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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janmashtami | Hindu | September 4 | |
| Labor Day | September 17 | Class not in session. | |
| #Mawlid al-Nabi (birthday of Mohammad) | Islamic | September 5 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| *Rosh Hashanah (New Year) | Jewish | September 22-24 | Designated non-work day for observers. |
| *Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) | Jewish | October 1-2 | Designated non-work day for observers. |
| Navratri/Dussehra | Hindu | October 2 | |
| *Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) | Jewish | October 6-13 | *October 7 & 8 primary observation days. Designated non-work days for observers. |
| Indigenous Peoples Day | October 13 | ||
| *Shemini Atzeret | Jewish | October 15 | Designated non-work day for observers. |
| *Simchat Torah | Jewish | October 15 | Designated non-work day for observers. |
| Diwali | Hindu | October 20 | |
| Veterans Day | November 11 | Class not in session. | |
| Thanksgiving Day | November 27 | Class not in session. | |
| Native American Heritage Day | November 28 | Class not in session. | |
| Christmas Day | Christian | December 25 | Class not in session. |
| Hanukkah (Chanukah) | Jewish | December 14-22 | |
| New Years Day | January 1 | Class not in session. | |
| Orthodox Christmas | Christian Orthodox | January 7 | |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 19 | Class not in session. | |
| Lunar New Year | February 6 | ||
| Maha Shivaratri | Hindu | February 15 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Presidents' Day | February 16 | Class not in session. | |
| Ash Wednesday | Christian | February 18 | |
| #Beginning of Ramadan | Islamic | February 18 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Beginning of Lent | Christian Orthodox | February 18 | |
| Purim | Jewish | March 4 | |
| Holi | Hindu | March 4 | Begins evening of March 3 and ends the evening of March 4. |
| #Lailat al-Qadr | Islamic | March 16 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| #Eid al-Fitr | Islamic | March 20 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Rama Navami | Hindu | March 26 | |
| *Passover (Pesach) | Jewish | April 1-9 | *April 1-2 and 8-9 primary obligation days. |
| Good Friday | Christian | April 3 | |
| Easter | Christian | April 5 | |
| Orthodox Good Friday | Christian Orthodox | April 10 | |
| Orthodox Easter | Christian Orthodox | April 12 | |
| *Shavuot | Jewish | May 21-23 | Designated non-work day for observers. |
| Memorial Day | May 25 | Class not in session. | |
| #Eid al-Adha | Islamic | May 27 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Juneteenth | June 19 | Class not in session. | |
| Muharram (Al Hijrah New Year) | Islamic | June 16-July 14 | |
| Independence Day | July 4 | Class not in session. |
* 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.