Annual cultural observances at Denison University.

By Academic Year:

September 2024

Mawlid-an-Nabi-Sharif
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
A public holiday in many countries, it commemorates the anniversary of the birth of the founder of Islam and the proclaimer of the Qurʾan.
Mabon/Alban Elfed
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Mabon is a thanksgiving ritual for the fruits of the earth, and a recognition of the need to share them to secure divine blessing for the upcoming winter.

October 2024

Oct 2 -Oct 4
Rosh Hashanah
Oct 2, 7:00 pm to Oct 4, 7:00 pm
The day of judgment and remembrance celebrates the New Year in the seventh month (Tishrei) as a day of rest and celebration 10 days before Yom Kippur.
Oct 11 -Oct 12
Yom Kippur
Oct 11, 6:00 pm to Oct 12, 7:00 pm
Considered the holiest day of the year in the Jewish tradition, the day is dedicated to atonement and abstinence.
Indigenous People’s Day
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Indigenous People’s Day
Oct 16 -Oct 23
Sukkot
Oct 16, 7:00 pm to Oct 23, 7:00 pm
A week-long Jewish celebration that begins with the building of Sukkah, commemorating the huts the Israelites lived in before reaching the promised land.
Oct 23 -Oct 25
Shemini Atzeret
Oct 23, 7:00 pm to Oct 25, 7:00 pm
Also known as Atzereth, this is a Jewish fall festival, which includes a memorial service for the dead and features prayers for rain in Israel.
Oct 24 -Oct 25
Simchat Torah
Oct 24, 7:00 pm to Oct 25, 7:00 pm
The completion of the Jewish annual cycle of the reading of the Torah in the synagogue and the beginning of the new cycle.

November 2024

Diwali/Kali Puja
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Known as the Hindu “festival of lights,” Diwali is a popular holiday in Southern Asia
All Saints’ Day
8:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Also known as All Hallows’ Day, or Hallowmas, is a Christian celebration in honor of all the saints from Christian history.
All Souls’ Day
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Known simply as “the Day of the Dead,” it’s a day for Christians to remember all the dearly departed: friends, relatives, and ancient ancestors.
Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The birthday of Bahá’u’lláh is a holy day of celebration for the Bahá’ís.

December 2024

Bodhi Day
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Celebrates Gautama Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment.
Immaculate Conception
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Commemorates the conception of Virgin Mary in Saint Anne's womb; nine months later, on September 8, Christians observe the Nativity of Virgin Mary
Winter Solstice/Yule
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The pagan celebration of Winter Solstice (also known as Yule) is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world.
Christmas Eve
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Also known as the Vigil of Christmas, is perceived as the culmination of the Advent season.
Christmas
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
A Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus which has evolved into a worldwide religious and secular celebration with many different traditions.
Dec 25 -Jan 2
Chanukah
Dec 25, 6:00 pm to Jan 2, 6:00 pm
Commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem
Dec 26 -Jan 1
Kwanzaa
Dec 26, 8:00 am to Jan 1, 5:00 pm
An African American and Pan-African holiday celebrating the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense.

January 2025

Solemnity of Mary
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
A Christian liturgical celebration observed on January 1.
Epiphany
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Also known as the Fest of Three Kings, marks the day when Jesus was Baptized and began to teach people about God.
Feast of the Nativity
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Orthodox Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) in the United States is celebrated on or near January 7 in the Gregorian calendar.
Mahayana New Year
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
In countries where Mahayana Buddhism is the most dominant religion, January is the month of celebration.
Orthodox New Year
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Old New Year or the Orthodox New Year is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar.

February 2025

Feb 1 -Mar 1
Black History Month
Feb 1, 8:00 am to Mar 1, 8:00 am
Beginning today, Denison celebrates Black History Month through arts and events that take place across campus.
Magha Puja Day
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Commemorates an important event in the life of the Buddha, in which the four disciples traveled to join the Buddha.
Feb 12 -Feb 13
Tu Bishvat
Feb 12, 8:00 am to Feb 13, 5:00 pm
An ancient Jewish “Earth Day” about the Jewish tradition’s advocacy of responsible stewardship of God’s creation
Maha Shivaratri
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
“The Great Night of Shiva” is the most significant event in India’s spiritual calendar. Sadhguru elaborates on this event’s significance.

March 2025

Mar 1 -Mar 31
Women’s History Month
Mar 1, 8:00 pm to Mar 31, 5:00 pm
Denison celebrates Women’s History Month through arts and events that take place across campus.
Clean Monday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Also known as Orthodox Shrove Monday or Ash Monday, the first day of Great Lent aligns with Western Lent, though period lengths are calculated differently.
Ash Wednesday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The first day of Lent, the period of forty days before Easter in which many Christians sacrifice ordinary pleasures to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice.
Mar 13 -Mar 14
Purim
Mar 13, 8:00 am to Mar 14, 5:00 pm
Commemorates the time when the Jews were living in Persia and were saved by the courage of a young Jewish woman called Esther.
Holi
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Dubbed as the “Festival of Colors,” Holi not only celebrates the victory of good over evil but also the arrival of a colorful spring.
Mar 19 -Mar 20
Naw Ruz
Mar 19, 8:00 am to Mar 20, 5:00 pm
The Baha’i New Year, a traditional celebration in Iran adopted as a holy day associated with Baha’i. It is a celebration of spring and new life.
Ostara/Alban Eilir/Spring Equinox
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The wiccan holiday of fertility, it is regarded as the time when the Goddess conceives the God’s child, which will be born at the winter solstice.
Mar 29 -Mar 30
Eid al-Fitr
Mar 29, 6:00 pm to Mar 30, 6:00 pm
Eid al-Fitr means “break the fast,” and is the last day of Ramadan, marking the end of a month of fasting for Muslims.
Trans Day of Visibility
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Outlook (Denison’s Queer-Straight Alliance) and the Center for Belonging and Inclusion co-sponsor events in honor of our trans community.

April 2025

Rama Navami
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Celebrated in Nepal and by Hindus around the world, this day commemorates the birth of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Hanuman Jayanti
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
In Hinduism, Hanuman Jayanti celebrates the birth of Lord Hanuman.
Apr 12 -Apr 20
Pesach/Passover
Apr 12, 8:00 am to Apr 20, 5:00 pm
Pesach/Passover
Palm Sunday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Palm Sunday is a commemoration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as crowds lined his path with palm fronds.
Holy/Maundy Thursday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Holy/Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus with the Apostles.
Good Friday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and in many countries and traditions is marked by fasting.
Orthodox Good Friday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and in many countries and traditions is marked by fasting.
Holy Saturday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Also known as the Angelic Night among others, it is the close of the season of Lent and penance, and the beginning of paschal time, one of rejoicing.
Easter Sunday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Easter is the annual commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Orthodox Easter
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Easter is the annual commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Apr 23 -Apr 24
Yom HaSho’ah
Apr 23, 8:00 am to Apr 24, 5:00 pm
Holocaust Remembrance Day; a day to remember the lives and names of Jewish victims and activists of the Holocaust.
Apr 30 -May 1
Yom Ha’Atzmaut
Apr 30, 8:00 am to May 1, 5:00 pm
Israel’s Independence Day. It is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the State of Israel.

May 2025

Beltane
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The fire festival, celebrating the coming of summer and the fertility of the coming year. One of the eight major annual sabbats or festivals for druids.
May 27 -May 28
Ascension of the Bahá’u’lláh
May 27, 8:00 am to May 28, 5:00 pm
Bahá’u’lláh commemorates the death of the founder of the Baha’i faith; Bahaullah died on May 29, 1892.

June 2025

Pride Month
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Denison celebrates the LGBTQIA community in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan.
Jun 1 -Jun 3
Shavuot
Jun 1, 7:00 pm to Jun 3, 7:00 pm
In Judaism, Shavuot commemorates receipt of the Torah on Mount Sinai (two of three pilgrimage festivals).
Juneteenth
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Kupala Night
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Kupala Night, also called Ivanа-Kupala and the Feast of Ivan Kupala, is a traditional eastern Slavic celebration.

July 2025

Independence Day
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
On July 4, 1776, Congress passed the Declaration of Independence.
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