Holy days, Heritage, and History Months

This calendar includes a listing of holy days / holidays, heritage, history and awareness months. This document is meant to serve as a resource and tool to help promote awareness and share information. This is not exhaustive of all major holy days in every religious tradition and some variances of dates will exist due to regional differences. Our CU community is encouraged to find opportunities to learn about and honor identities and cultures year-round as a part of our on-going commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Points to remember

  • Dates are assembled from several calendars. Lunar calendars vary based on region and practice.
  • ▲ Denotes a day that may have a work restriction and/or may be commonly taken off.
  • ■ Denotes a day that may commonly be observed with fasting.
  • Common dietary considerations for event planning
    • Kosher refers to the dietary guidelines of Jewish law which apply daily throughout the year. Restrictions include pork, shellfish (fish is usually allowed) and mixing meat with dairy.
    • Halal refers to the foods permitted according to Islamic dietary law throughout the year. Meat should be prepared in a specific way and will be certified. Restrictions include alcohol and pork.
    • Vegetarian is a diet that does not include meat and may include restrictions on other animal products.
    • Pescatarian is a vegetarian diet that includes fish or other aquatic animals.
    • Vegan refers to a diet that does not include any meat or food derived from animals (e.g., eggs, dairy products, etc.).
    • Gluten-free refers to a diet that excludes any food that contains gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
    • Lactose intolerance
    • Nut allergies (peanuts and/or tree nuts)
    • Shellfish allergies

Note: If you see a mistake or something missing on the document, please reach out to systemdei@cu.edu

2024

January

Month-long:

Days:

12/21-1/1 Yule    
12/26-1/1 Kwanzaa African American and Pan-African holiday
1/1 New Year’s Day U.S. federal holiday  
1/7 Eastern Orthodox Nativity Orthodox Christianity  
1/11 National Human Trafficking Awareness Day U.S. observed  
1/15 Martin Luther King Jr. Day U.S. federal holiday  
1/16 National Religious Freedom Day U.S. observed  
1/27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day United Nations  

 

February

Month-long:

Days:

2/1 National Freedom Day    
2/7-8 Lailat al Miraj Islam  
2/10 Lunar New Year  
2/13 Mardi Gras    
2/14 Valentine’s Day    
2/14 Ash Wednesday Christianity
2/14–3/28 Lent Christianity
2/24 Chinese Lantern Festival    
2/15 Parinirvana Buddhism  
2/19 President’s Day U.S. federal holiday  
2/24-25 Laylat al Bara’at Islam  

March

Month-long:

Days:

2/14–3/28 Lent Christianity
3/1 Employee Appreciation Day    
3/10-4/9 Ramadan Islam
3/8 International Women’s Day United Nations  
3/8 Maha Shivaratri Hinduism ▲ ■
3/12 Equal Pay Day U.S. observed  
3/17 St. Patrick’s Day    
3/19 Norwuz    
3/21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination United Nations  
3/22 Anniversary of Boulder King Sooper shooting Colorado  
3/23-3/24 Purim Judaism  
3/24 Palm Sunday Christianity  
3/25 Holi Hinduism  
3/25 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade United Nations  
3/29 Good Friday Christianity ▲ ■
3/31 International Transgender Day of Visibility GLSEN  
3/31 Cesar Chavez Day State of Colorado holiday  
3/31 Easter Christianity

April

Month-long:

Days:

3/10-4/9 Ramadan Islam
4/2 World Autism Awareness Day    
4/6 International Asexuality Day    
4/12 Day of Silence

GSLEN

 
4/6 Laylat al-Qadr Islam  
4/9-10 Eid al-Fitr Islam
4/20 Anniversary of Columbine HS Massacre Colorado  
4/22 Earth Day U.S. observed  
4/22-4/30 Passover Judaism
4/24 Administrative Professionals Day U.S. observed  
4/24 Denim Day For Sexual Assault Awareness Month  

May

June

Month-long:

Days:

6/11-6/13 Shavuot Judaism
6/14-6/19 The Hajj Islam  
6/16 Father’s Day U.S. day of observance  
6/16-6/18 Eid al-Adha Islam
6/19 Juneteenth U.S. federal holiday  
6/20 World Refugee Day United Nations  
6/22-6/23 Denver Pride Colorado  

July

Month-long:

Days:

7/4 Independence Day U.S. federal holiday  
7/7-7/8 Hijri New Year / Islamic New Year Islam  
7/14 International Non-binary People’s Day Human Rights Campaign  
7/16-6/17 Day of Ashura Muslim  
7/20 Anniversary of Aurora theater shooting Colorado  
7/18 Nelson Mandela International Day United Nations  
7/26 National Disability Independence Day U.S. Observed  

August

Month-long:

  • National Back to School Month

Days:

8/1 Colorado Day Colorado  
8/6 National Night Out U.S. observed  
8/9 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples United Nations  
8/12-8/13 Tisha B’Av Judaism
8/19 World Humanitarian Day United Nations  
8/23 International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)  
8/25-8/26 Arbaeen Day Islam  
8/26 Krishna Janmashtami Hinduism  
8/26 Women’s Equality Day U.S. observed  

 

September

Month-long:

Days:

9/2 Labor Day U.S. federal holiday>  
9/10 World Suicide Prevention Day World Health Organization  
9/11 Patriot Day / Anniversary of 9/11 U.S. day of observance  
9/15-9/16 Mawlid Islam  
9/17-10/2 Pitru Paksha Hinduism  
9/28 National Public Lands Day U.S. day of observance  

October

Month-long:

Days:

9/17-10/2 Pitru Paksha Hinduism  
10/2-10/4 Rosh Hashanah Judaism
10/3-10/12 Navaratri Hinduism  
10/7 Frances Xavier Cabrini Day Colorado state holiday  
10/10 World Mental Health Day World Health Organization  
10/11 National Coming Out Day    
10/11-10/12 Yom Kippur Judaism ▲ ■
10/12 Dussehra Hinduism  
10/14 Indigenous People’s Day    
10/14 Columbus Day U.S. federal holiday  
10/16-10/23 Sukkot Judaism
10/16 International Pronouns Day    

November

Month-long:

Days:

11/1 All Saints Day Christianity  
11/1 Diwali Hinduism
11/1-2 Día de los Muertos Mexico, many Latinx countries, U.S.  
11/8 National STEM and STEAM Day    
11/8 Intersex Day of Solidarity    
11/11 Veterans Day U.S. federal holiday  
11/20 Transgender Day of Remembrance GLAAD  
11/25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women United Nations  
11/28 Thanksgiving U.S. federal holiday  
11/28 National Day of Mourning / Indigenous People’s Sunrise Ceremony U.S. observation  
11/29 Native American Heritage Day U.S. observation  
11/29 Anniversary of Sand Creek Massacre Colorado  

December

Month-long: none

Days:

12/1 World AIDS Day Global observance  
12/3 International Day of Persons with Disabilities United Nations  
12/7 National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day U.S. observance  
12/25-1/2 Hanukkah Judaism  
12/8 Bodhi Day Buddhism
12/10 International Human Rights Day United Nations  
12/25 Christmas Christianity  
12/31 New Year’s Eve