Holy Days and Holidays Calendar 2019-2020 Installation of Holy Scriptures of Guru Granth Sahib 1 Sikhism Ganesh/Vinayak Chauth 1 or 2 Hinduism Labour Day 2 Canadian Holiday 3 Jainism Farvadegan (SC) 4 Zoroastrianism Birth Date of H. H. Sakya Trizin 7 Buddhism 2019 SEPTEMBER Coptic New Year/Nayrouz (J) 11 Christianity Anniversary of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution 12 Buddhism Anant Chaturdashi 12 Hinduism Powley Day 19 Indigenous World View Festival of Higan-e 20 Buddhism Eihei Dogen Kigen Memorial 22 Buddhism Harvestide/Mabon/Fall Equinox 23 Wicca Anant Chaturdashi 13 Jainism Kshamavani/Daslakshan Parva ends 14 Ashura 10 or 11 Islam Rosh Hashanah begins Judaism Rosh Hashanah ends 1 Judaism Bodhidharma Memorial 5 Buddhism World Communion Day 6 Christianity Durga Ashtami 5 Hinduism Vijaya Dashmi/Dassehra 7 Hinduism 2019 OCTOBER Installation of the Guru Granth as Guru 20 Sikhism Simchat Torah 21-22 Judaism Bandi Chhor Divas 27 Sikhism Karva Chauth 17 Hinduism Arbaeen 19 Islam All Saints Day 1 Christianity Samhain 1 Wicca Gyan Panchami 1 Jainism Milad-un-Nabi 9 or 10 Islam Kathina ends 10 Buddhism Birth of Guru Nanak 12 Sikhism 2019 NOVEMBER 12 Dev Diwali Jainism Louis Riel Day 16 Indigenous World View Martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur 24 Sikhism Day of the Covenant 26 Bahá’í First Day of Advent (J) 28 Christianity First Day of Advent 1 Christianity Maun Agiyaras 8 Jainism Birthday of Imam Aga Khan 13 Islam Saghamitta Day 12 Buddhism Yule/Winter Solstice 21 Wicca 2019 DECEMBER Christmas Eve 24 Christianity Christmas 25 Christianity Zarathosht-no-diso (FC) 26 Zoroastrianism Boxing Day 26 Canadian Holiday Awakening Day 8 Buddhism Temple Day (Solar New Year) 1 Buddhism New Year’s Day 1 Christianity and Canadian Holiday Birth of Guru Gobind Singh 5 Sikhism Epiphany 6 Christianity Christmas (J) 7 Christianity 2020 JANUARY Lohri 13 Hinduism New Year’s Day (J) 14 Christianity Makar Sankranti 14 Hinduism Epiphany (J) 19 Christianity Imbolc 2 Wicca Lunar New Year/Maitreya Bodhisattva’s Birthday 25 Buddhism Vasant Panchami 29 Hinduism Family Day (ON) 17 Provincial Holiday Ash Wednesday 26 Christianity Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days) 25-28 Bahá’í 2020 FEBRUARY Inuit Day 7 Indigenous World View ABOUT THIS CALENDAR The students and staff of the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) represent a rich diversity of creed traditions and beliefs. While this calendar identifies some widely recognized days of significance, it should not be viewed as an exhaustive or authoritative account of all creed accommodation needs. Students and staff from any creed may or may not be absent from school or work on these days, and accommodations may be required. Bolded days indicate days of significance for many of the major creed beliefs and practices in Canada. For planning purposes, the expectation is that SCDSB schools and worksites not schedule larger events or activities on these days if possible. For further information, please contact our Principal of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at 705-734-6363, ext. 11483. This calendar should not be viewed as an exhaustive or authoritative account of all creed accommodation needs. Accommodation requests for creed beliefs and practices must be made through your Principal/Manager/Supervisor and will be approved in accordance with your collective agreement. Please see Appendix A of Memorandum A7125 for our Religious Accommodation Guidelines. While not all instances are captured in this calendar, we recognize that several holy days in many faiths begin on the evening prior to the marked day of observance, and that specific dates may vary depending upon the geographic region or local community. Christianity - dates for Christianity are based on the Gregorian calendar unless specified as Julian (J); Julian dates reflect days of observance within Eastern Orthodox Christianity; Islam - dates are tentative as some may vary based on the sighting of the moon; Judaism - it is recognized that within Orthodox Judaism, two days would typically be observed for most days of significance, while in Reform Judaism, one day would be observed; Zoroastrianism - dates are based on Fasli Calendar (FC), Qadimi Calendar (QC) and Shenshahi Calendar (SC). Samvatsari/Paryushan Parva ends/Daslakshan Parva begins Jainism Sharad Navratri begins 29 Hinduism Orange Shirt Day 30 Canadian Observance Thanksgiving Day 14 Canadian Holiday Yom Kippur 8-9 Judaism Pavarana 13 Buddhism Nichiren Shonin Memorial 13 Buddhism Sukkot 13-20 Judaism Kathina begins 14 Buddhism Diwali/Deepavali 27 Hinduism Diwali/Lord Mahavir Nirvana 27 Sikhism New Year 28 Hinduism New Year/Enlightenment Day of Gautamswami 28 Jainism Birth of the Báb 29 Bahá’í 30 Birth of the Bahá’u’lláh Bahá’í Chanukah 22-30 Judaism Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 28 Bahá’í Mahāyāna New Year 10 Buddhism Linji Memorial 10 Buddhism Maghi 13 Sikhism Honen Shonin Memorial 25 Buddhism Magha (Sangha Day) 7 Buddhism Nirvana Day 15 Buddhism Maha Shivratri 21 Hinduism Losar (Tibetan New Year) 25-27 Buddhism 29 Remembrance Day 11 Canadian Observance