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Equality and Diversity Unit
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Equality dates

A calendar of equality and diversity dates, including significant religious festivals

The purpose of including these is 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.

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Date:    
1 Muharram/Islamic New Year
2 Ganesh Chaturthi A Hindu festival in honour of Ganesh
3 Samvatsari The holiest day of the Jain calendar. Many Jains observe a complete fast on this day
23 Autumn Equinox For many Pagans, this rite honours old age and the approach of Winter
23 Bi Visibility Day www.bivisibilityday.com
29 - 7 Oct Navaratri A nine day Hindu fesitval
30 Rosh Hashannah The Jewish New Year, marks the beginning of ten days of repentance and self examination

rDate:    
All month Black History Month Visit our events page to find out more about our Black History Month Lecture
7 - 13 Dyslexia Awarenesss Week Dyslexia and dyspraxia information page
9 Yom Kippur The final day of the ten days of repentance and the holiest day of the year in the Jewish year
13 - 19 Inter faith week of prayer for world peace
14 - 21 Sukkoth A Jewish festival also called the Feast of Tabernacles
27 - 31 Diwali The Festival of Lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains
29 Birth of the Báb Bahá'ís celebrate the birth in 1819 of the Báb, the herald or forerunner of their faith
30 Birth of Baha'u'llah  On this day Bahá'ís celebrate the anniversary of the birth in 1817 of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of their faith. Bahá'u'lláh means 'Glory of God'
31 Samhain  Marks the Celtic New Year and the beginning of what Pagans call the Wheel of the Year

 

Date:     
1 All Saints' Day On All Saints' Day Christians remember all the saints and martyrs, known and unknown, throughout Christian history
2 All Souls' Day All Souls' Day is a day when Christians remember and pray for the dead, especially family members
2

Anniversary of the crowning of Haile Selassie

 One of the holiest days of the Rastafarian year
10 Rememberance day  The Sunday nearest to Armistice Day, remembering the dead of the two World wars and subsequent wars
10 Prophet Muhammad's birthday (Sunni)
15 Prophet Muhammad's birthday (Shi'a)
11 - 15 Anti Bullying Week  
12 Birthday of Guru Nanak Guru Nanak was the founder of the Sikh faith and the first of its 10 ten Gurus. He was born in the Punjab in 1469
20 Transgender Day of Remembrance  

 

Date:     
All month  Disability History Month  
1 Advent Sunday A four week period before Christmas when Christians prepare for the coming of Christ
8 Bodhi day On Bodhi day Buddhists from the Mahayana tradition celebrate the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment
10 Human Rights Day Universal declaration of human rights 'All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms'
21 Winter Solstice Yule marks the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year - when Pagans celebrate the rebirth of the sun.
23 - 30 Hannukah  Hanukkah is a Jewish festival also known as the festival of lights
25 Christmas Christmas Day is when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, whom they believe to be the son of God
26 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 Kwanzaa A secular festival observed by many African Americans as a celebration of their cultural heritage and traditional values

 

Date:    
5 Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday Marking the birth of the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh

 

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equality@admin.ox.ac.uk

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