Washington’s public four-year college and universities support and recognize the holidays, traditional observances and major days of religious significance of the diverse students we serve.
We are supportive and engaged in the continual education of our faculty/staff/students around the traditions of the communities we serve and work to be inclusive of all students. The intent of this calendar is to assist faculty/staff in planning and developing their curriculum, class syllabus and examinations during the term.
| Holiday or Observance | Religious Group | Dates | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | September 2 | Class not in session | |
| # Mawlid al-Nabi (birthday of Mohammad) | Islamic | September 17 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| *Rosh Hashanah (New Year) | Jewish | October 2-4 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| *Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) | Jewish | October 11-12 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| Navratri/Dussehra | Hindu | October 12 | |
| Indigenous Peoples Day | October 14 | ||
| *Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) | Jewish | October 16-23 | *Oct. 16 & 17 primary observation days. Designated non-work days for observers |
| *Shemini Atzeret | Jewish | October 23 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| *Simchat Torah | Jewish | October 25 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| Diwali | Hindu | October 31 | |
| Veterans Day | November 11 | Class not in session | |
| Thanksgiving Day | November 28 | Class not in session | |
| Native American Heritage Day | November 29 | Class not in session | |
| Hanukkah (Chanukah) | Jewish | December 25- January 2 | |
| Christmas Day | Christian | December 25 | Class not in session |
| New Years Day | January 1 | Class not in session | |
| Orthodox Christmas | Christian Orthodox | January 7 | |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 20 | Class not in session | |
| Lunar New Year | January 29 | ||
| Presidents Day | February 17 | Class not in session | |
| Maha Shivaratri | Hindu | February 25 | |
| # Beginning of Ramadan | Islamic | March 1 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Beginning of Lent | Christian Orthodox | March 5 | |
| Ash Wednesday | Christian | March 5 | |
| Purim | Jewish | March 14 | |
| Holi | Hindu | March 14 | |
| # Lailat al-Qadr | Islamic | March 27 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| # Eid al-Fitr | Islamic | March 30 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Ramanavami | Hindu | April 6 | |
| *Passover (Pesach) | Jewish | April 12-19 | *April 12-13 & 18-19 primary obligation days. |
| Good Friday | Christian | April 18 | |
| Orthodox Good Friday | Christian Orthodox | April 18 | |
| Easter | Christian | April 20 | |
| Orthodox Easter | Christian Orthodox | April 20 | |
| Memorial Day | May 26 | Class not in session | |
| *Shavuot | Jewish | June 1-3 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| # Eid al-Adha | Islamic | June 16 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Juneteenth | June 19 | ||
| Muharram (Al Hijrah New Year) | Islamic | June 26-July 24 | |
| Independence Day | July 4 | ||
| Janmashtami | Hindu | August 16 |
* These holidays (or dates within holidays) are designated non-work (observance) days.
# Some of these dates are not fixed to a calendar but based on the actual sighting of the moon and therefore there may be some variance by day.
All Jewish, Islamic, and Bahá’í holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the first date shown.