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.
| 1 | Tue | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue | St David's Day | Patron saint of Wales |
| 2 | Wed | Ash Wednesday | A Christian observance, representing the first day of Lent and the start of 40 days of fasting and penance |
| 2 | Wed | 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 |
| 17 | Thur | St Patrick's Day | Patron saint of Ireland |
| 18 | Fri | Holi | Hindus celebrate spring and certain events in Hindu mythology. |
| 20 | Sun | Spring Equinox | Pagans celebrate the rebirth of spring. |
| 20 | Sun | Noruz | Historically, Noruz is the traditional Iranian new year holiday, and is celebrated by more than one religious group. |
| 27 | Sun | Mothering Sunday |
| 2 | Sat | Ramadan starts | The beginning of Ramadan carries great significance for Muslims and is the beginning of the Ramadan fast. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Sun | Rama Navami | A Hindu celebration of the birth of Lord Rama. |
| 14 | Thur | Vaisakhi | A celebration of the founding of the Khalsa, the collective body of baptised Sikhs created in 1699. |
| 14 | Thur | Maundy Thursday | Christians remember the Last Supper which took place on the evening before Jesus's crucifixion. |
| 15 | Fri | Passover (Pesach) | One of the most important festivals in the year, Jews remember the Israelites' liberation from slavery in Egypt. |
| 15 | Fri | Good Friday | Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. |
| 16 | Sat | Hanuman Jayanti | Hindu's celebrate the birth of the god Hanuman. |
| 17 | Sun | Easter Sunday | Commemorating Jesus Christ's resurrection. |
| 23 | Sat | St. George's Day | |
| 27 | Wed | Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) | Many people in the UK commemorate the murder of about 6 million Jews during the Holocaust |
| 28 | Thur | 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. |
| 1 | Sun | Beltane | A fire festival when Pagans celebrate the arrival of summer and the fertility of the coming year. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Sun | Orthodox Easter | |
| 6 | Fri | Vesak / Buddha Day | An important festival for Buddhist's, celebrating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. |
| 9 | Mon | Mental Health Awareness Week | |
| 26 | 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. |
| 2 | Mon | Eid-al-Fitr | Marking the end of the month-long fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. |
| 17 | Tues | International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) |
| 4 | Sat | Oxford Pride | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Sat | 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. |
| 5 | Sun | Pentecost | Christian observance commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus Christ’s disciples |
| 12 | Sun | Trinity Sunday | Christians celebrate the belief in three aspects of the one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. |
| 16 | Thur | Corpus Christi | Christians celebrate the Eucharist (Holy Communion). |
| 16 | Thur | Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev | Guru Arjan Dev was the fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus and the first Sikh martyr. |
| 21 | Tue | Summer Solstice | Pagans celebrate Midsummer or Litha, which means 'standing still of the sun'. |
| 22 | Wed | Windrush Day | The UK celebrates Windrush Day to honor the British Caribbean community. |
| 9 | Sat | Martyrdom of the Báb | Bahá'ís mark the anniversary of the execution in 1850 of the Báb, the herald of the Bahá’í faith. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Sat | Eid ul Adha | A major muslim festival commemorating Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail. |
| 13 | Wed | Dharma Day | Buddhists from the Theravada tradition celebrate the teachings of the Buddha. |
| 30 | Sat | 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. |
| 1 | Mon | Lughnasadh or Lammas | A Harvest Festival when Pagans celebrate the gifts of Nature. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Fri | Tisha B'Av | Jewish Holiday |
| 7 | Sun | 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. |
| 11 | Thu | Raksha Bandhan | A Hindu festival. |
| 15 | Mon | Feast of the Assumption | Christians commemorate the death of Mary, and her bodily assumption into Heaven. |
| 18 | Thu | Janmastami | A Hindu festival marking the birth of Lord Krishna. |
| 31 | Wed | Ganesh Chaturthi | A Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of Ganesha to earth from 'Kailash Parvat' with his mother goddess Parvati/Gauri. |
| 25 | Sun | Rosh Hashana | The Jewish New Year celebration. In the UK, it lasts for two days. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Fri | Autumn Equinox (Mabon) | The second of the three Pagan harvest festivals |
| 23 | Fri |
Bi Visibility Day / Celebrate Bisexuality Day |
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| 26 | Mon | Navaratri begins | A significant 9 day Hindu festival. |
| 4 | Tue | Yom Kippur | The Day of Atonement, the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Many Jewish people spend the day fasting and praying. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Tue | Dussehra – Dasara | Hindu festival celebrating end of Navaratri |
| 9 | Sun | First day of Sukkot | A Jewish holiday also called the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of the Ingathering. |
| 10 | Mon | World Mental Health Day | |
| 15 | Sat | Hoshana Rabbah | A Jewish holiday celebrating the last day of the Sukkot festival. |
| 16 | Sun | Shemini Atzeret | A Jewish holiday held the day after the Hoshana Rabbah. |
| 16 | sun | Birth of the Báb | Báb was a prophet and forerunner of the Bahá'í revelation. |
| 17 | Mon | Simchat Torah | A Jewish holiday to conclude the annual cycle of Torah reading and begin the next cycle. |
| 17 | Mon | Birth of Bahá’u’lláh | The holy day celebrates the birth of Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith |
| 24 | Mon | Diwali | Festival of Lights (Hindu, Sikh, Jain) |
| 31 | Mon | Samhain | Wicca/Neo Pagan |
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Tue | All Saints day | A holy Christian day honouring all the saints in Christian history. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Wed | All Souls day | Christian day of giving and prayers for the dead. |
| 20 | Sun | Transgender Day of Remembrance | |
| 24 | Thu | Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur | Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth Guru of Sikhs, was martyred on this day 1675. |
| 27 | Sun | Advent Sunday | A four-week period before Christmas when Christians prepare for the coming of Christ |
| 28 | Mon | Nativity Fast begins | Orthodox Christian fasting begins and ends 6 Jan 2023 |
| 28 | mon | Day of the Covenant | Baháʼís celebrate the appointment of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as the Centre of Baha'u'llah's Covenant. |
| 30 | Wed | St Andrews Day (Patron Saint of Scotland) |
| All month | Disability History Month | ||
| 8 | Thur | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | A holy day of obligation for Christians, particularly of the Catholic faith. |
| 8 | Thur | Bodhi day | On Bodhi day Buddhists from the Mahayana tradition celebrate the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment |
| 10 | Sat | Human Rights Day | Universal declaration of human rights 'All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms' |
| 18 | Sun | Hanukkah | A Jewish festival also known as the festival of lights, ends 26 Dec. |
| 21 | Wed | Winter Solstice | Yule marks the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year - when Pagans celebrate the rebirth of the sun. |
| 25 | Sun | Christmas | Christmas Day is when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, whom they believe to be the son of God |
| 26 - 1 Jan | Mon | Kwanzaa | A secular festival observed by many African Americans as a celebration of their cultural heritage and traditional values |
| 26 | Mon | Hanukkah ends |
