Equality dates
A calendar of equality and diversity dates, including significant religious festivals
The purpose of including these are to give departments and individuals advance notice of the festivals for which staff might reasonably request leave. The University of Oxford is a diverse community, with people from many religious and cultural backgrounds. While this calendar is intended as a starting point, we recognise that there may be other dates that are significant to individuals. We encourage you to make any requests for annual leave in plenty of time.
If we have missed an important date or got something wrong please let us know.
| 5 | Tue | Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday | Marking the birth of the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh |
| 6 | Wed | Epiphany | Christian |
| 7 | Thur | Orthodox Christmas Day | Orthodox Christian |
| 25 | Mon | Burns night | Celebrated in Scotland to commemorate the life of the poet, Robert Burns. |
| 28 | Thur | Tu B'Shevat (Arbor Day) | Jewish holiday |
| All month | LGBT History Month | Visit our events page to find out more about our LGBT History Month Lecture | |
| 12 | Fri | Chinese New Year | |
| 17 | Wed | Ash Wednesday | A Christian observance, representing the first day of Lent and the start of 40 days of fasting and penance |
| 26 | Fri | Purim | Commemorating when Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination by the courage of a young Jewish woman called Esther. |
| 1 | Mon | St David's Day | Patron saint of Wales |
| 1-19 | Mon |
The Nineteen Day Fast |
Bahá'í's fast from sunrise to sunset and spend extra time in prayer |
| 8 | Mon | International Women's Day | www.internationalwomensday.com |
| 11 | Thur |
Maha Shivaratri |
Hindu Holiday |
| 11 | Thur | Isra and Mi'raj | Muslims mark the night that Allah took Mohammad on a journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to heaven. |
| 14 | Sun | Mothering Sunday | |
| 17 | Wed | St Patrick's Day | Patron saint of Ireland |
| 20 | Sat | Spring Equinox | Pagans celebrate the rebirth of spring. |
| 20 | Sat | Noruz | Historically, Noruz is the traditional Iranian new year holiday, and is celebrated by more than one religious group. |
| 28 | Sun | Palm Sunday | Marking the beginning of Holy Week, Christians remember Jesus's arrival in Jerusalem. |
| 28 | Sun | Passover (Pesach) | One of the most important festivals in the year, Jews remember the Israelites' liberation from slavery in Egypt. |
| 29 | Mon | Holi | Hindus celebrate spring and certain events in Hindu mythology. |
| 1 | Thur | Maundy Thursday |
Christians remember the Last Supper which took place on the evening before Jesus's crucifixion. |
| 2 | Fri | Good Friday | Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. |
| 4 | Sun | Easter Sunday | Commemorating Jesus Christ's resurrection. |
| 8 | Thur | Yom HaShoah | Many people in the UK commemorate the murder of about 6 million Jews during the Holocaust |
| 13 | Tue | Ramadan Start | The beginning of Ramadan carries great significance for Muslims and is the beginning of the Ramadan fast. |
| 14 | Wed | Vaisakhi | A celebration of the founding of the Khalsa, the collective body of baptised Sikhs created in 1699. |
| 21 | Wed | Rama Navami | A Hindu celebration of the birth of Lord Rama. |
| 23 | Fri | St. George's Day | |
| 27 | Tue | Hanuman Jayanti | Hindu's celebrate the birth of the god Hanuman. |
| 1 | Sat | Beltane | A fire festival when Pagans celebrate the arrival of summer and the fertility of the coming year. |
| 2 | Sun | Orthodox Easter | |
| 8 | Sat |
Vesak / Buddha Day |
An important festival for Buddhist's, celebrating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. |
|
8 - 14 |
Sat | ||
|
8 |
Sat |
Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power) |
Muslims in the United Kingdom commemorate the night when Allah revealed the Quran, or Koran, to the prophet Muhammad. It is considered the holiest day of the year. |
|
13 |
Thur |
Ascension Day |
Christians celebrate the day when Jesus Christ is said to have ascended bodily into heaven. The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension on the Sunday after. |
|
13 |
Thur |
Eid-al-Fitr |
Marking the end of the month-long fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. |
|
17 |
Mon |
Shavuot |
A harvest festival when Jews give thanks for the first fruits of the year. It also marks the time when Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai. |
| 17 | Mon | International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) | |
|
23 |
Sun |
Pentecost |
Christian observance commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus Christ’s disciples |
|
30 |
Sun |
Trinity Sunday |
Christians celebrate the belief in three aspects of the one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. |
|
3 |
Thur |
Corpus Christi |
Christians celebrate the Eucharist (Holy Communion). |
|
5 |
Sat | ||
|
12 |
Sat |
Ratha Yatra |
A Hindu festival traditionally celebrated in Orissa State on the east coast of India |
|
16 |
Wed |
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev |
Guru Arjan Dev was the fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus and the first Sikh martyr. |
|
21 |
Mon |
Summer Solstice |
Pagans celebrate Midsummer or Litha, which means 'standing still of the sun'. |
|
22 |
Tue |
Windrush Day |
The UK celebrates Windrush Day to honor the British Caribbean community. |
|
9 |
Fri |
Martyrdom of the Báb |
Bahá'ís mark the anniversary of the execution in 1850 of the Báb, the herald of the Bahá’í faith. |
| 18 | Sun | Tisha B'Av | Jewish Holiday |
|
20 |
Tue |
Eid ul Adha |
A major muslim festival commemorating Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail. |
|
24 |
Sat |
Dharma Day |
Buddhists from the Theravada tradition celebrate the teachings of the Buddha. |
|
1 |
Sun |
Lughnasadh or Lammas |
A Harvest Festival when Pagans celebrate the gifts of Nature. |
|
10 |
Tue |
Muharram/Islamic New Year |
marks the beginning of the holiest month of the year and a period of remembrance or mourning that culminates on Ashura nine days later. |
|
15 |
Sun |
Feast of the Assumption |
Christians commemorate the death of Mary, and her bodily assumption into Heaven. |
|
19 |
Thur |
Ashura |
This day is observed by all Muslims, for Shia Muslims it’s an extremely solemn day and a commemoration of the martyrdom at Karbala of Hussein. |
|
22 |
Sun |
Raksha Bandhan |
A Hindu festival. |
| 30 | Mon | Janmastami | A Hindu festival marking the birth of Lord Krishna. |
| September | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Tues | Rosh Hashana | The Jewish New Year celebration. In the UK, it lasts for two days. |
| 10 | Fri | Ganesh Chaturthi | A Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of Ganesha to earth from 'Kailash Parvat' with his mother goddess Parvati/Gauri. |
|
16 |
Thurs |
Yom Kippur |
The Day of Atonement, the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Many Jewish people spend the day fasting and praying. |
|
21 |
Tue |
First day of Sukkot |
A Jewish holiday also called the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of the Ingathering. |
|
22 |
Wed |
Autumn Equinox (Mabon) |
The second of the three Pagan harvest festivals |
|
27 |
Mon |
Hoshana Rabbah |
A Jewish holiday celebrating the last day of the Sukkot festival. |
|
28 |
Tues |
Shemini Atzeret |
A Jewish holiday held the day after the Hoshana Rabbah. |
|
29 |
Wed |
Simchat Torah |
A Jewish holiday to conclude the annual cycle of Torah reading and begin the next cycle. |
| All month | Black History Month | ||
| 7 | Thur | Navaratri begins | A significant 9 day Hindu festival. |
| 10 | Sun | World Mental Health Day | |
| 15 | Fri | Dussehra – Dasara | Hindu festival celebrating end of Navaratri |
| 20 | Wed | Birth of the Báb | Báb was a prophet and forerunner of the Bahá'í revelation. |
| 31 | Sun | Samhain / Beltane | Pagan / Wicca holiday |
November dates
| 1 | Mon | All Saints day | A holy Christian day honouring all the saints in Christian history. |
| 2 | Tue | All Souls day | Christian day of giving and prayers for the dead. |
| 4 | Thur | Diwali | Festival of Lights (Hindu, Sikh, Jain) |
|
12 |
Fri |
Birth of Baha’u’llah – Baha’i |
A Baháʼí holy day marking the religious leader. |
| 15 | Mon |
Nativity Fast begins |
Orthodox Christian fasting begins and ends 24 December |
| 20 | Sat | Transgender Day of Remembrance | |
| 24 | Wed | Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur | Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth Guru of Sikhs, was martyred on this day 1675. |
| 26 | Fri | Day of the Covenant | Baháʼís celebrate the appointment of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as the Centre of Baha'u'llah's Covenant. |
| 28 | Sun | Advent Sunday | A four-week period before Christmas when Christians prepare for the coming of Christ |
|
28 |
Sun |
Hanukkah |
A Jewish festival also known as the festival of lights, ends 6 Dec. |
| All month | Disability History Month | ||
| 8 | Wed | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | A holy day of obligation for Christians, particularly of the Catholic faith. |
| 8 | Wed | Bodhi day | On Bodhi day Buddhists from the Mahayana tradition celebrate the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment |
| 10 | Fri | Human Rights Day | Universal declaration of human rights 'All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms' |
| 22 | Wed | Winter Solstice | Yule marks the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year - when Pagans celebrate the rebirth of the sun. |
| 25 | Sat | Christmas | Christmas Day is when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, whom they believe to be the son of God |
| 26 | Sun | Zarathosht Diso / Death of Zoroaster | On this day Zoroastrians remember the death of their prophet, Zoroaster. It's a solemn occasion devoted to prayer and remembering his life. |
| 26 - 1 Jan | Sun | Kwanzaa | A secular festival observed by many African Americans as a celebration of their cultural heritage and traditional values |
