Welcome to TIO’s Religious Calendar

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August - September

August 2023

Tuesday, August 1

• Kamál – Bahá’í
  The beginning of the eighth month of the Bahá’í year, meaning “perfection.”

• Lughnassadh [Lammas] – Wicca
  The harvest of first fruits, celebrating the harvest of corn and wheat. Wiccan practitioners see this time as a signal of the god Lugh’s decline of strength as the sun rises farther south each day, while the Goddess witnesses this season with sorrow and joy. It is both a somber and celebratory feast day.

• Fast in honor of Holy Mother of Jesus

Sunday, August 6

• Feast of the Transfiguration – Christianity (Eastern and many Western churches)
  Celebrates the manifestation of Jesus’ divinity as God’s Son to his disciples Peter, James, and John on Mount Tabor. In Eastern churches, the celebration begins at sunset; for Western churches, this feast is marked on the following day, Tuesday, August 6th.

• Fravardeghan Days [Muktad] begin – Zoroastrianism
  A time of memorializing one’s ancestors in preparation for Nowruz [see August 16], according to Zoroastrians who follow the Shenshai calendar.

Tuesday, August 13

• Obon – Buddhism [Ends August 15]
  A day when Buddhists make offerings to the Triple Gem—the Buddha, the Dharma [teachings], and the Sangha [monastic community]—on behalf of their ancestors. 

Tuesday, August 15

• Assumption of the Virgin Mary – Christianity [Catholic churches]
  According to the Catholic Church, this day commemorates how, at the end of her life, Jesus’ mother Mary was assumed—body and soul—into heaven, where she intercedes for all believers. 

• Dormition of the Theotokos or Most Holy Mother of God – Christianity [Eastern churches]
  According to the Orthodox Church, this day marks Mary’s death and resurrection by God, as a sign to all believers of their ultimate destiny.

Wednesday, August 16

• Nowruz – Zoroastrianism
  The start of the New Year for Zoroastrians who follow the Shenshai calendar, beginning the year 1389 AY [After Yazdegird III, the last of the Persian Zoroastrian monarchs].

Sunday, August 20

• Asmā’ – Bahá’í
  The beginning of the ninth month of the Bahá’í year, meaning “names.”

Monday, August 21

• Khordad Sal – Zoroastrianism (Shenshai)
  The birth anniversary of the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster), according to the Shenshai calendar.

Wednesday, August 30

• Zhōngyuán Jié [Ghost Festival] – Taoism 
  According to Chinese Taoist belief, this day is when deceased ancestors visit the homes of the living. Families prepare feasts and set tables with empty chairs so that the living and the dead can share the meal together.

• Narali Purnima or Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan – Hinduism
  Celebrating the end of monsoon season, marked by throwing coconuts to Varuna, the sea god. During this festival, girls and women tie amulets on their brothers’ wrists for protection against evil.

• Ullambana – Buddhism
  A day when Buddhists make offerings to the Triple Gem—the Buddha, the Dharma [teachings], and the Sangha [monastic community]—on behalf of their ancestors.  

September 2023

Friday, September 1

• Religious Calendar Begins — Orthodox Christianity
  The Orthodox liturgical calendar begins on September 1. This is in contrast to the beginning of the Catholic liturgical calendar, which starts on the first Sunday of Advent or the first Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Andrew, which falls annually on November 30 in the Gregorian calendar.

Wednesday, September 6

• Sri Krishna Jayanti or Krishna Janmashtami – Hinduism [Ends September 7]
  A festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, the eighth incarnation of the god Vishnu, whose purpose was to destroy the demon Kansa who was responsible for evil’s increase in the world.

Friday, September 8

• ‘Izzat – Bahá’í
  The beginning of the tenth month of the Bahá’í year, meaning “might.”

• Nativity of the Mother of God (Theotokos) or Birth of the Blessed Virgin – Christianity
  This festival celebrates the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth. In Eastern Orthodox churches she is known by the honorific of Theotokos.

Monday, September 11

• Das Laxanä Parva [Daslakshan Parva] begins – Jainism [Ends September 20]
  The Festival of the Ten Virtues, celebrated over ten days by the Digambara Jains, helps believers to recall and practice forgiveness, tenderness or humility, honesty, contentment or purity, truth, self-restraint, austerities, charity, celibacy, and non-attachment.

Tuesday, September 12

• Coptic New Year (Enkutatash) — Coptic Christianity
  "Enkutatash is the name for the Ethiopian New Year and means ‘gift of jewels’ in the Amharic language. The story goes back almost 3,000 years to the Queen of Sheba of ancient Ethiopia and Yemen, who was returning from a trip to visit King Solomon of Israel in Jerusalem, as mentioned in the Bible in I Kings 10 and II Chronicles 9. She had gifted Solomon with 120 talents of gold (4.5 tons) and many unique spices and jewels. When the Queen returned to Ethiopia, her chiefs welcomed her with enku or jewels to replenish her treasury." — Bill Petro

Thursady, September 14

• Elevation or Exultation of the Holy Cross – Christianity
  This day recognizes the Cross as a symbol of Christ’s love for humankind and God’s victory over death. It also marks the finding of the Holy Cross by St. Helen after it had been stolen in the 7th century C.E. Orthodox churches begin their commemoration at sundown on the preceding day. In the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, this day is known as Meskel and is marked on September 27th.

Friday, September 15

• Rosh Hashanah begins – Judaism [Ends September 17]
  Beginning at sundown is New Year’s Day for the year 5780 and the anniversary of the creation of the world. Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah with the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn) and apples and honey, marking it as the first of the Ten Days of Awe [or Repentance].

Saturday, September 23

• Ohigon – Buddhism
  A celebration of the equinox that is of particular importance to Japanese, Korean, and Tibetan Buddhists. During this festival, the six Paramitas [virtues] are emphasized: generosity, morality, wisdom, honesty, endeavor, and patience.

• Autumn Feast – Native American spirituality
  A day to honor the harvest end and the coming and going of the seasons, including prayers, songs, and the telling of tribal stories.

• Mabon [Harvest Home] – Wicca
  Marking the second or continuing harvest, this festival celebrates life’s encapsulation as a seed to survive the cold winter, as well as the Harvest of the Vine, which symbolizes the divine power to transform the nectar of youth into the wine of elders’ wisdom and spiritual maturity.

Sunday, September 24

• Yom Kippur - Judaism [Ends September 25]
  The holiest day of the Jewish year. To reestablish their relationship with God, Jews ask for forgiveness and forgive others [Kol Nidre], and then they can confess their sins and ask for divine forgiveness. Prayer and fasting begin at sundown on this day and continue through the following day.

Tuesday, September 26

• Mawlid-al-Nabi (birthday of Mohammad) — Islam [Ends September 27]
  Mawlid is Celebrated by Muslims during the month of Rabiulawal, the third month of the Muslim calendar. Also commonly known as Milad un Nabi, this day is observed as a public holiday in many countries with a large Muslim population as it commemorates the anniversary of the birth of the founder of Islam and the proclaimer of the Qurʾan.

Friday, September 29

• Pitr-paksha or Mahalay Paksha – Hinduism [Ends October 25]
  The beginning of a two-week period during which Hindu adherents perform shraddha rites to gratify the spirits of their deceased ancestors, including giving food or other donations as a form of charitable service. Hindus believe in Sanatana Dharma — a lifestyle with prime importance for righteousness, values to respect every living being in the universe, as well as those who have left us.

• St. Michael and All Angels – Christianity
  A celebration of the archangel Michael and all angels (from the Greek angelos, “divine messenger”) mentioned in the Bible.

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