               Taoist,                       maintain the solar calendar,
11 SUNDAY                      Begins a fifteen-day          thought of as ‘days outside
Transfiguration Sunday |       festival for Chinese people   of time’
Christian                      of all religions, who give
Feast day celebrating the      thanks for family and         27 TUESDAY
transfiguration of Jesus       remember ancestors            Ta’anit Esther | Jewish
                                                             (until 3/1)
Meatfare Sunday                                              Fast on Purim eve,
| Orthodox Christian                                         commemorating the fast
Observance preparing the                                     of the Jewish people in the
faithful for the celebration                                 story of Purim
of the resurrection of
Christ
18
                                           march 2018
1 THURSDAY                     17 SATURDAY                   28 WEDNESDAY
Purim | Jewish (until 3/2) St. Patrick’s Day |               Khordad Sal | Zoroastrian
Celebration of the         Christian                         Remembrance of the birth
deliverance of the Jewish      Feast Day of St. Patrick      of the prophet Zarathustra
minority in Persia from        who brought Christianity to
genocide                       Ireland                       29 THURSDAY
                                                             Maundy Thursday
2 FRIDAY                       18 SUNDAY                     | Christian
Nineteen Day Fast              Week of the Ramayana          Remembrance of Jesus’
| Baha’i (until 3/20)          | Hindu (until 3/26)          last meal with his disciples
Fast to be observed by         Festival celebrating Lord
adult Baha’is in good health   Rama, in which the Ram        30 FRIDAY
from sunrise to sunset.        Lila is staged and the        Good Friday, Holy Friday
                               Ramayana is recited           | Christian, Orthodox
Hola Mohalla | Sikh                                          Christian
Week-long event including      20 TUESDAY                    Remembrance of the
mock fights, kirtan, music     Ostara | Wiccan/Pagan         crucifixion and death of
poetry, and community          Welcoming of spring           Jesus
meals                          and celebration of the
                               goddess-as-maiden (Vernal     Pesach/Passover
Spring Lantern Festival |      Equinox)                      | Jewish (until 4/7)
Taoist                                                       8-day celebration of the
Marks the final day of         Naw-Ruz | Baha’i              deliverance of the Jews
the Chinese New Year           Observance of the Vernal      from slavery in Egypt
celebrations, Chinese          Equinox
equivalent to Valentine’s                                    31 SATURDAY
Day.                           Norooz | Zoroastrian          Lord’s Evening Meal
                               New Year                      | Jehovah’s Witnesses
3 SATURDAY                                                   Memorial commemoration
Holi | Hindu                   25 SUNDAY                     of Christ’s death
Spring festival dedicated to   Annunciation of the
the god of pleasure            Blessed Virgin Mary           Magha Puja Day
                               | Christian                   | Buddhist
13 TUESDAY                     Feast Day commemorating       Celebration of the
L. Ron Hubbard’s               Mary being told by the        teachings by Lord Buddha
Birthday | Scientologist       angel Gabriel that she        to an assembly of holy men
Marks the birth of L.          would be the mother of
Ron Hubbard, founder of        Jesus, the Son of God.        Hanuman Jayanti | Hindu
Scientology                                                  Celebration of Hanuman, an
                               Palm Sunday | Christian       embodiment of Lord Rama.
                               Celebration of the entry of   Devotion and selfless
                               Jesus to Jerusalem which      works are encouraged
                               marks the start of Holy
                               Week                          Lazarus Saturday
                                                             | Orthodox Christian
                               26 MONDAY                     Celebration of the
                               Rama Navami | Hindu           resurrection of Lazarus by
                               Celebration of the birth of   Jesus
                               Lord Rama
april 2018                                                                           19

1 SUNDAY                      12 THURSDAY                   30 MONDAY
Easter | Christian            Yom HaShoah | Jewish          Theravadin New Year
Holy day commemorating        (until 4/13)                  | Buddhist (until 5/2)
the resurrection of Jesus     Holocaust Day established     Buddhist New Year, as
Christ                        to remember the six million   celebrated in Theravadin
                              Jews killed by the Nazis      countries
Palm Sunday | Orthodox
Christian                     14 SATURDAY
Celebration of the entry of   Baisaki/Vaisaki | Sikh/
Jesus to Jerusalem which      Hindu
marks the start of Holy       Festival commemorating
Week                          the establishment of the
                              Khalsa, or the nation of
3 TUESDAY                     Sikhs. Hindu beginning of
Mahavir Jayanti | Jain        the New Year
Festival honoring Lord
Mahavira on the founder’s     21 SATURDAY
birthday                      First Day of Ridvan
                              | Baha’i (until 5/2)
5 THURSDAY                    Commemoration of the
Qingming Festival |           twelve-day period in 1863
Taoist, Confucian             when Baha’u’llah declared
Also known as Tomb            that he was God’s
Sweeping Day, important       messenger for this age
day showing respect for
ancestors                     Grounation Day |
                              Rastafarian
6 FRIDAY                      Holy day celebrated in
Founding of the Church        honor of Haile Selassie’s
| Mormon                      1966 visit to Jamaica
Commemoration of the
appearance of the angel,      29 SUNDAY
Moroni, in 1830 to Joseph     Ninth Day of Ridvan
Smith; subsequently           | Baha’i
founding the Church of        Work is prohibited on this
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day    day, and the community
Saints                        gathers for prayer and
                              celebration
8 SUNDAY
Pascha | Orthodox             Visakha Puja (Buddha
Christian                     Day) | Buddhist
Holy day commemorating        Commemorates the birth,
the resurrection of Jesus     enlightenment, and death
Christ                        of Gautama Buddha in the
                              Theravada tradition
20
                                                      may 2018
1 TUESDAY                     10 THURSDAY                     21 MONDAY
Beltane | Wiccan/Pagan        Ascension of Jesus              World Day for Cultural
Celebration of the            | Christian                     Diversity for Dialogue &
conjoining of the goddess     Remembrance of the              Development | Interfaith
with the energy of the god    departure of Jesus from         United Nations day to
in sacred marriage, the       Earth after his resurrection.   deepen understanding
basis of all creation         Celebrated 40 days after        of the values of cultural
                              Easter                          diversity and to learn to
2 WEDNESDAY                                                   live more peacefully
Twelfth day of Ridvan         13 SUNDAY
| Baha’i                      World Falun Dafa Day/           23 WEDNESDAY
Work is prohibited on this    Falun Gong | Buddhist           Declaration of the Bab |
day, and the community        Celebration of the spiritual    Baha’i
gathers for prayer and        discipline introduced in        Recognition of the
celebration                   China in 1992                   declaration by Ali
                                                              Muhammad that he is the
Lag B’Omer | Jewish           16 WEDNESDAY                    anticipated “Coming One”
(until 5/3)                   Ramadan | Muslim (until         of all religions
Observation of the            6/15)
counting of the day - the     Month devoted to the            25 FRIDAY
link - between Pesach and     commemoration of                African Liberation Day |
Shavout                       Muhammad’s reception            Pan-African
                              of the divine revelation        Holiday celebrating the
3 THURSDAY                    recorded in the Qur’an          formation of the OAU /
National Day of Prayer                                        African Union.
| Interfaith                  19 SATURDAY
U.S. day of observance        Shavuot | Jewish (until         27 SUNDAY
encouraging prayer among      5/21)                           Trinity Sunday | Christian
all faiths                    Celebration of Moses            Day to honor the belief in
                              descent from Mt. Sinai with     one God with a threefold
6 SUNDAY                      the Ten Commandments            nature
Chongmyo Taeje |
Confucian                     20 SUNDAY                       29 TUESDAY
Confucian memorial            Pentecost | Christian           Ascension of Baha’u’llah
ceremony to honor the         Observation of the day          | Baha’i
kings and queens of the Yi,   when the Holy Spirit came       Remembrance of the death
or Joseon, Dynasty            to the disciples in the         of Baha’u’llah, founder of
                              forms of tongues of fire        Baha’i
9 WEDNESDAY                   and rushing wind
Observance of the                                             31 THURSDAY
Publication of Dianetics                                      Corpus Christi | Catholic
| Scientologist                                               Christian
Observance of the                                             Celebration in recognition
publication of Dianetics:                                     of the Eucharist (Body of
the Modern Science of                                         Christ)
Mental Health on 1950
which was the forerunner
of Scientology
june 2018                                                                                 21

8 FRIDAY                         19 TUESDAY                     21 THURSDAY
Sacred Heart of Jesus            New Church Day |        Litha | Wiccan/Pagan
| Catholic Christian             Swedenborgian Christian Celebration of the sacred
Occasion to pay homage to        Annual commemoration of        marriage, in which the
Christ’s all-encompassing        the vision document “The       energy of the gods is
love for humanity                True Christian Religion,” in   poured into the service of
                                 1770                           life (Summer Solstice)
10 SUNDAY
Race Unity Day | Baha’i
Day to promote racial
harmony and understanding

11 MONDAY
Laylatul Qadr | Muslim
The Night of Destiny,
the first revelation of
                                        ISLAM
the Qur’an to Prophet                   The Arabic term Islam literally means
Muhammad                                “surrender,” or “submission.” Islam’s
                                        believers (known as “Muslims” from the
15 FRIDAY                               active participle of “Islam”), accept surrender
Eid al-Fitr | Muslim (until             to the will of Allah (God). The will of God is
6/17)                                   made known through the Qur’an (the Koran),
Breaking of the month-                  revealed to his messenger Muhammad.
long Ramadan fast and a                 Muhammad, it is claimed was the last of the
festival of thanksgiving                great prophets which included Adam, Noah,
                                        Moses, Jesus and others. The basic belief
16 SATURDAY                             of Islam is expressed in the shahadah, the
Guru Arjan Dev’s                        Muslim confession of faith, “There is no god
Martydom | Sikh                         but God; Muhammad is the prophet of God.”
Time of remembering
those who have suffered
for this faith

18 MONDAY
Dragon Boat Festival |
Taoist
Chinese festival
commemorating fealty and
filial piety. Three activities
conducted during the
Festival are eating zongzi,
drinking realgar wine, and
racing dragon boats.
22

     DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION TRAINING
     Diversity & Inclusion Training is delivered through presentations,
     workshops, and roundtables. Trainings raise awareness around the
     importance of diversity and inclusion among employees by exposing
     challenges, generating dialogue, and providing tangible resources
     needed to create a more inclusive workplace.

     DAP CONNECT PROGRAM
     The DAP Connect Program has one purpose - to help you diversify
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     and working relationships with others “like us”. DAP Connect helps
     you leave your comfort zone to meet individuals who are different
     from you, whether by race or ethnicity, age, religion, ability, sexual
     orientation or gender identity. Through DAP Connect, you will build
     relationships with leaders throughout the St. Louis region and gain a
     stronger appreciation for diversity.

     GIVE RESPECT, GET RESPECT YOUTH PROGRAM
     The Give Respect, Get Respect Youth Program is a collaboration
     between Diversity Awareness Partnership and local corporations who
     bring together students and teachers from the St. Louis metro area
     and company associates to explore race, religion, disability, sexual
     orientation, and gender identity.

     EXPLORE CAREER IMMERSION PROGRAM
     Diversity Awareness Partnership is investing in St. Louis high school
     students through an externship program. Together, DAP and local
     businesses have developed this program to expose, empower, and
     encourage students of color to pursue STEM (science, technology,
     engineering, and math) and other careers.

     PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS
     Diversity Awareness Partnership provides in-depth professional
     development seminars for diversity and inclusion practitioners or
     individuals interested in entering the diversity field. Seminar topics
     include: Diversity vs. Inclusion, Creating a Diverse Pipeline, Diversity &
     Employee Engagement, and more.
23

                          MISSION
Diversity Awareness Partnership is a catalyst to increase
awareness, facilitate engagement and provide education
about diversity and inclusion.

                           VISION
Diversity Awareness Partnership’s vision is inclusive
communities where diversity is respected and embraced,
and equity is the norm.

 Diversity Awareness Partnership
 40 N. Rock Hill Road
 Webster Groves, MO 63119
 www.dapstl.org
CALENDAR SPONSORS
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